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Documenting a life story
Award-winning local
videographer believes in more than just recording an
event
By Trudi Beutel
(tbeutel@richmond-news.com)
Richmond videographer Danny
Sayson's life documentaries have set a new standard for
wedding videos.
"When people think of
wedding videos they think of Uncle Henry or Uncle
Charlie with their camcorder," said Sayson, fresh off
his gold medal win at the 2002 Creative Excellence
Awards, sponsored by the Wedding and Event
Videographers' Association.
"They're now MTV-style
video quality."
His three-and-a-half minute
competition entry into the pre-ceremony production
category garnered praise from the 1,000-plus crowd who
gathered Aug. 28 at Bally's Convention Centre in Las
Vegas.
For Sayson Video
Productions, the gold award is the equivalent of
receiving an Oscar.
The Chan Wedding, his
winning piece, documents the bride preparing for her big
day. The montage includes baby pictures and family
photos, as well as still-lifes which highlight the ring,
wedding dress and flowers.
Sayson's piece took two
hours to shoot and 10 days to edit. It was chosen from
hundreds of international entries as the best in its
category.
But don't call it a wedding
video. That term carries with it amateur-ish
connotations. "They're called life documentaries,"
Sayson clarified. "The wedding video is part one because
the couple have the rest of their lives together."
Although the 1988 Richmond
High grad seemed destined for a career in image
preservation - he was never in any family photos because
he was always the one behind the lens - wedding and
special event videography wasn't necessarily in the
cards, but a brief foray into broadcast journalism by
way of the B.C. Institute of Technology confirmed to
Sayson his celluloid interest didn't lie in chasing
ambulances or hounding politicians.
"What's the opposite of all
that?" Sayson asked. "Weddings because they're about
celebrations and happiness. I basically enjoy capturing
the happiest moment in somebody's life."
After practising his craft
with his own siblings (there's seven of them), Sayson
struck out on his own; dabbling with new video
techniques and technologies that give his creations a
trade-mark look.
While Hollywood-style
optical filters provide hazy, dream-like effects, fades
and star-burst reflections, broadcast-quality video
equipment, steady-cams and micro-chip wireless
microphones make for picture quality, movement and sound
that was formerly reserved for the big screen.
Regardless of the
technological tweaks, the best videos, Sayson said, come
from pre-planning and developing a relationship with the
bride and groom. During several pre-wedding meetings,
Sayson and his clients work together to choose music and
filters as well as define the video's tone, feel and
whether it will be shot in colour or black and white.
But Sayson doesn't only
videotape weddings, he also produces special event and
corporate videos. He's even created videos for a number
of funerals. Looking at his portfolio, it seems Sayson,
in fact, has captured almost the entire life-cycle on
tape except for one important event - birth.
"I'm looking forward to
doing that one, but so far there have been no takers,"
he said.
Sayson can be reached at
604-725-0677. | 
