Make Better Wedding Films
By Ben Journee
Presented by: Side Project Films
Find us on Instagram: @makebetterweddingfilms
Make Better Wedding FilmsApr 01, 2024
Collective Insight ft. Lunar Red Films, Omega Weddings & Joe Torres
Loneliness and isolation are sometimes unfortunate byproducts of the freedom our career choice brings, so often heightened by an illusion of community on social media. So on today’s show, I’m doing something different. I’m combining three seperate interviews with Lunar Red Films, Omega Weddings and Joe Torres, in the hopes that I can highlight some part of our collective experience.
Full Interviews linked below
Find all the tracks featured on today's episode over on Musicbed
"Be Careful What you Wish For" ft. Cine Garden's Adalenne Hatcher
Today I’m speaking with Adalenne Hatcher from Cine Garden about her journey from getting kicked off YouTube at 10 years old to running a successful wedding film business. We discuss creative fulfilment, navigating the complexities of working alongside your significant other and we both share our experiences of how we are recovering from burn out.
Follow Cine Garden on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cine.garden/
⬇️ Musicbed tracks featured in this episode ⬇️
Goldtone: https://www.musicbed.com/songs/goldtone/59511
The Spooky Break: https://www.musicbed.com/songs/the-spooky-break/74984
Eliza: https://www.musicbed.com/songs/eliza/75586
Purple Clouds: https://www.musicbed.com/songs/purple-clouds-feat-marc-vanparla/77139
Wheredidyougo: https://www.musicbed.com/songs/wheredidyougo/74508
Space Between: https://www.musicbed.com/songs/space-between-with-inola/67034
the Power of Constraints on Creativity ft. A Girl and Her Phone
⬇️ CLICK BELOW TO GRAB THE DEAL WHILE IT'S LIVE ⬇️
⏰ The Ideal Client Blueprint available for $99 for 24 hours ⏰
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How much is our gear a crutch? If we didn’t have access to shallow depth of field, 10 bit colour, crazy low light, infinite lens choices… would our work still stand on it’s own? Would the storytelling at the core still resonate if the flashy wrappings fell away? On today’s show, I’m talking with Savannah Groves, aka A Girl and Her Phone about the conscious choice she has made to ignore the advice of other videographers and not buy a camera, but to create wedding films using only an iPhone. Why? Well you’ll have to listen and find out....
Check out Sav's $10 iPhone Video Course
Also, check out Sav's new mentoring program!
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Systemising Creativity ft. Wedding Post House
Process, organisation, workflows and systems… the boring, mundane parts of our work, right? Wrong! On today’s show I’m talking with Brady Huf from Wedding Post House about how systematic approaches to the creative process can not only make us more efficient but also free up mental space to allow us to thrive in our business and avoid burning out.
Want to try Wedding Post House out yourself? Use the code MBWF15 to get 15 percent off! https://weddingposthouse.com/
This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
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This episode is sponsored by FilmConvert - Take the guess work out of colour correction and grading with FilmConvert Nitrate and CineMatch. Get 10% off when you use the promo code MBWF10: https://www.filmconvert.com/purchase/?promoCode=MBWF10
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This episode is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
Attracting Your Ideal Client ft. Wayward North Films
Who is your ideal client? When I ask that of wedding filmmakers, the answer I often get it “people in love” and I think here in lies an underlying issue that is holding a lot of filmmakers back from growing a business that they love, which a lack of clarity.
On today’s show I’m sitting down with Jared Sullivan from Wayward North Films to talk through the importance of finding clarity in your brand and your filmmaking style and why this is a crucial component to creating a sustainable business.
