Back in September, a friendly British guy named Benjamin Bruton-Cox got in touch with me via Facebook about being a guest on his Podcast, “Our Week In Video.” As someone that loves listening to Podcasts, I was immediately excited and said “Yes!”, followed by “Wait, the next 2 weeks are going to be insanely busy for me.” Two weeks of delay turned into a month and a half, but finally, I had the chance to sit down and chat with Benjamin and his co-host Richard.
I realized about five minutes before Skype calling Benjamin that I actually had no idea what topics they wanted to cover, which I later learned was by design. Much like a discussion around the water cooler (which we’re all self employed, who owns a water cooler at home?), we covered a varying range of topics, from the A7Sii, to filming 360 degree weddings, to Final Cut vs. Premiere Pro. Both Benjamin and Richard really know their stuff, and it is obvious that they really enjoy talking about some of my favorite topics.
Having just finished two of the busiest film-making months of the year, the end is in sight! Tomorrow I film my final wedding of the year, which means after this weekend I get to hibernate, grow my beard, edit a ton of videos, and create more video blogs.
Today I bring you the fourth and final part of my series all about Run and Gun Film-making with the Sony A7Sii, and this part is all about the Function Menu. Between my previous videos all about menu customizations, mode dial modifications, and custom button settings, you would think that you would already be prepared for any type of filming with this camera and you would probably be right. I honestly debated even making this video, in light of how many features the custom buttons put at your fingertips.
Going to go grow my beard, edit videos, and hibernate for the winter…
Make no mistake though, the function menu is still a worthy inclusion into this series! It serves as a great catch-all for settings that you may not access as often, but still need within easy reach. Think of it as the cherry on top if the A7Sii was a cake, you won’t always need it but you’ll be glad it is there (horrible analogy, pie is definitely better).
When I set out to make this Run and Gun series, I didn’t quite foresee it getting this technical and lengthy (hello 38 minute menu video!), but the response of these videos has brought me much joy. I have a long list of ideas for future videos, some technical, some philosophical, all dealing with various aspects of cinematography. If you have any comments, ideas, or direction for future videos, I would be glad to hear them and add them to my list.
As always, please leave a comment below, or send me a message if you have any questions.
After a bit of a delay due to multiple projects crowding up most of the second half of September, I am finally here with part three of my Run & Gun filming with the A7Sii series. This vlog is incredibly exciting for me to share with you because it details my setup of the camera’s custom buttons, and how I use them to access my most used features of the camera incredibly quickly. I believe this is the most important video of this series, so if you watch nothing else, this one is the one to view.
“Hey there, wanna talk about cameras?”
That said, I would highly recommend checking out part one detailing my menu setup of the A7Sii, and part two where I discuss how to use the camera’s mode dial to quickly access presets for your framerates and resolution while filming. In the future, I will also be posting a fourth and final vlog in this series, all about using the camera’s function menu to unlock even more, er, functions.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave on below or get in touch!
In this video I will explain about how the mode dial is actually one of the MOST AWESOME FEATURES of this camera, and how you can use it to switch frame rates, resolution, and other settings nearly instantaneously.
Ever since I made my first video reviewing the Sony A7Sii last year, people have been asking me about my camera settings. I never made a comprehensive video speaking about all the different features and settings that I use with the A7Sii when filming weddings, but that all changes today. Today I will be sharing with you how I setup my camera for filming weddings and other events in the “Run and Gun” style of shooting. Meaning: Quick setup times, near instantaneous changing of frame rates and resolution, and rapid dialing in of necessities such as white balance, aperture, and ISO.
While I wish I could share all these settings with you in one quick five-minute video, the customization capabilities of the A7Sii are quite a large topic. As I was composing my talking points I realized it would be best to split one video into a series of four, covering the menus, mode dial, custom buttons, and function menu.
Why four separate videos? Because once I started working through all I would need to speak about, I realized that my settings are worth more than a quick overview. It isn’t enough to simply tell you what settings I use; I also want to tell you why I use them. That way you aren’t going out and filming with them because “Matt said these are good settings,” but instead because you’ve tried them out and know they are good for your workflow and shooting style.
With the intention of teaching you the “why” and not just the “how,” I believe it is best to start with a good foundation, and there is nothing more foundational to the A7Sii than the menu system. This may be an understatement to say that Sony’s menu systems on the camera are a bit convoluted. Organization is lacking, camera settings aren’t where you think they would be, and there are whole headings that I question the importance of.
Thankfully, this video in all of its 38 minutes of glory is here to help you understand the menu system, access what you need, and ignore what you don’t. “But Matt” you say, “Why do you have to talk about the menus, I just want to know how to change my settings quickly.” To which I will say, “We will get there!”
Look at all these settings!
The goal at the end of this video series is for you to NEVER have to go into the menus at all to change your settings (aside from maybe formatting a memory card). You’ll be capable of changing your needed settings with one or two quick button presses, which is ideal for the “Run and Gun” style of shooting.
I love this camera, and I loved it even more once I had it customized to the way I film. I hope that this series helps you love your A7Sii too. Expect parts 2-4 to come out very soon.
If you have any questions about this video or the camera settings, feel free to get in touch.
How I setup the couple for filming, my philosophy for why I pose them certain ways, and some practical ideas for how you can create genuine laughter, smiles, and joy in your wedding film.
