MEET DANIEL

A little about me, and my process...

 

Firstly, let me just say that 'David' is actually my middle name.

My last name is Ertolahti (Finnish boy here), so you can see how that doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well haha. Not that it is important, but just a quick fun fact. I figured using my middle name for my business was a little easier to remember (and spell) for everyone. But anyhow, I digress...

Since as early as I can remember I have been creating some form of artwork or another. Whether that was pencil drawings, animated cartoons, or graphic designs and websites.  I have always been a naturally creative person. I guess perhaps it isn't "natural" in the sense that, I actually just spend an incredible amount of time being curious and trying new things.

 

'I am naturally curious' might be a better way to put it. I am also an obsessive perfectionist when it comes to the details of projects that I work on, to a fault.

 

I've spent more hours than I would care to admit tinkering with little details that almost nobody will ever notice in my wedding films. Watching the video over, and over, and over again. Making little adjustments. Little tweaks. But hey, to me those details are important.

Many little things add up in the end!
 

I find that weddings are a great artistic outlet for me. They have so many emotions, so many beautiful scenes, a ton of great candid moments. Once you shoot a wedding and put together a quality film, it's a very satisfying feeling. There are so many variables in the process, and so many different things that can happen, that when it all comes together in the editing room, it's a beautiful thing.

 

I've slowly developed something of a unique style with my wedding films over the years.

I spend a lot of time thinking about each one I make, considering what the best way to proceed will be. It's always an interesting process, no two are the same, but every single one has a common thread. That thread is that I want the couple (and the viewer in general) to "feel" the video.

 

While I am creating these videos, in my head I feel like I am like Steven Spielberg (haha). I tend to lean into the dramatic, and the things that I think are powerful. I do everything myself, I don't hire outside editors, so the process can be a bit slower, but I retain full control of the end product and I know whatever comes out at the end will meet my standards.

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I am super picky when it comes to everything from shot selection, to music, to the structure of a wedding film. I will sit there for hours on end going over 30 seconds of an edit adjusting things frame by frame, contemplating if I think the flow is right, or if anything feels off.

It is a very painstaking process, but I love it. 

 

I want to make something you watch and get sucked in like I do, where you can't look away because you are emotionally invested in what you are watching. 'That' is what I am after. I don't always hit every ball out of the park, but I am always swinging for the fences. That is a guarantee. 

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But at the end of the day, I do this mostly because I enjoy it.

I am an artist at heart, and I just love creating new things.

I think that makes a difference in the end product for any kind of venture.

If you really enjoy it, and you develop a bit of skill, you can produce great things!

- Daniel