Who Is Matt? Matt Johnson Productions » Featured

Aggie Artists :: Promo Video

Matt — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:39:41 +0000

During my not so brief six and a half year stay at Texas A&M University (at least I emerged with a Master’s), two student organizations have held a very special place in my heart. The first is, of course, Impact – an organization that I have had the great opportunity to make many videos for over the years. The second organization is Aggie ARTISTS; a group of people at A&M that love being creative and love loving Jesus. Imagine my joy at finding a group of people that share in the same beliefs and talents.

I have always wanted to make a video for ARTISTS and in my final semester of college I finally had the chance. I wanted to make something that would capture the creativity inherent in all of the ARTIST’s members; and what better way to do that than actually film them creating something. I don’t believe anyone had a set idea of what they would do once they arrived, but they all brought their art. For three hours, some played instruments, a few sketched and worked on abstract pieces, friends sang together, and nearly everyone painted.

Because (nearly) all good videos need music, I turned to two of the talented musicians in ARTISTS to lead their talents in the form of piano and guitar playing. My original vision was for a layered track where instruments were played separately but came together into one song. Lauren and Zac really helped bring this idea to life with their talents.

It has been a good two years getting to know the people in ARTISTS, and I have graduated with the knowledge that I will continue to be friends with many of them for a long time. I would also say that it only seems fitting that I make at least one video for them before I leave – it is the best give I can give for an organization that has given me such a great community.

Besides the people in the video, I also really enjoyed creating it from a technical aspect. I always enjoy trying new things and my recent obsession with vintage photography (thanks Instagram!) led me to experiment with a different color grade in Magic Bullet Looks. Couple that with some light leaks and things started to look pretty good. One of the last effects I applied was a free medium film grain from Gorilla Grain. It made everything pop and really separated the look from regular DSLR footage. I filmed the musicians on my own – big thanks to Lauren and Zac for putting up with my demands to continue playing the song over and over. The actual painting footage was shot over three hours with help from Ashley Stineman and Taylor Stanley.

For more information about ARTISTS, check out ARTISTS.TAMU.EDU

:: DOWNLOAD AGGIE ARTISTS :: PROMO VIDEO ::

-AggieArtistsPromo (12)

[Show as slideshow]

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Cameras

Canon 7D x2
Canon T2i

Lenses

Audio

Zoom H4n

Equipment

indiSYSTEM indiSLIDERmini
Manfrotto 501HDV Head, 547B Legs – Tripod x2
Glidecam HD4000
Steadicam Merlin
Manfrotto Fluid Video Head Monopod
Steve Kaeser Softbox Set x 3

Editing

Premiere Pro CS5

Coloring & Effects

Magic Bullet Looks
Gorilla Grain

Brittain and Aaron :: Wedding Highlight Film :: Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Highland Park Texas

Matt — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:36:02 +0000

Two years ago I met Will Bakke at the premiere of his independent film “One Nation Under God.” Little did I know that I would be filming Will’s sister’s wedding this year. The first time I spoke to Brittain I had to ask her why she wanted me to film when she had such a talented brother, to which she replied that he was in the wedding. I figured he could always wear a helmet camera if he needed to, but regardless, I was excited to be able to film her wedding. Knowing that Brittain has a brother with two feature length films under his belt, the pressure was on for me to create an epic wedding film. This highlight is just a sample, but I believe it captures the joy and excitement of the day.

Brittain and Aaron were married August 6, 2011 at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. The reception was held at the Northwood Club. The wife husband team of Thisbe Grace Photography expertly handled the photography of the night.

Cameras

Canon 7D (x2)
Sony HDR-UX1 (backup)

Lenses

Equipments

Editing

Premiere Pro CS5

Coloring

Magic Bullet Looks

Wedding Photographer

Thisbe Grace Photography

It is a big help to me when you use any of the above product links to Adorama, Amazon, B&H, and Newegg, and, and when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and helps me keep my site running. I have bought from all of these websites and I highly recommend them for their service, quality, and shipping speed. I recommend them all personally.

Sara and Jason :: Same Day Edit

Matt — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:13:00 +0000

You may remember Sara and Jason from their engagement film back in July. These two met in March, were engaged in June, and married in November. It just goes to show that when you find the right one, there’s no need to hesitate. I’ve seen a lot of happy brides on their wedding day, but Sara was one of the happiest. While she was at the beauty salon she kept exclaiming how pretty she looked. What better expression for a bride on her wedding day? That is the perfect mood for the occasion. This was my first official Same Day Edit that I was in charge of. For the Same Day Edit I handled last year, I was only the second shooter. Keeping that in mind, me and my friend Ashley finished the video with perfect timing. I learned a lot, and expect to be doing more Same Day Edits in the future. Wedding photography was expertly handled by the talented Chandler Adaway. He’s already posted a teaser of the wedding photos on his blog if you would like to see them.