If you haven't already you NEED to subscribe to Wayward North on YouTube, he's doing awesome stuff over there: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5rR0BFgdu-oz7HDHb-f-uw
Also make sure to check out his podcast too: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-films-we-make/id1664967619
This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
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This episode is sponsored by FilmConvert - Take the guess work out of colour correction and grading with FilmConvert Nitrate and CineMatch. Get 10% off when you use the promo code MBWF10: https://www.filmconvert.com/purchase/?promoCode=MBWF10
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This episode is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
Experimental Cinematography ft. Artem Korchagin
On today's episode I'm speaking with Artem Korchagin on all things cinematography. I've been sent Artem's work multiple times in my DMs and it's no surprise why. His work is both fresh and timeless and he shared so many insights for wedding filmmakers looking to level up their cinematography.
This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
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This episode is sponsored by FilmConvert - Take the guess work out of colour correction and grading with FilmConvert Nitrate and CineMatch. Get 10% off when you use the promo code MBWF10: https://www.filmconvert.com/purchase/?promoCode=MBWF10
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How to Charge $20,000 for a Wedding Film ft. The Level Up Co
Entering the luxury market is both an elusive and enticing goal for many filmmakers, but the road to get there involves unlearning a lot of what we’ve known to be true in our careers so far. On today’s show, Taylor and Kelly from the Level Up Co are popping the hood on the luxury wedding film market and sharing their secrets on how to build the business of your dreams.
Liked this episde? Then jump into Taylor & Kelly's 3 day workshop, it's on now but there is still time to catch up on the replay of day one before day two kicks off in a few hours! 👇👇👇👇👇👇
The Road to Luxury - free workshop happening June 5-7 (in the US)
https://thelevelupco.com/workshop
Live videos happening at 10am PT, replays available until 6/13
Ready to transform your business??? Then check out "Luxury Filmmaker Framework - The Course!"
https://thelevelupco.com/luxuryfilmmakerframework
Doors will be open until 6/14 - Don't forget to use the promo code: BETTERFILMS200 for $200 (US) off enrollment!
Business Mindset for Creatives ft. Daren Smith - Craftsman Creative
Download a free copy of Daren's book:https://www.dropbox.com/s/4ju94i4tev5utp3/Craftsman%20Creative%20PDF%20epub%20mobi.zip?dl=0Other links mentioned in the show:scorecard.craftsmancreative.coworkshops.craftsmancreative.co
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This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
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This episode is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: www.studioninja.co/
A.I. Video Editing ft. James Broadbent of Narrative
2023 as seen a flood of interest around the advancements and capabilities of A.I. technology, and things seem to be changing by the day. In fact, mere hours after this interview was recorded, news dropped about a Premiere Pro plugin that could do some of the things we were speculating about in this discussion.
On today’s show Narrative CEO and founder James Broadbent and I sit down to discuss the potential future of A.I.s role in video editing, we talk about how these software’s and machine learning models are made, the difference between predictive and generative A.I.s and about the very nature of creativity and creative authorship itself.
If you're a photographer and interested in checking out Narrative Select for yourself, then you can try it for FREE here: https://narrative.so/select
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This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
This episode is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
Clicking with People, Not the Camera ft. The Drakes
The longer you’re in this line of work, the business of capturing people and moments on camera, the more you realise that the craft is more in the people than in the camera.
Connecting with, empathising with and falling in love with your subjects is the only way to truly make work that resonates and stands the test of time.
On today’s show, I’m sitting down with Andrea and Eugene from The Drakes to hear how they obsess over the process of connecting with their couples and how this allows them to create the unique and award winning films they are known for.
As Annie Leibovitz puts it “A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.”
https://www.wearethedrakes.com/
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This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
This episode is sponsored by FilmConvert - Take the guess work out of colour correction and grading with FilmConvert Nitrate and CineMatch. Get 10% off when you use the promo code MBWF10: https://www.filmconvert.com/purchase/?promoCode=MBWF10
What if it was Your Wedding? ft. Riccardo Fasoli
The more we develop our careers, our techniques, our craft, it’s easy to focus on flashy visuals and cinematography and loose sight of the real reason people are willing to spend their hard earned money on a wedding film.
