A wedding filmmaker’s review of the SKB Tripod Case (1SKB-R4209W)

Up until around six months ago, when I wanted to transport my video support gear such as tripods, monopods, slider, etc. to weddings and other shoots, I did it all by hand. This typically resulted in multiple trips to and from my car whenever I changed locations on a wedding day, as well as horrible back pain. I will say though, that there was something macho about treating my gear transport in the same way I handled bringing in grocery bags inside from a trip to the store – all in one trip.

After six years of living like this, I realized that it was time for a change and began researching cases that would enable me to transport my support gear, ideally in one trip. My only requirements were that it be sturdy and hold a lot of gear. After much reading and requesting recommendations from friends, I chose the SKB R4209 RotoMold Tripod Case. I’m pleased to say that after taking it to three states, thirteen shoots, and subjecting it to a diversity of terrain, it has held up in a spectacular fashion. In the review video above, I cover the hardware, storage capacity, and a few of the issues I have with the case.

Look it’s a tripod case that holds tripods!

Overall, if you are living your life like I was and transporting a lot of gear inefficiently, take hope! A good tripod case can go a long ways to improving your speed, and this one is a winner.

If you watch my review video and decide to invest in one of these cases for yourself, I would recommend checking out the “Used and New” section Amazon for their Warehouse Deals. The case retails at time of this video for $199, but the Warehouse Deals may have them for as low at $170.

Ethics Statement: This is an entirely independent review. SKB did not pay me to create this video, I didn’t receive this case for free, or receive any other compensation. I’m a fan of this case and after six months of use I really wanted to make a review about it.

If you have any questions about the case, or wedding filmmaking questions in general, feel free to leave a comment below or get in touch.

My Finding Creative Success Podcast Interview With Matt Peet

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit down (virtually) with Matt Peet of the Finding Creative Success Podcast and talk about *drumroll please* how I found creative success! Okay, it wasn’t quite that literal of a podcast, but we did get to touch on a lot of great topics such as, helpful advice when starting out filming weddings, how to get more clients, and what to do to grow your followers online. I even revealed one of my biggest failures as a wedding filmmaker! Overall, it was a really enjoyable 40 minutes that passed very quickly. You can listen and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or in your web browser at the Finding Creative Success website.

If you have any questions about anything we discussed in the podcast, please leave a comment below or feel free to get in touch.

How To Study For And Pass The FAA Drone Test!

About 9 years ago, before I was even considering pursuing a career in making videos, I entered a video contest put on by Texas A&M University called “Why I’m an Aggie.” My entry featured students speaking about why they chose Texas A&M and what they enjoyed about the university. Throughout the video, I featured pretty shots of campus that I shot with my trusty Sony HDR-UX1 (recording to mini-DVDs, SD cards weren’t fast or large enough yet).

The shot that set my contest entry apart from the others though, was an aerial video of campus that I filmed from a plane. Yes, I actually rode in a plane over campus to get a shot for my video! This blew away the judges considering that aerial video was still relatively rare (unless you happened to have a pilot father – thanks dad).

Nine years later, aerial video is now mainstream. People are buying Millennium Falcon camera drones, stuffing their dead cats and turning them into quadcopters, and anyone with a cell phone can purchase a flying camera for as little as $20. My aerial video in 2008 that took so much effort and timing, could now be accomplished by any kid with a drone Christmas present. It would probably look smoother and be better colored too.

In August of 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration passed their official rules for commercial drone usage in the United States. Up until this point, if you wanted to make money flying your drone you had to apply for a Section 333 waiver and actually possess a pilot’s license to fly a drone.

You can eat your drone, but I wouldn't recommend it.
You can eat your drone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

This all changed with the FAA’s Part 107 ruling, which made getting a license to fly your drone for commercial purposes as easy as taking a knowledge test, no pilot’s license required.

