Mr Elie Azar, the Beirut based innovator behind some of the most high profile weddings of the region credits the skyrocketing success of his production company, ParAzar to his ever growing need to create a spectacle. His team work tirelessly with celebrities and VIP clients to create masterpieces of audio-visual artwork while maintaining their signature personal touch, tailoring their craft for every client’s needs and personalities. For Egyptian superstar Lara Scandar and Philippe Katchouni’s wedding in October 2017, the artist exclusively shares with us his vision and process to recreate the Enchanted Forest theme for the star studded ceremony on film.
What are some challenges of working with celebrity clients?
Celebrities are already well known in the public eye and come to us with an already pre-established image. This puts a considerable amount of pressure on us to ensure that we maintain the status of their image and to help enrich it throughout our work when possible. Communication is also harder with some celebrities since they already have a confirmed public status that makes it harder for us to fluidly propose ideas and get feedback. Finally, famous people are accustomed to big productions and this helps us on one hand while being more challenging for the team to ensure that we do not fall short from their expectations.
How was Lara as a client and how did you merge your ideas to create this fairytale wedding?
Lara is a very spontaneous person with a amazing charisma and presence, all while remaining grounded and close to people. This made working with her a delight and her wonderful character traits were reflected and visible in the photos and videos, as many have confirmed upon watching them. This is something we wanted to make sure transpired to the public and we are thrilled we succeeded in our mission.
What are some ways in which you help your clients make their weddings stand out?
ParAzar was founded on the principle of mirroring the qualities and traits that distinguish each couple. We immerse ourselves in the clients’ culture, their habits their communication style and try to carry this through through our photos, in our filming and onto the editing room to produce a final product that makes clients say “that’s really us!”
What makes Lebanon the most perfect backdrop for a wedding?
Lebanon is traditionally known for hospitality services and for excellence in deliverables. Each supplier goes the extra mile to bring an extra artistic touch and a unique dash or originality standing out from average work that can be seen elsewhere. The mediterranean climate coupled with the rich landscape, the scenery and the wonderful venues in the country also allow for a multitude of moods and themes for weddings and celebration.
How big is your team and how long does the entire process take to create visual content?
ParAzar is made up of a core team and an extended team. The core team consists of 25 persons distributed between, photographers, cameramen and operators, and editors. At any particular wedding there is a minimum of 20 people on the floor and for big events we can be as many as 30. During events, we often shoot, edit and release videos on the fly so that they can be screened there or shared instantly on social media, all within a couple of hours time. This trend was pioneered by us and has pushed the entire sector in Lebanon to up their game and try to match our offering. We are currently planning more surprises for the upcoming 2018 season.
See more magical moments from the celebrity wedding here…
Wedding planner: Neiman Azzi
Photo and Video: ParAzar Productions
Venues: The Legend Venue and Chateau Musar (Beirut)
Flowers: Gladioli
Makeup: Ivanna Bou Salameh
Hair: Harout Housigian
Bride’s Designer: Zuhair Murad and Sandra Mansour
Jewelry Designer: Katchouni Jewelry
Groom’s Designer: Ermengildo Zegna made to measure and Amer Ejjeh
F&B: Cat & Mouth
Entertainment: JMR Productions
