Happy Holidays from Rewind Pictures!

We hope you have a wonderful holiday and look forward to helping you capture your memories on film in 2010!

Best wishes to all!

Andrea & Florence

Rewind Pictures hits the theater!

Yesterday was a total blast! We spent the day shooting interviews and footage for an upcoming gala tribute film!

The New Group has hired us for the 2nd year in a row to pay tribute to the recipient of their annual Michael Mendelson Award for commitment to excellence in theater. This year's recipient is Robyn Goodman, an extremely successful, inspiring theater producer. We sat down and interviewed her as well as a handful of her adoring friends and colleagues including Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Geoff Rich, and Ruth Hendel. We asked them to tell us why Robyn was so special to them and in pure theater fashion it turned into a brilliant comedic drama.

Robyn and The New Group joined forces a few years back on Avenue Q. Lucky for us, we also got all access to the cast of puppets on Avenue Q (Off Broadway now) to help us record an additional amusing tribute to this well loved woman.

We can't wait to edit the film! Check back soon to see final film!

The gift that keeps on giving

It sneaks upon us every year-the frantic holiday shopping! We deliberate over what to get our loved ones. We look for something that will have personal meaning, that will bring enjoyment and hopefully last forever. Well, this year Rewind Pictures has the perfect gift idea for the holiday season or really anytime you want to give something special to your loved ones.

First and foremost, our films and montages are obvious great gifts for the wedding couple, bar/bat mitzvah boy or girl, parents' anniversary, milestone birthday, etc! What says you care more than commissioning a documentary of your parents' lives together or the Love Story of the bride and groom?

If you are looking for a great gift on a smaller budget, you might want to start by transferring all of your old home video to DVD and hand them out to your loved ones as gifts. Most formats currently holding our precious family memories are no longer in use on an every day basis so we never get to watch and reminisce. For a really affordable price, we will transfer all of your old video onto DVD with a customized DVD menu. You are guaranteed to sit in front of the TV during the holiday season for years to come and "oooh" and "ahhh" and "eeek" with your family!

Tis the season! Spread the joy and preserve those memories forever. Just think, then you will be super ready when the time comes to make a Rewind Pictures film for one of you family's special events!

Tweet Tweet

We put it off as long as we could, but we finally gave in and joined the Twitter world.

Wow, do I feel old! Kind of like my mom when she started using the internet-"what's that?" "how do you do that?" But I must admit I am starting to catch on to the lingo and to getting a little pitter patter in my heart when someone new starts following me!

So come join the bandwagon and follow us: rewindpics !

There is so much information out there waiting to be tweeted!

Turkey does it!

In honor of the spirit of Thanksgiving, we'd like to take a moment to look past the turkey and stuffing....

Every year Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to those that are important to us-- all of those that made pilgrimages, sacrifices and life changes at the chance of bettering their lives and in turn, ours. For most, this is our family and loved ones.

Florence and I started Rewind Pictures because of our dedication to helping people preserve their family histories. Whether we make a film or montage veiled under the guise of a big celebration or special award, underneath it all is the recording of the stories and images that shaped your family trees. So this year we give thanks to our families, loved ones and you who believe in the importance of recording family history like us.

We hope that you all take time this Thanksgiving to reminisce, look through old photo boxes and home video, swap funny stories and keep your family histories alive.

Gobble gobble.

NYC Wedding Venue Find!

I was filled with delight on Sunday when my dear friends tied the knot at one of the most stylish weddings of the year!

The held the wedding at a great venue called The Norwood. A private club drawing its membership from the creative arts, Norwood is nestled in a townhouse amongst the hubbub of 14th Street and the Meatpacking District. We slowly creeped our way up the townhouse throughout the night-cocktails in the parlor, then a yummy 5 course dinner one flight up and an all out dance club on the 3rd!

They have recently starting holding non-member events on Sundays when the club is closed and let me tell you, it is a perfectly romantic, NY chic place to say your vows. According to the recent bride, they were overly welcoming, accommodating and inspired in making the couple's wedding vision a reality. And to top it all off, Andrew D'Ambrosi aka " I have a culinary boner!" from Top Chef is the chef de cuisine and the sometimes-resident DJ, Christopher Sealey rocked the house as we danced our little hearts out in pure delight.

Shh, don't tell anyone I let this secret out of the bag....

Thinking outside the Bar Mitzvah box

We recently finished a Bar Mitzvah film that was the first of its sort for Rewind Pictures.

For Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, we usually produce films incorporating on-camera interviews with family and friends of the Mitzvah boy or girl or we produce a visual story using home video and photos only. This time around, our client wanted to do something different-a combination of the two, if you will. Instead of interviewing him on camera, we voice recorded a story he had written about son that we set to photos he provided along with the music of his choice. The final product turned out wonderfully-it was really sweet and personal to hear a father reminiscing about his son on the day he becomes a man! Surely something both father and son will cherish for years to come.

