Category: Videos

How to Film A Wedding | Behind The Scenes of Not just in Love, in Joy with each other

Before you do anything else, watch the wedding trailer I created this BTS for: “Not just in Love, in Joy with each other“.

Now that you’ve done that, have you ever wanted to know how I film a wedding? I am so HUGELY EXCITED to share this video with you and it has been so hard to keep this a secret! I had a behind-the-scenes filmed of a real wedding that I filmed! This video will show you:

The gear I use to film a wedding.
Gobs of drone flying action!
My thought process behind creative shots.
How I handle things when a wedding reception nearly ends in disaster!
The exact lenses and camera settings I use in different situations.

I’ve been wanting to make this video for about a year and a half (ever since my first wedding filmmaker vlog!), so when my friend Noah told me he was getting married and asked me to film, I jumped at the chance to bring along my friend Paul Bailey and have him film a behind-the-scenes of Rachel and I as we filmed this wedding.

And just so we are clear, this is ONLY a behind the scenes of the wedding trailer, I have a much longer behind-the-scenes coming out soon, walking you through the ENTIRE wedding day from beginning to end. 🙂

And if you want to keep up with my Iceland photos, videos, and other behind-the-scenes stuff, follow me on Instagram. I also post a ton of video related things to my Facebook Page.

Shoutout to Grant Daniels Photography too for photographing this wedding and giving some great commentary in this video!

You can check out the rest of the gear I use for filmmaking at my Gear Page or my Kit Page.

I am also now offering one-on-one personal filmmaker consulting! Wanna talk about cameras, lighting, or booking clients? Let’s do it!

behind the scenes wedding video

Not just in Love, in Joy with each other | Texas countryside wedding trailer

If you talk to Noah and Mallorie about their journey, they will start with a story of middle-school friendship. A relationship that grew into their parents driving them to dates in the 8th grade, and a handholding session on an airplane that sealed their fates together from that moment on.

I guess you could say that everyone knew this wedding was coming. I knew, Rachel knew, and everyone else kinda expected it. There was very little question of if, only when. The “when” for me turned out to be April of last year when Noah was helping me film a wedding (oh yeah, he’s a videographer too!). He was helping me unload some gear from my car when he casually stated, “When Mal and I get married next year, I want you to film it.” Cue my doubletake followed by a “Yes!”

So there we all were: Noah, Mallorie, friends, and family, all squeezed under an oak tree south of Dallas, watching an event unfold that we all saw coming. And contrary to what you may think, our knowing this was coming didn’t make it any less special, no, it was even better because this wedding was something we all wanted to happen.

Are you about to get married to your middle-school sweetheart? Rachel and I would love to film it. Please get in touch!

How to EASILY remove dust spots from your videos in Premiere Pro & After Effects

Most of my ideas for tutorials come from struggles that I have experienced while learning how to edit videos. I’ll be needing to know how to do something, there’s no video or tutorial readily available, and I’ll eventually end up figuring it out on my own.

Take this tutorial for example: back in 2013 I was really getting into timelapses, shooting them all over Texas and around the country. In the process of shooting these though, I realized that my camera sensor had a lot of dust spots on it that I hadn’t noticed while filming 1080p video, but were definitely obvious in a 4K timelapse. Unlike Photoshop or Lightroom though, editing video involves moving pictures, so you can’t just clone or healing brush some dust away, because it will be immediately obvious when you hit play.

Thankfully after a lot of research, I found a tutorial on the Magic Timelapses Blog written by a guy (I think his name is Michael) back in 2010. In it, he detailed how he used After Effects to quickly and easily remove dust and sensor spots from any video. I was completely mindblown and proceeded to use this technique for years.

More recently, as I’ve been creating more video tutorials, reviews, and other helpful videos for filmmakers, I realized that this method of removing dust and sensor spots from videos is now even more necessary. With 4K video and mirrorless cameras, it is no longer a question of if you will get a dust spot, but when. My goal with this tutorial is to save you a ton of time, headache, and stress, and to show you how to quickly and easily remove dust and sensor spots using Premiere Pro. And if you have a lot of dust spots, I show you how to do it even quicker in After Effects.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this tutorial, wedding filmmaking, or creating videos in general, please feel free to get in touch.