Now when I say easy, I mean easier than getting an actual pilot’s license, not that the test itself is easy. Which brings us to this video that I created today, which is all about why you should take the knowledge test, and how to study for and pass it.

In the video, I detail the exact resources that I used to pass the Part 107 knowledge test. These resources are now listed below in order that I speak about them in the video. If you study these materials, you shouldn’t need to spend any extra money on any courses or classes for the test.

But, if you find that you benefit more from a classroom setting, I would recommend checking out Drone Pilot Ground School and Remote Pilot 101.

Here are the study resources that I listed in the video, in order:

BASIC DRONE KNOWLEDGE
– http://www.knowbeforeyoufly.com

PART 107 TEST COURSES & CLASSES
– Remote Pilot 101
– Drone Pilot Ground School

AMERICAN FLYER’S TESTING CENTERS
– American Flyers

FAA OFFICIAL STUDY GUIDE
– https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/media/remote_pilot_study_guide.pdf

FAA Advisory Circular
–https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_107-2.pdf

SECTIONAL CHARTS VIDEOS
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLBz8Z1w4PQ
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ITjUfl80bs

FAA TEST SUPPLEMENT BOOKLET
– https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_questions/media/sport_rec_private_akts.pdf

COMMERCIAL DRONES FM PODCAST EPISODE 6
– https://commercialdrones.fm/home/faa-part-107-test-study-guide-test-prep-drone-pilots

FAA PART 107 PRACTICE TEST
– https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_questions/media/uag_sample_exam.pdf

JONATHAN RUPPRECHT FAA PART 107 PRACTICE TEST ANSWERS & STUDY GUIDE
– http://jrupprechtlaw.com/part-107-knowledge-test
– http://jrupprechtlaw.com/part-107-test-study-guide

3D ROBOTICS PART 107 PRACTICE TEST
– https://3dr.com/faa/drone-practice-tests/

OTHER RESOURCES NOT MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO
– SkyVector
– AIRNAV

That’s it! Read and study these articles, listen to the podcast, take the practice test, and when you’re ready, go and take the real thing. If you take your time and prepare, you’ll pass like I did.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave one below or get in touch.

What To Wear When Filming A Wedding

When you film weddings, it is easy to get addicted to buying the latest cameras, lenses, drones, and other new equipment that seems to come out every week. Today though, I want to talk about something different than these normal topics, and instead focus on clothing (yes, pants and such!) that will greatly improve your quality of life while filming weddings, commercials, conventions, and any other event that requires you to be on your feet for many hours a day.

Because I’m based in Texas, I spend a lot of time in the heat. Today, mid-November, the temperature was 85 degrees Fahrenheit. That may sound high to you, but to me it feels practically chilly outside due to the temperature usually being in the mid-90’s. Because Texas enjoys high temperatures 95% of the year (with two weeks of freezing in the winter), I find myself filming many outdoor weddings that are easily over 100 degrees.

Watch this video, and I'll even show you some leg.
Watch this video, and I’ll even show you some leg.

Faced with the prospect of either dying from a heat stroke, or learning to cope with the heat, I have located several clothing options that keep me cool and comfortable no matter the temperature or weather when filming a wedding.

Clothing List

Underwear: MeUndies – Yes, it’s underwear, and yes, it’s comfortable.

Shirts: Mizzen and Main – I recommend checking out their Spinnaker collection as they are more stretchy and comfortable in my opinion.

Armed with these garments, you will be ready to face the harshest Texas Summer. Will you still sweat? Definitely, but you won’t feel like you’re about to die like you would in regular clothes.

As always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave on below, or get in touch!

Our Week In Video Podcast Interview

Our Week In Video

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.

If you want to check it out, Episode 70 of the Our Week In Video Podcast is on iTunes. My interview portion starts at around 22 minutes in. You can also stream and download the episode from your web browser.

Run & Gun filming with the Sony A7Sii Part 4: Function Menu Setup

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...
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.