It’s easy to see why New York natives Monica and Shail chose Jamaica as the backdrop for their gorgeous 3-day destination Indian wedding celebration. Of all the Caribbean islands, its one of the most beautiful, inviting, and fun; a perfect way to describe this fun loving couple and their families. Although at first glance you might assume Monica and Shail were selected straight from central casting, but these two aren’t actually movie stars (yet). When the two decided to leave their normal lives behind, gather family and friends, and embark on a destination wedding adventure in Jamaica, we were honored to take part and commemorate the festivities in very unique and cinematic ways.
Held at Half Moon in Montego Bay, Monica and Shail’s celebration was the perfect hybrid of a traditional Indian wedding with a lush, island paradise. From the bright, tropical color palette, to the groom’s baraat by motorboat, to the giving of the coconut picked straight from a local palm, to the wedding ceremony on the beach, even their priest, an Indian pandit, was a local of Jamaica. Perhaps none of these elements celebrated both the island destination and the traditions of a Hindu wedding more appropriately then the couples’ wedding garlands. Made from the beautiful, local tropical flowers that pepper the Jamaican landscape, these garlands, or “Jai Mala,” gave Monica and Shail a poignant way to welcome each other and their newly joined families, one of the first and most integral traditions to begin a Hindu wedding. Documenting the creation of Monica and Shail’s Jai Malas with local flowers gave us the opportunity to showcase the blending of location with tradition that their wedding did so well. Production assisted by Joshua Moore. Special thanks to Style by Susmita, Keith Cephus, and Trisha Cranor of Working Brides.
Shot with the Canon 5D Mark II and EOS L-Series lenses
Additional support gear by KesslerCrane.com, Cinevate.com, & Glidecam.com
Depeka and Robin came to us as long-time fans of our work and a love of all things Bollywood. After a twelve-year courtship, Robin’s elaborate proposal even involved screening their favorite movie, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.” Although having settled in New York, Depeka’s ancestry traces back to Rajasthan and many members of her family continue to call Guyana home. One challenge for their wedding celebration was bringing together all of their friends and family spread between the east coast, South America and the Caribbean. When Depeka and Robin narrowed their search to South Florida, Depeka’s dream of combining her love of the beach with elements of a royal Hindu wedding held in a beautiful palace were slowly realized. The first time she saw The Breakers in Palm Beach, Depeka knew she had found her palace by the sea. Depeka and Robin’s sentimental nature and love of Bollywood cinema inspired their e-session, which we combined with their same-day-edit and screened to all in attendance the night of their reception. A very special thanks to beauty/hair/makeup artist Susmita Patel, who also did a great job with her cameo, and the staff at The Breakers Palm Beach.
Shot with the Canon 5D Mark II and EOS L-Series lenses
Additional support gear by KesslerCrane.com, Cinevate.com, & Glidecam.com
It’s not often we get to take part in a celebration with as many unique touches and thoughtful details as Vish & Aalok’s two-day Hindu wedding at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami. All the careful planning was no accident. If you’ve attended one of their lavish Hindu weddings in the last decade, chances are you’re not only familiar with Rose Events, but a big fan of what they do. When we first heard from Vaishali, Rose Events’ founding partner and wedding coordinator extraordinaire, and learned that she wanted us to document her own wedding to long-time love, Aalok, we knew we were in for something truly special.
Vish & Aalok are an amazingly fun, funny, high energy couple who are self-described goof-balls. With so many unique and fitting pre-ceremony surprises planned from fun gifts to a scavenger hunt, we knew there would be plenty of excitement. A big highlight for us was Aalok’s baraat, an incredible caravan of jet ski’s racing through the Miami intercoastal just before the ceremony. What became clear almost immediately though, despite all the careful choreography of the day, is that these two also have big hearts and wouldn’t be able to resist showing lots of emotion. Laughter often accompanied tears. So many memorable moments, unexpected, touching and fun, for these two “friend soulmates” with over a decade of history, friendship and love between them. We were honored to be a part of such an amazing celebration and humbled by the trust one of the industry’s finest coordinators gave us for her very own, much anticipated wedding. Hair, makeup & beauty by Susmita Patel. Production assisted by Andrew Waite, Travis Cossel and Ed Ballart. Additional thanks to the Eden Roc Hotel, Miami.