Tutorial

A beautiful thing to behold | Oceanside wedding in Corpus Christi, Texas

My wife Rachel has a lot of early college memories that she shared with our friend Zac over the years they spent at Texas A&M. They had a small group of friends that would get Chinese food every Thursday night at the same restaurant. He also played a key role in Rachel’s only speeding ticket, which she received while driving to meet him so he could sign a birthday card.

For me though, I didn’t meet Zac or Rachel until 2010 at a movie and smoothie party. There, I was introduced to them for the first time. Soon after, I joined the same student group they were members of – Aggie Artists. I have many memories of Zac playing the guitar, me filming something, and eventually me filming Zac playing the guitar.

Jump ahead a few years, and Rachel and I were married. Zac and Lindsey wouldn’t meet for a few more years, when at a church event in November of 2015 they were randomly assigned seats next to one another. After their first conversation, everyone knew (except for them) that there was a connection. Their relationship moved fast, but after meeting each others families they knew that somehow they “fit.”A few months of planning later, and we were there as they exchanged vows amid seaside breezes, soaring seagulls, and close friends and family.

These are two of the most loving and compassionate people that we know. When they invited us to attend their wedding rehearsal dinner, we were treated to hours of kind words spoken about them by their friends and family. The memories we have shared with Zac and now Lindsey, make us very excited for our future friendship with them as man and wife. If you’re getting married too, we would love to talk about filming your wedding.

Cars, Dogs, and Each Other | An intimate Texas wedding teaser

Wedding filmmaking is, like all creative endeavors, a process that will never be perfected. Looking back at my work from two years ago, I see how far I have improved, and I am sure that when I look back on my current films in two years, I’ll see more growth as well. With that creative growth has come the desire to tell more intimate stories; stories that go beyond just a single wedding day and that encompass more about who a couple is, how they fell in love, their dreams, desires, and heart. Doing this though, requires couples that will open up, be honest, and share both the highs and the lows of their relationship.

Marie and Drew embodied all of those things. A two day wedding, complete with warm sunshine, bright lighting, wicked fast go-karts, peaceful hikes, and a ceremony lit only by the moon and fire, wasn’t just about the fun things they enjoy doing; it was also completely and unabashedly them. Their wedding, on their terms, about their love, told through tearful letters, long glances, and cliff-side vows.

Rachel and I are so thankful that they shared not only their wedding day, but a part of their lives with us. We would love it if you shared a part of your life with us too. If you’re getting married, please get in touch. – Matt

A wedding filmmaker’s review of the DJI Mavic Pro

It’s no secret that I love drones. Ever since I flew my friend Taylor’s Phantom 2 back in early 2014 (back when DJI had no app and video was recorded with a GoPro), I knew that I would be buying a lot of these flying cameras in the years to come.

What started with a Phantom 2 of my own, recently expanded to a Mavic Pro, and now a Phantom 4 Pro. My wife says I may have a problem. I say I may have a fleet. Can I call it a fleet? I like how that sounds: Matt’s fleet of drones.

With the advent of the FAA releasing their Part 107 certification for commercial drone pilots last year, there are thousands of new licensed drone pilots taking the knowledge test and wondering which drone they should invest in. There are also thousands of reviews of the new DJI Mavic Pro out there, but none of them have answered the two primary questions I feel that professional filmmakers are asking: Is the Mavic Pro good enough for commercial filmmaking? And: If I already own a drone such as a Phantom or Inspire, should I invest in a Mavic Pro as well?

In this review video, I will answer those two questions! As well as tell you:

The very best places to buy your Mavic Pro! and how to avoid having to use DJI’s sketchy repair service.
How the Mavic drone being tiny is actually an incredibly useful feature for filmmakers.
If the image quality of the Mavic Pro is good enough for commercial use (spoiler: yes, it definitely is).
5 ways to maximize the image quality of the Mavic Pro!

Incidentally, I took the FAA’s Part 107 test, passed, and made a video about how I studied, so if you are considering taking the test as well, I hope my video helps you.

Here’s my gear list with all the places to buy the Mavic + Accessories.