Meet Bobby Burns, an award-winning wedding filmmaker based in Minneapolis, capturing love stories both locally and around the world. With over 15 years of experience, Bobby shares his journey, unique approach, and the passion behind his company, Redmond Digital Media.
MNB: Can you tell us about Redmond Digital Media and how you entered the wedding industry?
BB: I'm just wrapping up my 17th wedding season of capturing weddings all over the world and am so grateful to be in such a wonderful industry. It actually happened a bit by chance, as initially it wasn't my intention for this to become my career. I had always been interested in video and actually shot my first wedding for a family friend my sophomore year of high school, but I really never considered that to be my start. Fast-forward to my senior year - all students had the opportunity to skip the last month of their senior year and do an internship or an approved project. I reached out to a local wedding filmmaker about shadowing him for this period of time and I really attribute everything I've accomplished today to that decision. After that internship, I kept working for him for a couple of years. I then moved out to CA for film school and began booking my own weddings. By the time I graduated, I had enough work to be full-time in the wedding industry and never looked back. I've since captured hundreds of weddings all over the world and served many corporate and commercial clients as well.
MNB: Describe your process and what clients can expect from Redmond Digital Media.
BB: My process starts by limiting the amount of weddings I take each year. I'm not a studio with multiple teams, and my clients are not a number to me. You'll notice with my films that each and every one feels unique and is specifically catered to the couple and their day. That being said, I want to be sure I have the correct amount of time to dedicate to each wedding which includes learning about each couple and what's important to them, getting a feel for the vibe of their day and creating a stunningly unique film. I always enjoy hopping on a Facetime or phone call (or grabbing coffee or a drink!) before they book with me as I feel it is important to have the opportunity to get to know one another as well as answer any questions they might have and make sure we are all on the same page. From there we'll email back-and-forth leading up to the wedding, and can hop on a call as needed.
When it comes to the wedding day, I try to approach it with the right mix of letting your day be yours and letting it take shape naturally, while still inserting my years and years of knowledge to help create the best film possible for the couple. I want to capture who they are naturally while also helping to make them and their day look its best! I typically direct more than "pose" which allows the couple to interpret what that looks like for them and allows me to capture those natural and "REAL" interactions.
MNB: What defines your typical couple, and what are they looking for?
BB: My typical couple is anyone who values a uniquely crafted wedding film and not only wants to relive the emotions of their day, but truly wants a finished product that is a step above and can be a family heirloom for years to come. Whether you are getting married downtown, across the world, in a national park or in your backyard, at the root of every film I produce is a story and that story exists in any backdrop. I gravitate towards couples who are willing to not only trust me as a business to provide a service, but who ultimately trust me as an artist who wants to create a stunning piece of art for them to relive their day again and again.
MNB: How would you describe your videography "style"?
BB: If I had to choose one word to describe my style, it would be unique. I'm told again and again by couples that many of the wedding films they've watched, when searching for a videographer, ultimately all looked the same whereas no one wedding is the same within my catalog of work. My films stood out to them not only because they were visually unique, but because they had an emotional impact that they hadn't felt in the other films. I don't work off a template, and my goal isn't to film your wedding and turn it around as fast as possible (though I do have an incredibly quick delivery window compared to the industry average!). I want to create something entirely unique that leans into the intricacies of who the two of you are and what your wedding day looked and felt like.
Beyond that, my films are clean, polished, and consistent. If you hire me, you get me - not a team of filmmakers who you haven't met who may or may not be able to execute at the level of films on that brand's front page. As such, I bring a consistent look and level of quality to every film. As an artist I am always evolving, trying to think outside the box and ultimately push the boundaries of what a wedding film can look and feel like.
MNB: Do you recommend engagement shots, and why?
BB: I absolutely recommend that couples do an engagement shoot with their photographer for SO many reasons. With video I think it can also be a great way to capture a short and unique time in their lives and, like photo, it helps me understand how the couple interacts and what works best on camera for their wedding day! For video, we call our engagement sessions "love stories".
MNB: What is your favorite environment or season to shoot in, and why?
BB: I will happily shoot in any environment and season (shout-out to those choosing to wed in -20 degree weather). I ultimately enjoy the variety of venues I get to capture and seasons throughout the year. With that said, I am particularly drawn to adventurous couples and national park settings. I have captured many weddings on the north shore of Minnesota as well as various national parks across the US, and always love what I am able to create in such beautiful settings. I feel these backdrops reflect a bit of who I am, and as such, I feel inspired as an artist when I am able to create in these locations.
MNB: Share your most memorable wedding day moment or client interaction.
BB: I'd like to say that it's one of the incredible days I captured in Japan, Mexico, Iceland, Jamaica or elsewhere in the world. Or, the heartfelt texts and emails I receive from my couples explaining how blown away they are by their film.
When I think about this question though, the first thing that comes to mind was a wedding held just this past year. I knew this wedding was going to be great as the day was beautiful, the vendor team was stellar and the couple was just SO sweet. When I arrived, I was greeted with a custom-made gift basket from the couple that was based on my interests and included items not only for me, but for my dog Kodak as well. I was absolutely speechless. It was so incredibly nice of this couple and a perfect representation of how genuine and thoughtful those two are.
MNB: Reflecting on your career, what do you consider your biggest achievement?
BB: I'm the last one that likes to talk about myself, and usually leave that to my couples through reviews and word of mouth, but I am of course proud of what I've been able to accomplish in this career. I am one of, if not the longest-running wedding filmmaking company in Minnesota. I've shot all over the world, won tons of awards, been featured extensively for my films, shot celebrity weddings and had films go crazy viral. All of those are big accomplishments and plenty of filmmakers would be thrilled to accomplish one or two of those, so I'm incredibly grateful for all of them.
With that said, I think my biggest achievement in this career path is that I've continuously pushed myself as a creative and made every effort to protect the love and joy I have for this career. Being one of the longest standing wedding filmmakers in the area, it's easy to fall into a lull of sorts and to stop pushing yourself creatively, but that's always in the back of my mind and I'm always striving to grow as an artist. Additionally, I always say the minute I start to dislike what I do, I won't do it, and I firmly believe that. I have seen SO many wedding filmmakers come into the industry, burn out and move on in a matter of a couple years. The reality is that it's easy to fall into that trap, so I'm proud to protect something I love so much.
MNB: What makes working in weddings special for you?
BB: It's so hard to boil this down to just a thought or two, as there truly are so many things that make this such a wonderful industry to be in. From the amazing couples who hire me, to the incredible vendor teams I get to work with week in and week out, I love getting to celebrate love with all of these people. In the end though, I love to work in weddings because it allows me to be an artist first and a business second. Weddings are a blank slate and can truly be anything a couple wants it to be. Ultimately, I'm sought after and trusted to create something amazing and unique for each of my couples. And as an artist, that is truly the best feeling in the world.
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Bobby's commitment to creating individualized and heartfelt films guarantees that every wedding becomes a timeless piece of art. If you're interested in contacting him for your wedding, head to Redmond Digital Media's website and submit a form, or send an email to [email protected].
