Swanfest - a musical festival wedding film inspired by Martin Scorcese's "The Last Waltz".
This is by far the longest film we’ve ever created and with good reason. This film was always intended to be much grander than a “wedding video”. It’s a film about a great transitory period in the lives of two individuals, finding what’s most important, and the friends made along the way.
When Brandi + Jonathan first reached out to us we had a video call, us in our home office and them on the road somewhere taking the call from their RV named Doris, it was clear from that first meeting that they were looking for something more from their wedding video. For the two of them, their wedding was not just a celebration of love but the ending of a chapter in their lives. After seven years of touring the country in an RV, it was finally time to park Doris and plant roots. What better way than with three days of music and friends in what would come to be known as Swanfest?
The driving inspiration for their film was the 78’ Scorsese rock doc “The Last Waltz”; a film about a band playing one last gig with all their friends after years of touring. The similarities were so obvious. It’s a film about friendships, adventures, endings, and beginnings. Using that film as a foundation informed our creative decisions. For one, we wanted to shoot on anamorphic lenses to capture that vintage cinematic feel. We also chose to do more traditional “sit down” interviews for the documentary aesthetic. This story was so big and interesting we wanted it to be in Brandi + Jonathan’s own words.
We open with scenes of bucolic suburban life: a glass of wine, a vibey doormat, the RV getting stowed away. It’s the end of life on the road and the start of nesting at home. And then it’s just a long take of Jonathan explaining why they wanted a festival over a traditional wedding day. What I love about this film is how it embraces the longer format, but in doing so we are rewarded with so much more personality and heart and real true moments of candidness.
This. This is why we started doing story sessions in the first place. Weddings (and especially this one) are about so much more than saying “I do”. They’re about why someone is compelled to say those two words in the first place. After spending so much time with Brandi + Jonathan, we came to understand their “why”. That after years of seeing and doing so much they realized the adventure of it all existed in the narrow space between their two hearts on that RV, not out in the mountains or desert plains. Keeping this top of mind gave the film its theme. That is, that a life of adventure and a life building a home are not mutually exclusive.
For us that’s the difference between documenting a day and understanding the day. It’s why we cut back to little scenes from their home throughout the film. It’s equally about them screaming at the top of their lungs with all their friends as it is about giggles on the couch by the fire. We juxtapose a big moment like saying “I do” with a silly moment at home. Because those silly moments are the cause, the wedding is the effect.
I’ll be honest and say I poured more of myself into this film than I thought I could. Growing up watching “The Last Waltz” with my parents meant I felt a special connection to this one. I spent my childhood listening to the very musicians featured in this film. It was a chance to completely break the mold and try something new. We couldn’t be more grateful to Brandi + Jonathan for trusting us and giving us that opportunity - one to create something that spoke to their journey and their vision. This was a wedding we won’t soon forget. “One more song!”.
All Music Licensed from www.musicbed.com:
"I Caught a Light - Instrumental" by Francis Doom (Sync ID: MB01FO0YWNFSAPM)
"Lester's Comet" by Lester Davenport (Sync ID: MB01S9AGEFSJZZX)
"To Be in a Movie with You" by Tom Yates (Sync ID: MB01TATUNAY3O53)
"Secret Language" by The Shivers (Sync ID: MB01UHWV6QVHI7W)
"Lonely Wolf" by Ray Harris (Sync ID: MB01KP2KM8O5SGJ)
Salt + Pine Films is an award-winning New England and destination wedding videography team based in Boston, Massachusetts. We’re a husband and wife team as much in love with each other as we are with people in their stories.
Awarded Best of Boston 2022 by Boston Magazine, Best Videographer 2024 by The Loverly List, and Best of Weddings 2020-2024 by The Knot.
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