On today’s show, Riccardo Fasoli shares his wisdom on creative expression, staying authentic to ourselves and reminds us of an important perspective that is all too often forgotten. What if it was your wedding? What would you want to see?
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Want to see Riccardo Fasoli in the flesh? As of the release of this podcast you've got just a few more days to grab a ticket for Lonely Hearts Film Camp!!!! Don't miss out on the chance to hear from, hang out with and learn from the best in the biz!
Last 5 tickets available here: https://www.lonelyheartsfilmcamp.co/
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This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
This episode is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
Trends, Predictions and Hopes for 2023 ft. Bottlebrush Films
Another year, another season of the MBWF podcast! This year I’ve got the Aussie duo we all know and love @bottlebrush films joining me back on the airwaves on a regular basis and we’re kicking off the year with a bit of reflection, some predictions and some hopes for what wedding films might look like in 2023 and beyond.
List of filmmakers mentioned in today's show: Henry Martens, House on the Clouds, Unique Wedding, Artem Korchagin, Jackson Grant, Films by Madeline, Kreativ Wedding
✨ Lonely Hearts Film Camp ✨
Make sure you guys grab the last few tickets that are left!
Don't miss this incredible line up ft.
Riccardo Fasoli
Dear Vincent
The Costa Sisters
Tim Whiting
Dave Le Page
Rick Liston
White in Revery
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This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
This episode is sponsored by FilmConvert - Take the guess work out of colour correction and grading with FilmConvert Nitrate and CineMatch. Get 10% off when you use the promo code MBWF10: https://www.filmconvert.com/purchase/?promoCode=MBWF10
It's About Them ft. Lovers + Legends (Season 3 Finale)
As 2022 comes to a close, we come to the end of another season of the show. Last year I ended with Bottlebrush, and this year I’m ending Season 3 with another pair of Aussie legends, “Lovers + Legends” to be precise! Steph & Elliot are a husband + wife, photo + video duo from Brisbane Australia who have an amazing energy to their films and who balance the roles of photo + video creation seamlessly.
On today’s show, we round off 2022 by talking about arguably the most important thing for a wedding filmmaker to remember, it’s not about you, it’s about them.
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This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
Check out our Musicbed Playlist of the Month: https://www.musicbed.com/projects/share/blue-hour-champagne-towers/u51pCC2fs4
This episode is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
High End Elegance ft. Harrison Films
Polished, elegant and consistent are words I would use to describe the work of Deanna and Grant aka Harrison Films and today’s episode is an absolute masterclass in what it takes to create a high end product. Attention to detail is key and in my discussion with them I was blown away at just how much care and thought goes into every step of the process. From location scouting, to colour grading they put in the extra step of effort and care that takes their work from good to great and it’s a philosophy that I feel is the foundation of their success.
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If you're interested in learning more from Harrison Films, make sure to check out their private mentoring sessions including their "Color Mastery" series and "Brand Refining" series: https://www.harrisonweddingfilms.com/wedding-filmmaking-education
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This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
This episode is sponsored by FilmConvert - Take the guess work out of colour correction and grading with FilmConvert Nitrate and CineMatch. Get 10% off when you use the promo code MBWF10: https://www.filmconvert.com/purchase/?promoCode=MBWF10
Getting the Film Look ft. FilmConvert
The film look is something digital filmmakers have been trying to emulate for years and back in 2012, a small company in New Zealand set out to achieve that goal. A decade later, Filmconvert is the arguably the most accurate and sophisticated film emulation software on the market. On Today’s show I’m sitting down with Filmconvert’s Henessey Griffiths to discuss the science and the magic of digital film emulation as we take the guess work out of colour grading.
