Let's talk about money

Have you gotten engaged recently or maybe a while ago and now you’re planning your wedding?  It is such an exciting time, isn’t it?  I know discussing finances while planning one of the most special moments in your life may not be the most romantic thing to do.  But it is a very important part of a marriage that often gets overlooked during the initial stages of courtship.  Statistics show that money is one of the most common reasons marriages fail. 

When my wife and I started dating, money was one of the first things we discussed even before getting engaged (although we both knew early on that we wanted to get married).  It is one of the best things we did for our relationship.  One really helpful book that we used to guide our talk was http://getfinanciallynaked.com/ by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar.  The  author’s provide useful practical tips in a friendly, easy-to-read manner that won’t put you to sleep.  Here are a few things to consider:

-Share your credit reports
-A list of red flags to watch out for in a partner 
-How to create a budget for a combined household 
-Who will be the CFO of your marriage? Or will you manage the finances as a team?
-Joint bank accounts or separate accounts?

We hope you find this post helpful and if you have any additional thoughts or insights, please let us know.  We look forward to sharing other additional tips that my wife and I hold dear in our hearts.

Happy wedding planning and congratulations on getting engaged! 

Changing with the times: USB drives: Part Deux

Last week's post I told you about us changing from DVD to USB as our main digital support for delivery. Today, my good friend Braja, sent me those beautiful pictures of the drive I've created for her and Gene.

I just wanted to share them with you so you can see the final product. I hope you enjoy it!
Have a great week,

Matthieu

Changing with the times: USB drives

When I started working in this industry as a wedding videographer in 2001, I was using VHS tapes to record 2 hour films for my clients. For nearly the past decade, Cinematt has been providing customized DVDs to clients along with an option of adding a USB drive since 2011.  Now fast forward to 2014, Cinematt is very excited to announce that we are transitioning to providing our films only on USB drives.

It seems that as technology improves over time (with the emergence of Amazon drive, Apple TV and Google Chrome) DVDs and even Blu-ray are going extinct.  CDs are now becoming obsolete.  As most of you have probably noticed, as I did when I purchased my iMAC last year,  Apple has removed the optical drive for playing CDs on their newer model computers. 

There are many advantages to receiving your wedding film on a USB drive.  It is important to show our films, which are filmed in HD, in an HD format.  DVDs are standard resolution.  As more people purchase smart HD TVs, they have the capability to view their wedding film in the highest quality resolution. With the USB drive you can play your film directly on your TV, on your computer via iTunes, and you will save time without having to load different chapters as with DVDs. Sharing the film is also easy via email or social media.

We look forward to delivering your wedding film on a USB drive and hearing feedback from you.

Matthieu

Have you heard of BAPVA?

Cinematt has been asked to be part of a panel discussion on color grading at next week’s BAPVA meeting. You may wonder what is BAPVA. It’s the Bay Area Professional Videographer Association, which I’ve been a member since 2005 and a program manager in 2011-2012.  It’s a great way to network with fellow cinematographers, learn something new about your craft, and maybe share a few tips or two of your own.  Learning from great leaders (Michael Wong, Ray Roman, & Joe Simon), who have been instrumental in shaping our industry, has been a valuable experience for me.  Come join us to learn about color grading on Monday, August 18, 2014 at the Santa Clara Fire Station 1900 Walsh Ave, Santa Clara, CA 95050. The program is 6:30 – 9 pm, but come mingle at 6 pm.  (fee: $25 for non-BAPVA members). Stay tuned for my tips on color grading, and if you like more information about BAPVA, please follow the link below.
www.bapva.org