Just goes to show you that any type of film is a possibility for us. We enjoy pushing the envelope and constantly search of ways to think outside the box according to your personal story, style and budget.

Boatloads of brides!

There may be a recession, but we couldn't tell by the droves of brides storming the booths of the Wedding Salon luxury wedding showcase last night at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Some of the very best wedding vendors displayed their crafts setting a scene that almost looked like a real wedding reception including live band music, beautiful table settings, towers of cupcakes and a Wedding Salon bride and groom standing at the altar modeling their attire! Highlights for us included meeting the infamous Sylvia Weinstock aka wedding cake goddess, talking shop with Joseph Edwards who makes beautiful wedding videos, and munching on mini cupcakes from Crumbs! A definite must for brides on the search for the best of the best.

I *heart* Super8

Call me old fashioned, but in the days of digital and HD, the look and feel of film still has my heart! When it came down to picking a videographer for my wedding I knew that I wanted to be captured by the beauty of Super 8mm film on my big day. Not only does Super 8mm film make everything feel romantic and ethereal, it is quite flattering as well! I researched high and low and found 2 very talented individuals in the forefront of the wedding videography field (which is definitely filled with a lot of junk!) and I thought I would share those with you today!

Megan of Hello Super 8 is truly gifted at capturing the essence of your wedding day (she also does family films!). For couples looking for an alternative to the typical wedding video, Megan shoots solely in Super8 and edits together a truly unique, personalized wedding video that will blow your mind-whimsical, romantic, fun, rockin' (she's got great music taste!) and beautiful. It is guaranteed to be a keepsake forever! Check out samples of her work on her website.

My second pick is Wes of Film Jones. We chose Wes to make our wedding film. He uses a blend of Super8 film and digital video to create his masterpieces. We waited on pins and needles for our film and were completely blown away with the results! The combination of both formats together is a perfect fit. Wes has a gift in the editing room knowing just when to use the Super8 to tug at your heart strings and when to beautifully illustrate the beauty of your wedding in crystal clear digital film. I have watched our 40 minute film over and over and never get bored. Being in the business, I thought I might be inclined to re-edit but it was perfect the first time around capturing the essence of us as a couple and the fun, sentimental moments in the day.

For those interested, you can see a clip of our wedding film here: http://www.vimeo.com/7178556

Happy choosing! If you go with one of these two talents, you can't go wrong.

The results are in.....

The BizBash Expo & Awards were held last Wednesday, October 21 at the Jacob Javits Center. Unfortunately, Rewind Pictures did not win in the Best Video for an Event category, but it was truly an honor to be amongst those that won. You can see the list of winners here.

The BizBash Expo drew more that 4,000 people who had the chance to peruse over 300 vendor booths, keynote addresses, education sessions and lots of yummy snacks and dazzling performances. Some of our favorites were a charming, talented photographer named Andre Maier and the fantabulous Screaming Queens who provide the best in drag queen entertainment for any event!

Thank you, BizBash for a wonderful event. You make it easy to create successful, innovative events!

Preserve your family history!

My family recently experienced the loss of two very special people, Helen & Sol Krawitz.

Life long partners, Helen & Sol were married for over 60 years. They lived through the Holocaust, fought in the Resistance, saved countless Jews, settled in the US and realized the cliched American dream. Sol turned 80 years old five years ago and the family embarked on preserving their family history based on the stories of its matriarch and patriarch, Helen and Sol. The result: a 60 minute documentary featuring interviews with Helen, Sol, their 4 sons and wives and 7 grandchildren intertwined with their precious archival materials and customized music. You can view a clip below.

When Helen passed 10 months ago, Sol's world was crushed. By fate or coincidence, he fell ill soon after and passed on September 29, 2009. What has survived is sweet memories of a wonderful couple, an amazing legacy, a beautiful family....and this film. In the midst of this tragic loss, it has increasingly apparent that it is imperative for us to preserve our family histories. So please, run, don't walk, and record those stories you always say you are going to get around to, pull those old photos out of their boxes and bring your family history to life forever.

Helen and Sol, you are missed greatly.

Wedding Dance Off!

One of my favorite wedding moments this year was the widely seen JK Wedding Entrance Dance - a real life choreographed precessional involving the wedding party and bride and groom set to Chris Brown's "Forever." I was mystified by its creativity and originality...until the YouTube phenomena took hold, Matt Lauer interviewed them on the Today show and anyone who thought they had a sense of humor spoofed it.

All in all, the lesson I have learned here is always THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. Why does a precessional have to involve boring music and slow, awkward steps down the aisle? Make your wedding or event your own personal style.

And in the spirit of recreation, The Office recently aired their version. Watch it here. Pretty timely and brilliant if you ask me.

We are finalists in the BizBash Awards 2009!

It has been a frantic few autumn weeks here @ Rewind Pictures! Forgive us for not having kept you up to date...until now!

