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.

Meant to be together since grade school | A wedding in the heart of Austin, Texas

We often use the term high school sweethearts to describe couples that have been together for a long time. These are couples that met when they were young, realized they were the one for each other, and stuck together for years until they were married. But what if they met before high school, or even middle school? What if they became friends in the third grade? Elementary school sweethearts doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, but for Kelsey and Josh, this was the start of their story. And after many (and when I say many I mean close to 20) years of friendship, that included multiple proms, homecomings, high school graduation, breakups and three and-a-half years of college, they finally were together.

We managed to not get run over while filming this wedding…

When my wife and I finally met them it was, of course, over Mexican food. Hearing their vision for their wedding, it was incredibly apparent that they had a unique style all their own. Watch the film and you’ll see it: the palm fronds, geode wedding cake, Edison bulbs draped over the dance floor like a Willow tree. Kelsey even created a watercolor wedding logo that fit their theme! 

If you’re having a unique wedding too, we would love to film it! Please get in touch. 🙂

Check out their wedding highlight film below:

 

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!