Want to give FilmConvert Nitrate and Cinematch a try? Click Here to get 10% off your order
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This episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
This episode is sponsored by FilmConvert - Take the guess work out of colour correction and grading with FilmConvert Nitrate and CineMatch. Get 10% off when you use the promo code MBWF10: https://www.filmconvert.com/purchase/?promoCode=MBWF10
Balance in the Busy Season ft. Flatroc Films + Jesse & Jessie
For the first time in a LONG time, I'm sitting across the table, in the flesh with today's guests; Jesse Peters from Jesse & Jessie and Zac from Flatroc Films. On today's show, my fellow kiwis and I are cracking a beer and looking back at the crazy season that was and what we can learn from the situations we found ourselves in. We talk about burn out, parent life, work life balance, back end systems and quitting your day job to go full time on weddings.
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252 - Use the promo code MBWF for your first month FREE
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This show is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
The Industry Needs to Know ft. KEJ Productions
Sometimes, the thing that starts out as helpful support, can turn into overwhelming noise… Echo chambers, unhelpful advice and toxic opinions can start to weigh on our confidence as creatives and as business owners. On today’s show, I’m sitting down with Kaleb and Elaine from KEJ productions to hear their perspective on when to listen, when to stand up for yourself and when to block out the noise.
Check out Kaleb and Elaine's Audio Course and get $75 off with the code "MBWF" http://www.kejaudiomasterclass.com/
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252
This show is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
When Music + Sound Design Meet ft. Multiply Media
“Sound is half your story” is a mantra that I think I’ll always bring up on the podcast, I think it’s something as filmmakers we can keep coming back to and exploring, experimenting and educating ourselves in. On today’s show, I’m talking with Boomer and Sarah from Multiply Media about the marriage between music and sound design, how to tell stories with music, how to evoke memories with sound and how to manipulate the various elements of our audio in order to have each piece shine through.
Make sure to use the promo code MBWF25 to get 25% off Multiply Media's SFX pack!!!
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252
Our Musicbed Playlist: https://fm.pxf.io/P0EDEj
This show is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
The First 30 Seconds ft. By The Millers
How you open your film, sets the stage for the viewers experience as a whole. It’s a chance to put the most important elements to the couple front and centre, to make them feel like this film was made for them and no-one else. On today’s show, I’m talking with Andrea and Aaron from By The Millers about how they developed their storytelling style, how they make each film unique to their couples and why the first 30 seconds are so valuable to your film.
Make sure to subscribe to Aaron's YouTube channel to keep up to date with their educational content: https://www.youtube.com/c/AaronMillerMedia
And obviously follow @bythemillers on IG
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252
This show is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
Soft, Elegant & Emotive Filmmaking ft. The Augusts
Husband and Wife duo The Augusts are a photo + video powerhouse who started their business at the start of the pandemic. On todays show, I’m chatting with them about their uniquely elegant and emotive filmmaking style and how they have developed a synergistic workflow together that allows Rebekah to capture photos and Jonah to capture video, each in the best way possible.
Make sure to follow them on IG: https://www.instagram.com/theaugusts__
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: https://fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252
This show is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
Giving Your Couples Confidence ft. Bel Zev Films
Check out Tina's posing guide here: bossbrideguide.podia.com/?coupon=MBWF
Use the code MBWF to get 25% off!
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252
This show is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: www.studioninja.co/
The Viewer is the Protagonist, the Couple is the Guide ft. Aaron Daniel Films
Want to check out Aaron's upcoming workshop? www.abracadabraworkshop.com/
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: fm.pxf.io/c/3533252/1347628/16252
This show is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: www.studioninja.co/
Mastering Music ft. Thomas Rose
Music is as much a part of our films as the footage and audio we capture on the day, but the skill of curating, pairing and manipulating music is often one that’s overlooked. On today’s show, I’m sitting down wth DJ and musician Thomas Rose to discuss some of the techniques videographers can use to level up the way we use music in our films.
