midwest wedding, Middle of the Map Weddings

I first became familiar with Brandon and Nicole’s work when they shot my friends Brian and Ellen’s wedding.  I absolutely loved the short film they put together, the music was perfect, and the shots were edited together in a way that really told a story about their day.  It was no surprise to me when they merged their business with Wirken Photography, and they together have created a beautiful multi-media experience for their couples.  Here’s more about Brandon and Nicole’s business Wirken Films.

Where to find him: Website, Blog, Facebook

Where do you live, work, and play?

We live with our 2 year old daughter in Kansas City, Missouri.  Most of our time is spent at home with her, working in our home office or meeting with clients at the Wirken studio in Waldo. We enjoy spending time together every day playing at city parks, coloring or having impromptu dance sessions at home.

Ashley + Philip | Married | Short Film from Wirken Films on Vimeo.

When did you first become interested in creating films?  What sparked your interest?

Once upon a time I wanted to create short form and feature films. Originally I chose to attend film school because I spent nearly every waking moment watching movies. It was the enjoyment of movies, rather than a passion for creating them, that gave me that spark of interest.  It took many years in the film industry for me to find myself with an enjoyment of, and a passion for creating films. Once I made the decision to devote my time to making documentary wedding films, I felt like something clicked.  It opened my eyes to the real reasons behind why I liked movies in the first place.

When did you decide to start your business, and why did you decide to merge with Wirken?

We began Parigo Studios Photography and Cinematography in 2006 with a desire to use our photography and film making background documenting weddings and portraits in a meaningful way.  After the birth of our daughter in 2009 we decided to transition Parigo Studios into more portraits and less wedding photography, and find a new venue for our real goal of diving headfirst into wedding cinema. I have always felt that wedding photography and cinema co-exist and wanted to keep our films closely related to a local wedding photography company. As video and photo technology come full circle this is becoming vitally important.  We feel what you can offer with both photography and cinema is so much more rich than what you can offer separately. Wirken Photography was an obvious choice as we needed a group of photographers with the same philosophy and desire to explore. Luck would have it they were looking to expand their services with like-minded artists at the same time. The fact that we had all become friends over the years was an added plus, and now we are happy to be family.

Gloria + Hunter | Married | Integrated Film from Wirken Films on Vimeo.

Have you been shooting weddings from the beginning, and if not why did you start?

I went to film school & spent many years in commercial film and video production, and Nicole has a BFA in fine art photography and painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I feel that I’ve always been destined to shoot weddings. I’m an amateur genealogist, and I feel documenting our lives in a meaningful way is very important. The sheer amount of information about our ancestors that is lost every day is astonishing. When I connected the dots that I could help preserve memories, and do it in an artistic way, there really was no going back from making wedding films.

Lana + Ryan | Engagement Film from Wirken Films on Vimeo.

What’s your favorite part of being involved in someones big day?

My favorite part of being involved in a wedding is the little moments.  A person’s humanity is often not shown in how they go through the actual steps of a wedding, it is shown by how they look at their family, how they touch each other, or even how they stand while alone. The small shake in their voice, or nervous laugh, causes me more joy than any grand words that they might be saying. To me those little moments reveal so much about who they are. Wedding film making is a chance to show those things not only to them, but to their descendants. A chance to show who they are, even if only for a few precious moments.That is priceless.

Any words of advice for couples trying to choose a videographer?

Don’t think of what you think a wedding video should be. Think of what you want a wedding video to be. Then find a film maker that fits your needs and that you trust. Trust is most important. It is that simple really.