Beyond the Awards

For this episode of Beyond the Awards, we're joined by Becky of Thompson Wedding Films, who was shortlisted for Best Storytelling at the British Wedding Film Festival.Becky has been filming weddings for ten years, starting out with little filmmaking experience before leaving teaching to make wedding films full time. Since then, her approach has evolved considerably: from a very minimal, documentary way of filming to working with multiple cameras, while constantly questioning what actually makes her films better.We talk about storytelling, awards, inspiration and the pressure of being influenced by so much work online. Becky shares why she sometimes thinks having more cameras and chasing the perfect shot can actually take you away from the wedding itself, and why talking to people and understanding what's happening emotionally can be just as important as getting the right footage.We also get into long-form wedding films, using real conversations and ambient audio, why she loves weddings at home and in marquees, the problem with overly engineered moments, her own podcast The Becky Sessions, and the changing wedding filmmaking industry.The British Wedding Film Festival⁠https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com⁠Thompson Wedding Filmshttps://thompsonweddingfilms.co.ukJoce (Lune de Miel Studio)⁠https://www.lunedemielstudio.com⁠Jeff (Jeff Wood Visuals)⁠https://www.jeffwoodvisuals.com⁠Vidflowhttps://vidflow.co/britishweddingfilmfestivalDeliver a premium viewing experience that looks professional and easily accessible on all client devices.

For this episode of Beyond the Awards, we're joined by Indian photographer and podcaster Shanaya Arora for a conversation about something that's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: when did weddings become content?Shanaya shares her thoughts on the growing influence of Instagram and social media, couples chasing viral moments, and the danger of being so focused on creating the perfect wedding that we forget to actually experience it.We talk about why the most meaningful moments are often the ones that aren't planned, and why authenticity matters more than ever in wedding filmmaking.And, of course, we get into AI, and what happens when we can no longer tell the difference between what was captured and what was created.A different kind of Beyond the Awards conversation, but one that asks a pretty important question: are we documenting weddings, or are we creating content?The British Wedding Film Festivalhttps://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.comShanaya Arorahttps://www.instagram.com/shanayaaroraaJoce (Lune de Miel Studio)https://www.lunedemielstudio.comJeff (Jeff Wood Visuals)https://www.jeffwoodvisuals.comVidflowhttps://vidflow.co/britishweddingfilmfestivalDeliver a premium viewing experience that looks professional and easily accessible on all client devices.

This week on Beyond the Awards, we’re joined by Roo, founder of Coda and winner of this year’s Educator of the Year award.But this conversation isn’t really about education. It’s about community, and why creating spaces for filmmakers to meet, share ideas and learn from one another can be just as important as the work itself.Roo talks about his journey into wedding filmmaking, how Coda grew into a thriving community, and why he doesn’t see himself as the voice of the industry, but as the person in the middle connecting great people with an audience.We also discuss the importance of staying curious, the changing landscape of British wedding filmmaking, the value of sharing knowledge, and why everyone, no matter how experienced, has something to teach.The British Wedding Film Festival: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠britishweddingfilmfestival.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠britishweddingfilmfestival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GUESTRoo Films: roo-films.comHOSTSJoce (Lune de Miel Studio): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lunedemielstudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeff (Jeff Wood Visuals): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jeffwoodvisuals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VIDFLOWDeliver a premium viewing experience that looks professional and easily accessible on all client devices. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vidflow.co/britishweddingfilmfestival⁠⁠

This week on Beyond the Awards, we sit down with festival judge Badal Jain, co-founder of Badal Raja Company, to unpack his incredible 24-year journey from a jobless journalist to one of India’s most sought-after ultra-luxury wedding filmmakers. Having captured everything from intimate celebrations to mind-boggling receptions with up to 200,000 guests, Badal brings a unique, deep-rooted perspective on what it takes to document love on a monumental scale.We discuss the evolution of wedding cinema, why story should always come before trends, and how approaching a wedding like a documentary allows you to preserve something far more valuable than a social media post: real family history.In this episode, we cover:Handling massive Sscale: What it's really like managing production for multi-day events with thousands of guests.Documentary over content: Why long-form narrative films will always outlast short-form social media trends.The 24-Hour edit: How delivering same-day cuts acts as the ultimate business card for high-end clients.Festival insights: What separates a good submission from an award-winning story in the eyes of a judge.Stripping back the gear: Moving away from heavy equipment and why a single 35mm lens is often all you need.If you want to learn more about ultra-luxury weddings while keeping authentic human emotion at the heart of your work, then this episode is for you.The British Wedding Film Festival: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠britishweddingfilmfestival.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠britishweddingfilmfestival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GUESTBadal Jain: badalrajacompany.comHOSTSJoce (Lune de Miel Studio): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lunedemielstudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeff (Jeff Wood Visuals): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jeffwoodvisuals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VIDFLOWDeliver a premium viewing experience that looks professional and easily accessible on all client devices. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vidflow.co/britishweddingfilmfestival⁠

In this episode of Beyond the Awards, Festival judge and acclaimed filmmaker Toby joins Joce and Jeff to lift the curtain on what separates award-winning work from the rest of the pack.Having reviewed hundreds of festival entries, and created history himself with one of the most-watched wedding films of all time. Toby breaks down what catches a judge’s eye in the first 30 seconds. We discuss why playing it safe is the fastest way to get overlooked, the subtle line between bold artistic choices and forced trends, and how to maintain authentic emotion when pushing your creative limits.If you want to know what it truly takes to create an award-winning wedding film, then this episode is for you.In this episode, we cover:The 30-second rule: What grabs a judge's attention immediately and makes a submission stand out.Boldness vs. playing safe: Why taking creative risks pays off over generic templates.The trend trap: Why crowbarring in trendy effects like Super 8 or drone shots can hurt your film.Going viral: Toby's experience filming high-end weddings, and handling 41M+ views.Future-Proofing your style: Why raw, honest storytelling will always beat hyper-polished or AI-driven edits.The British Wedding Film Festival: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠britishweddingfilmfestival.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠britishweddingfilmfestival⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GUESTHandcraft Pictures: handcraftpictures.comHOSTSJoce (Lune de Miel Studio): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lunedemielstudio.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeff (Jeff Wood Visuals): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jeffwoodvisuals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VIDFLOWDeliver a premium viewing experience that looks professional and easily accessible on all client devices. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vidflow.co/britishweddingfilmfestival⁠