Cameras

Lenses

Equipment

Editing

Premiere Pro CS5

Coloring

Magic Bullet Looks

Wedding Photographer

Chandler Adaway

Gungor :: Brother Moon Collaboration

Matt — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:45:09 +0000

This past September, my good friend Liz brought to my attention that Gungor’s Video DJ (see the above video for a definition of Video DJ) was having an artistic collaboration for their CD release concert. Gungor’s new song, Brother Moon was, as Stephen put it, crying out for an epic artistic collaboration. Having been a longtime fan of Gungor and seeing that the only requirements for the artistic collaboration was that it be able to be viewed on a projector, I quickly set about creating a video that visually represented the song.

Over the past two years I have been filming various timelapses around the country. I decided to use all of these timelapse videos for an epic video that could be chopped up as Stephen saw fit and played during the song. When Stephen finished remixing my video for the collaboration I was surprised to see that pretty much the entire second half of the song was used in Gungor’s video. Meaning that my videos played behind Gungor at their concert! Not much beats public performance of your work, especially when it in the context of being played with many other talented artists. To God be the glory. I’ve embedded the remixed video that played during Gungor’s CD release concert below.

Raegan and Clayton :: Engagement Film :: April 28, 2011

Matt — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:13:22 +0000

Clayton called me the day before his engagement asking if I would be available to film him proposing to his girlfriend (now fiancé) Raegan. Having known him and Raegan several years, I immediately agreed. He really went all out on this proposal – 450 individual tea candles lit all throughout the Grace Bible Church. The candles made a path from different photo tables throughout the church that showed the different places of Raegan and Clayton’s relationship. At each table was two different candles to light, each signifying Clayton and Raegan. The final table had just one candle, and it symbolized the unity of marriage. Raegan had no idea until they arrived at the church and Clayton insisted that she come inside.

:: Download Raegan and Clayton’s Engagement Film in High Definition ::

- Raegan and Clayton Engagement 1080p (139)

:: Technical Details ::

(I managed to keep equipment relatively light on this shoot.)

Camera

Canon 7D
Sony HDR-UX1 (backup)

Lenses

Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM

Misc

Indisystem indiSLIDERmini
Manfrotto tripod

Trace The Lines :: Lizi Bailey :: Music Video

Matt — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:19:50 +0000

Lizi Bailey – “Trace the Lines”
Produced by Jason Hoard and Lizi Bailey
Directed by Donna Stuart

Before you ask, yes we hauled a massive piano to the middle of a field, yes it was heavy, and no we did not damage it (Praise God). God took care of this music video from the very start when he provided the perfect location to film. Having only filmed one music video before, I was very excited about the chance to help shoot another. Lizi Bailey is an extremely talented musician, and I believe this music video really offers a look at the meaning of her lyrics.

This music video has a twofold purpose in that it not only shows the lyrical meaning but also serves as a promotional video for the 2011 Masterpiece Conference. The 2011 Masterpiece Conference is a “weekend devoted to helping 17-25 year old girls know who Christ is, who they are in Christ, & with the gifts God has given them, how they can live a free and vibrant life of purpose and hopein a broken world.” (Quoted from the Masterpiece Conference website)

matthewandlizi.com/
masterpiececonference.com/

:: Production Details ::

Directed by Donna Stuart
Shot by Daniel Karr and Matt Johnson
Edited by Daniel Karr

:: Production Photos ::

:: Behind The Scenes Video ::

:: Technical Details ::

Filmed with two Canon 7Ds

Lenses

Canon 75-55mm F2.8 IS
Sigma 30mm F1.4
Canon 70-200mm F4
Sigma 17-50mm F2.8

Equipment

Glidecam HD-2000
Steadicam Merlin
indiSLIDERmini
SmallHD DP6 Field Monitor

Misc

Graded in Apple Color

If you liked this music video, you would enjoy watching my first music video, Rebel Bride, by Curt Vernon.

Stand With SIMS

Matt — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:06:12 +0000

You may remember my friend Bryan Sims from my Autobiography video. Having been his close friend since we were both very young, when he approached me with the request to help him film a Student Body Campaign video, I jumped at the chance. I haven’t filmed this variety of the Texas A&M campus since I filmed my Why I’m An Aggie video.

Every shot has a story and has been carefully selected. I hope you enjoy the final work.

Download this video in High Definition:

-Stand With Sims 1080p (113)

-Stand With Sims 720p (109)

If you like this video and would like something created like it, please contact me!