Make sure to follo
This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
This show is sponsored by Studio Ninja - Studio Ninja is the worlds highest rated studio management software. It contains a huge suite of tools from calendar integration and double booking warnings, to contract templates and automated client workflows. Get 50% off your first year when you sign up with the code MBWF50: https://www.studioninja.co/
Grow with Automation ft. Studio Ninja
🚨 Get 50% off your first year with Studio Ninja - that's just US$125! 🚨
🥷 Click here and use the promo code "MBWF50" 🥷
There are parts of this job that we love and parts that we… ✨dislike✨and today’s show is about how you can streamline the backend of your business and automate a lot of the admin that’s keeping you from doing what you’re best at, making wedding films!
On today’s show, I’m chatting to wedding photographer and the co-founder of Studio Ninja, Chris Garbacz about how we can use the platform to improve our client experience, book more weddings and ultimately prevent anxiety and burnout from trying to juggle dozens of weddings all on our own.
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
Anatomy of a Story ft. Hello Tomorrow Films
Story is at the root of what we do as wedding filmmakers, we all call ourselves storytellers but how often to we consciously work on developing that specific skill? How well do you understand the anatomy of a story? On today’s show, I’m joined by McLean from Hello Tomorrow Films to discuss what goes in to a compelling story in a wedding film. If traditional filmmaking has taught us anything it’s that conflict is at the centre of the most compelling stories, but conflict often isn’t welcome on a wedding day, so as filmmakers we need to learn to harness a different type of tension in order to take our films from mundane montages into nuanced narratives.
If you enjoyed today's show and you want to take your wedding film storytelling to the next level, then you should check out "The Story" which is Hello Tomorrow's new course on all things storytelling. Check it out here: https://education.hellotomorrow.ca/a/2147514065/LQCuCiMr
And make sure to use the code "MBWF" for 15% off the course 🙌
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
This show is sponsored by Love Stories TV. Sign up for a free account and submit your films for paid feature opportunities: https://lovestoriestv.com/r/mbwf
How to Level Up as a Wedding Filmmaker ft. Goodco Studios
Chris Mai aka Good Co Studios, is a master of capturing intimate and immediate footage of his couples together. He’s also an educator and through mentorships and 1on1 workshops helps wedding filmmakers create a stronger connection with their couples and become more confident with their camera and their storytelling. On today’s show, I get Chris to run me through one of his full day workshops and break down some of the lessons he imparts to his students.
If you'd like to know more about Chris's 1-on-1 mentorships sessions then you can DM him on Insta or find out more on his website here: https://goodcostudios.com/mentorship
I'll also be opening up a few of my own mentorship spots over the coming few weeks so stay tuned for more info on those if you're interested!
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
This show is sponsored by Love Stories TV. Sign up for a free account and submit your films for paid feature opportunities: https://lovestoriestv.com/r/mbwf
Emotion, Intuition, Connection ft. Films by Madeleine
Filming with your intuition is something we’ve talked about before on the show. The honesty that can come through in your work when you are NOT trying to do a bunch of flashy transitions, or trying to be someone that you’re not, makes for films that showcase the real emotions of the people on screen and they are films that stand the test of time. When you trust your gut and put the needs of your couples at the core of your filmmaking process, magic can happen.
Make sure to check out Madeleine's work on IG if you don't follow her already! https://www.instagram.com/filmsbymadeleine/
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
This show is sponsored by Love Stories TV. Sign up for a free account and submit your films for paid feature opportunities: https://lovestoriestv.com/r/mbwf
The Audio Episode
How to Make $100K Per Year ft. David Reynosa
$100,000 per year is a goal that for a lot of people starting their business seems unattainable. On today’s show, David from Forestry films breaks down some of the ways we can shift our mindset towards solving people’s problems and that this is the key to growing a successful and profitable business.