Last week we were thrilled to find out that we are, in fact, finalists in the Best Video for an Event category at this year's BizBash Awards 2009! Our film, The New Group honors Ethan Hawke, will be in competition with a range of other very talented finalists. Check out the others here!

The awards ceremony takes place on October 21, 2009 at the Javits Center! We will keep you updated, wish us luck!

Pick us! BizBash Expo & Awards

Recently we were delighted to receive an email from BizBash asking for submissions to the BizBash Event Style Awards. We were even more excited to see a "Best Video for an Event" category and knew right away that we had to apply with one of our favorite films this year-The New Group honors Ethan Hawke (see post here!).

Every year BizBash honors the best of the best in the field of corporate and non- profit event planning and creativity. The awards are handed out in NY, LA and Toronto bringing the event industry together to celebrate their own. This year the BizBash Event Style Awards will be held in conjunction with the BizBash Expo on October 21, 2009 at the Jacob Javits Center.

So, wish us luck! We will be sure to keep you updated!

Sacred bridal babble....

As many of you might know, I got married last September 2008 in New York City at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. I lived through the highs and lows of planning a wedding, survived the boot camp of decision making and came through a winner-the wedding of our dreams!

The folks at New York Magazine Weddings contacted me a few months back to participate in a roundtable discussion with a group of other recent brides to dish the dirt on wedding planning, hopefully saving some future brides & grooms a little wedding anxiety! The session went on for 4 hours-I guess we had a lot to share!

The biggest piece of advice I have? Pick 1 or 2 things that are really important to you and focus on personalizing those, all the rest will fall into place!

My gift to you, future brides...Enjoy!

From Their Mouths to Your Ears: A group of recent New York brides spill on their wedding-planning thrills and fiascoes.

Give peace a chance!

Hot off the presses-one of our latest films!

Rewind Pictures recently completed a film that was commissioned by a returning client (we love those!) who wished to document his work in peacemaking and to garner interest for a new workshop he is organizing for 2010. One of the most fun parts of making the film was choosing the music. Wow, the 60's & 70's were such a great time for music. We think we should publish a film soundtrack!

Our client recently showed the film to a group of fellow peacemakers and the response was overwhelmingly positive. We were thrilled to hear that people were inspired to sign up on the spot for his workshop. We are so glad that he is pleased with the film and we hope you like it too!

Rewind Pictures is on your Bridal Wishlist!

We are honored to announce that we have been featured on one of our favorite bridal blogs, The Bridal Wishlist!

Check it out here:

Tell Your Story: Rewind Pictures

I met Janice at the B-List Wedding Blogger Conference back in April hosted by Vane of Brooklyn Bride and Anne Chertoff of From I Will to I Do. It was such a great opportunity to put faces to those wedding bloggers we are all obsessed with! Janice from The Bridal Wishlist was a joy to speak with and we are just so thrilled she admires our work as much as we do hers!

If you are getting married soon., make sure to check out The Bridal Wishlist early and add some of her ideas to the top of your list!

Dazzle them at your organization's gala!

Rewind Pictures makes films and montages for all sorts of events from weddings to anniversaries, birthdays, Mitzvahs and corporate/non-profit events and galas. Since all of our films are tailor-made, your film wish is our command!

This past year, we were thrilled to produce a tribute film honoring Ethan Hawke for The New Group Annual Gala in New York on November 10, 2008. An active member of this New York theatre company, The New Group's Board of Directors chose to honor Mr. Hawke (Reality Bites, hello!) for his contribution to the community. It was a tremendous honor to interview TNG founder Scott Elliot, members of their Board of Directors, Philip Seymour Hoffman and the delightful Ethan Hawke!

We were honored to attend the Gala and witness the premiere of the film that seemed to be quite a success based on the applause-o-meter and thrilled to help The New Group raise funds for next year's season.

Rewind Pictures is pretty!

We are so thrilled to announce that Rewind Pictures has been asked to be part of Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book, a very exclusive and handpicked list of wedding vendors from across the country! We are honored to be amongst some of our favorite vendors including Erik Ekroth (www.erikekroth.com) and Hello Super 8 (www.hellosuper8.com). You can find us under "What Nots" in Manhattan and also under "Cinematogrpahy" in several New York categories.

Personally, I am particularly excited as Style Me Pretty provided tons of inspiration for my own wedding planning and I found their Little Black Book vendors to be top notch! Abby recognizes the bride's desire to find personal inspiration in every step of their wedding planning process!

If you haven't checked them out yet, take a look- your chic self won't be disappointed.

xo

Welcome!

We are so happy to be part of the blogging world! We are your personal digital storytellers!

Rewind Pictures has been very busy over the last few months and we hope to catch you up with all that has been going on and all the new things we have on the horizon! Check back with us for new samples of our work, fun stories and inspiration to help document your stories and plan your big event!

In case you are new to Rewind Pictures, here is an introduction to who we are and how we can help you. 

See you soon!