Shot with the Canon 5D Mark II and EOS L-Series lenses
Additional support gear by KesslerCrane.com, Cinevate.com, & Glidecam.com
We learn something new and beautiful about the Indian culture with every South Asian wedding film we produce. Sapna and Vijay’s gorgeous destination wedding in Aruba was no exception. The week of festivities would be a memorable departure from the norm, with the island serving as a picturesque backdrop for the Atlanta natives’ lavish two-day South Asian wedding. The celebration joined friends and family from all over the world to partake in the couples’ Vidhi and Pithi, outdoor Sangeet and Hindu wedding ceremony overlooking Palm beach. In this piece, the challenge was blending the rich visual symbols of a modern Hindu wedding with an homage to the distinct sights and sounds of the Caribbean islands. Central to our approach was a focus on water as a theme, for its recurrence in the rituals of a Hindu wedding ceremony, to its ever-presence as a symbolic motif in Bollywood cinema. From the blue/green hues in the color palette to the literal moments of washing and rainfall itself, water as a symbol of renewal and purity was a link common to both Hinduism and the couples’ chosen destination of the island.
But the idea to attempt a pseudo concept engagement session in the rain was inspired at the last minute by weather reports showing scattered showers the week of the trip. We are always looking for inventive ways to try new things. So to pull off the shoot, Sapna and Vijay were “on call” the day before festivities were set to begin, and none of us knew if or when we would see rain. But it managed to fall at the perfect moment and we hurried to produce the impromptu shoot on the very same beach as their ceremony. The same-day-edit premiered at their reception just prior to their grand entrance on the last night of the trip. We couldn’t be more pleased with the results and were honored to document this memorable event for such a fun couple. Wedding coordination by Nirjary Desai of KisCubed Events, with Mehndi, hair & makeup by Susmita Patel of Studio Sush, and florals by Ragini Patel. Production assisted by Matt Mangham, Ray Tsang and Ishwar Daryanani.
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Westin Aruba Resort | Event Coordination: Nirjary Desai, KisCubed Events
Mehndi, hair & makeup: Susmita Patel, Studio Sush | Florals & Decor: Ragini Patel | Photography: 6 of Four
How far would you go to execute the perfect plan?
How far would you go for love?
Ravi thought he had it all figured out. The night of his proposal to Rekha was set to be perfect. When suddenly things take a wild turn - in the most unexpected way at the most inopportune time. Finding the right words is one thing. Proving it with actions is something else entirely. A string of high profile jewelry store heists has kept authorities baffled. A break leads Police to a pair of suspects: two couples, two well-laid plans. For one, the biggest obstacle will come at the worst possible time.
Putting it all on screen posed an entirely new set of challenges. Although action and romance may appear to be an unlikely pairing, we’ve had many unique opportunities to explore the ways genre conventions and narrative fiction can enhance documentary storytelling and were excited to take a leap into the action genre with our latest film, “FLAWLESS.” The all-DSLR, Canon 5D Mark II production spanned four nights in Los Angeles and included the use of a process trailer and Porsche Cayenne with Gemini crane furnished by Camera Car Industries. Amazingly realistic picture vehicles were provided by Picture Car Warehouse. Shooting a police chase on-location with world class stunt drivers under the supervision of stunt coordinator Gianni Biasetti was one of many highlights, as was staging a full-blown heist of the gorgeous Stuart Moore in Fashion Island.
Pacific Pictures presents “FLAWLESS”
Starring Ravi Gandhi, Rekha Velisetty, Kavi Ladnier & Roger Narayan
Written & Directed by Kevin Shahinian
Produced by Kevin Shahinian & Snehal Patel
Director of Photography Kevin Shahinian
2nd Unit Director Snehal Patel
Gaffer Tom Myrdahl
Key Grip Jefferson Miller
Sound Recordist Christopher Wilson
Glidecam operator Alex Sax
Film Editor Kevin Shahinian
Stunt Coordinator Gianni Biasetti
Wardrobe Kristen Anthony
Makeup & Hair Kurumi Uchino
Cameras: Canon 5D Mark II
Canon EOS L-series lenses
Additional equipment furnished by Cinevate & Glidecam.