If you would like a step-by-step road map from David on how you can take your business to the next level then you should check out his course "The Profitable Filmmaker" available for just a few more days! Use the promo code MBWF to get a further 10% off! https://www.theactof.co/the-profitable-filmmaker
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
This show is sponsored by Love Stories TV. Sign up for a free account and submit your films for paid feature opportunities: https://lovestoriestv.com/r/mbwf
Eat Your Vegetables ft. Matt "WhoIsMatt" Johnson
All of us have the part of a filmmaking process that we like more than others, it’s probably the reason we fell in love with this craft. Whether it’s filming, editing, directing, the cool gear… there’s always something that’s more “fun” than other parts of our job, like figuring out how to run a business or learning about audio. On today’s show, Matt sits down with me to discuss some of the most common shortcomings he finds when looking at other filmmakers work from around the world and why he thinks certain things keep coming up again and again. It turns out, that if we want to grow, we have to just eat our vegetables.
Want to learn more from Matt? Grab his FREE PDF with 3 tips to book more weddings! https://go.whoismatt.com/bookmoreweddings/
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
This show is sponsored by Love Stories TV. Sign up for a free account and submit your films for paid feature opportunities: https://lovestoriestv.com/r/mbwf
Working with LGBTQ+ couples ft. Theodore Magazine
Planning a wedding is stressful enough, but for couples in the LGBTQ+ community, there’s a whole other layer of fear and anxiety that can be part of the process when they start contacting vendors about their special day. As wedding vendors, if we want to be a supportive and safe business for these couples then we need to look with a critical eye at the gendered and patriarchal history of wedding traditions and how that still lingers in our language today.
If you are interested in learning more about being a supportive and inclusive wedding vendor, you can get in touch with Alexander directly for one on one mentoring or to become part of the Theodore directory: info@theodoremagazine.com
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Huge thanks to our sponsors!
MUSICBED: Use promo code "MBWF" to get your first month with Musicbed FREE
Find Your Signature Style ft. Fiore Films
When you see a high heel shoe with a red sole, you know it’s a Louboutin, or at least a knock off pretending to be a Louboutin. This is an example of a brand signature, something that when people see it, the brand instantly comes to mind. Sharrone from Fiore Films is very, very aware of the power that a brand signature can have and that is why whenever you see a wedding film that is entirely shot on tripod, you know it’s Fiore Films.
Make sure to follow Fiore Films on IG if you don't already! https://www.instagram.com/fiorefilms/
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Huge thanks to our sponsors!
MUSICBED: Use promo code "MBWF" to get your first month with Musicbed FREE
Directing Intimacy ft. Dylan Kitchener
NOTE: My microphone disconnected immediately after jumping on this call so I apologise for my audio quality! Thankfully Dylan does most of the talking and I've started using a new recording method moving forward to hopefully avoid these technical mishaps in the future! Thanks and enjoy the show.
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Dylan Kitchener’s extremely cinematic and intimate portraits of couples are an inspiration to many. His masterful understanding of light and composition are a wonder to behold, but it’s how he directs his couples and makes them comfortable in front of his camera that seems to catch the attention and envy of wedding filmmakers around the world.
On today’s show, Dylan breaks down his process for planning, directing and capturing intimate stories of two people in love.
Want to learn more from Dylan? Check out the education page on The Kitcheners website for more info: https://thekitcheners.co.uk/education
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Huge thanks to our sponsors!
MUSICBED: Use promo code "MBWF" to get your first month with Musicbed FREE
The Art of Adapting ft. White in Revery
We're back for Season 3!!!!
S3 E1 - The Art of Adapting ft. Calen Rhome - White in Revery
Being able to adapt to your environment is a skill that takes time to master. You need to be confident in your tools, confident in your environment and confident in knowing what you do and don’t need to tell your story.
When you think of White in Revery, you think of beautiful, smooth, polished films. No chaos, nothing out of place, simply elegant filmmaking. However, no wedding is perfect and things go wrong all the time as we all know, but on todays show, Calen shares his secrets for what he believes is the difference between the good filmmakers and the great ones… the ability to adapt to a changing environment.
