So as we were saying our ‘epiphany’ affects you guys as our customers and friends as much as it affects us…

This new understanding of the parallel between self-criticism and ego suddenly came into play everywhere within our business! And it is DEFINITELY this ‘shake off’ of Ego (which is found so often in the film business unfortunately) that is unique to Lemon Tree Film House.

Now our growth is constant, not up and down, constant… and that’s because our enthusiasm and passion is limitless. Every week, we learn new film and editing methods, buy new equipment, come up with fantastic ideas and ways to capture varying perspectives because we LOVE doing what we do.

We always watch our wedding films in full prior to sending them out and we USED TO sit there pretty much searching for faults in our filming technique or editing ‘imperfections’. It’s great that we care so much about our final product and we will NEVER compromise on that but seriously, ‘searching for faults’. What a joke! Now we watch our films through, usually with a glass of wine in hand and, watch it as the couple would. We no longer look at OUR Filming and Editing when we do this. We drop the Ego and instead we take note of how we FEEL when we watch the film – and then multiply that feeling by like a thousand and THAT’S how the couple will feel.  If tears spring to our eyes then the couple will be openly weeping. If we giggle at a joke then the couple will be laughing out loud and if we find ourselves constantly smiling then without a doubt the couple will be grinning from ear to ear. (My particular favourite is when I notice that I’ve hardly blinked through the whole film. I’ve been so engrossed that I haven’t wanted to miss a thing and I kind of have to peel my eye lids away from my dried out contact lenses – gross but pretty accurate image right there).  On these occasions I allow myself the hilarious picture of multiplying THAT image by a thousand for the couple’s own reaction to their film. (Side Note: Imagination is essential here or it’s not funny at all.)

So there it is! We realised that our continuous critique of our work was actually egotistical – after all it is NOT About US… it’s about the couple. We understand that to accurately portray their personalities and tell their story (not just use their film to ‘showcase’ what WE can do on a technical level) is what’s unique to Lemon Tree Film House.

Now the BEST type of feedback we get from a ‘client’ (I prefer ‘friend’) is ‘We couldn’t stop crying/laughing/smiling’ Not ‘I loved that shot when…’ or ‘I loved the way YOU…’ The ideal feedback now is when the couple didn’t even notice what WE’D done because they’re so emotionally caught up in the film. That’s a true reflection of a job well done.

And that’s how we roll – and what makes us unique.

There’s No Room for Ego here…