A visit from John Azoni

Earlier this semester, my convergence journalism class was visited by John Azoni.

Azoni is a local filmmaker and artist who spoke on working in what he described as a booming industry.

“Media art is in demand everywhere,” Azoni said. “Companies and people are engaging in this now because videos tell a story that paper articles cannot.”

Azoni helps create these tales at two local startups. He serves as the Creative Director for both Epic Motion and Tell, two Michigan based companies that shoot, edit and produce videos.

Epic Motion creates unique wedding videos that give a behind the scenes keepsake that couples can cherish forever.

“I get feedback from some of the videos that we do, and it is so rewarding,” Azoni said. “When someone just thanks you and says that they the thing you helped to make will be showed to children and grandchildren, it is pretty cool.”

Azoni estimates that the company will do around 35 weddings during the year, with the majority taking place in Michigan. However, Epic Motion has profiled ceremonies in Chicago, Cleveland, and even as far away as Spain.

A video package costs between $4,000 – $11,000, a big investment for most couples. However, Azoni and his team take each individual project very seriously.

“We send a questionnaire to each couple before we go and shoot,” Azoni said. “It asks where they first met, background information, and the defining moment of their life together.”

In addition, they collect the speeches from the best man and maid of honor before the ceremony and send out a brief video to the wedding party informing them on the process of capturing the day.

“Anybody can just sit in the corner with a camera rolling,” Azoni said. “Our goal is to do much more than that and really deliver a quality product that delves into the moment.”

Azoni’s other employer is Tell, which does similar work like Epic Motion, but instead of weddings, focuses on profiling companies.

In class, Azoni shared a project that he and his team had recently completed for a company called Ginkotree.

The video can be seen here.

Azoni said that with the shooting, editing and correspondence with Ginkotree’s representatives, the finished product took just over a month.

“At the end of the day, you want what the client wants, and they loved it,” Azoni said.

Azoni graduated from the College for Creative Studies in 2007. He can be followed on Twitter here.