Danny and Bernard at Temple Shalom

Video Documentation: commitment ceremony of Danny Cohen and Bernard Cherkasov on October 22, 2006

This event featured several firsts for me as an event videographer. This was my first Commitment Ceremony documentation and the first time I'd recorded a Jewish ceremony within a Temple. It was an international gathering including Danny’s friends and relatives from the UK and Bernard’s Azerbaijani friends and family. The entire event occurred inside The Temple Shalom complex on Lakeshore Drive.
Fig Media provided video and photo documentation as well as DJ services. The event was rather elaborate as it included an array of Jewish, British and Azerbaijani rituals and activities within a day of celebration that ran from 2pm to midnight. There was detailed advanced coordination for Figs involvement in the event. The photo, video and DJ crew met with Danny and Bernard two weeks before the big day and had a two hour strategy session. The following week Fig team members went to Temple Shalom and met with Danny and the site coordinator to inspect all the rooms where activities would occur and to refine plan of attack.
Learning that we would not be permitted to to record the actual ceremony from a close proximity I decided to rig up up 2 Chuppah Cams to capture more intimate views of the ritual. As Jewish ceremony typically occur beneath a small canopy, supported by four posts (the Chuppah), lines of site for visual recording can be difficult to achieve. However, the four posts allow for convenient mounting of a small video camera within the small ceremony space, thus is derived the term Chuppah Cam.
The receptions featured a marathon Hora of 30 minutes duration. I jumped into the mosh pit, along with James Gustin, Fig photographer to capture the volatile action at close range while Melissa Martens shot high angle views from the near by stage. Other reception highlights included a surprise musical performance in which Danny played guitar and sang a song dedicated to Bernard. There was also a Beni goru blessing ceremony in which a bowl of Henna was passed and guests placed a mark upon their hand as they sang.
Working as event documentarian in Chicago has given me windows into an array of cultures that I never would witnessed first hand had I remained in the rather w.a.s.p.y realm of upstate New York: from African-American Baptist weddings on the south side, to Hispanic Cotillions on the west side, to Indian ceremonies in the Suburbs, to energetic down-town Jewish festivities, to very up-tight Protestant gatherings at North Shore residences.



Carl Wiedemann: Lead Videographer

Equipment: Sony PD170 camera, Samson wireless mics, Sony VX2100,
Canon ZR300

2nd camera: Melissa Martens - Fig videographer

DJ: Brent Rolland, assisted by Tobey Geise of Fig Media

Photography: Fig Media - Brian Carey, James Gustin, Lauren Pollock

Fig Producer: Megan Taylor