Make sure to check out the amazing LUTs and colour grading tools over at https://gamut.io/
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This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
This show is sponsored by Love Stories TV. Sign up for a free account and submit your films for the 6th annual Wedding Film Awards to be in the running for some incredible prizes: https://lovestoriestv.com/wedding-film-awards
Season 2 Finale
It’s time to start to say goodbye to 2021 and also to say “seeya later” to the incredible @bottlebrushfilms who are finishing up their season on Make Better Wedding Films. I’ve got Grace and Andrew on for one final time to catch up, have a beer and hear about all the incredible projects and plans they have in store for 2022. We also answer a bunch of your questions from Instagram live. So pop a cold one, sit back and settle in. My name is Ben and this is Make Better Wedding Films…
See all you wonderful humans in 2022 for Season 3!!!! We’ve got some exciting stuff planned 😏
More than the Wedding ft. The Unique Wedding
Ivan & Angela of the Unique Wedding are different to most wedding filmmakers. For them, filming the wedding is an extra. What they really offer is a multi-day experience for couples to create an incredible memory in and around their wedding day.
This may or may not be a direction you want to take in your career as a wedding filmmaker but what I do hope you take away from today’s episode is an understanding of the fruit of their labour.
By putting in the time that others don’t, Ivan and Angela are able to capture footage of their couples that is more intimate, more creative and more unique than just about any other wedding filmmaker out there.
Make sure to check out their work on their website: https://www.theuniquewedding.com/
and follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uniquewedding/
This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
Secret Sauce ft. David Reynosa (Forestry Films)
You might be looking at aspirational, world famous, amazing wedding filmmakers and be thinking, “If only I could shadow them, if only I could watch them work, I could learn their secret sauce, the thing that makes them stand out from the rest”.
The truth of the matter is… there is no secret sauce. Everyone is nervous on a wedding day, everyone finds directing uncomfortable, everyone get’s that nervous, squirmy feeling before they walk into a room full of strangers first thing on a wedding day.
Once you know that everyone is uncomfortable, even the filmmakers that you are looking up to right now, you’ll realise that what you actually have to do is get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Make sure to check out more educational resources from David at: https://www.theactof.co/
Want a chance to WIN an annual Musicbed subscription??? Make sure to submit your films for our editing contest on our website: https://makebetterweddingfilms.com/editing-contest
Living in the Moment ft. Forever Curious Films
Life throws us all curve balls and today’s guests are no exception, but rather than seeking solitude in the status quo, Shannon and Jack decided it was time for them to try something bold and new.
Through battling health issues and launching a brand new business at the start of a global pandemic, these two have come through with the most amazing spirit and attitude towards their life and their work, highlighting the importance of living in the moment.
Make sure to follow Shannon & Jack's work over on Instagram @forevercuriousfilms
This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
Creative Storytelling ft. Eric Floberg
To be a creative storyteller is to be a listener, to be someone who is more interested in the story of others than their own. When it comes to wedding filmmaking, this means being passionately invested in the couple and who the are, making a film that is solely for them.
This is Eric’s philosophy for wedding filmmaking and it’s how he’s able to make the emotionally charged films that he does. Start with the couple, dig deep in to who they are and let that drive your creativity and your story.
Make sure to listen closely to hear a $100 off code for Eric's course "The Classroom" which is available until Monday night: https://education.ericfloberg.com/
If you want to learn more about our mentoring services, make sure to check out the website: https://makebetterweddingfilms.com/mentoring
This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
Read the Room ft. Hunter Floyd Films
Each of us as filmmakers come to the table with a different set of skills, some coming more naturally to us than others and today’s guest is an example of how people skills and the ability to read a room are as important as knowing the ins and outs of your camera.
Hunter describes himself as an extrovert, which is not a label I would assign to myself, so it was great to learn from how he approaches a wedding day, using the skills most natural to him to ensure that his couples get the best experience possible.
Make sure to follow Hunter on Instagram to see more of his work: @hunterfloydfilms
Cinematic LUTs Volume One - OUT NOW https://makebetterweddingfilms.com/store/p/cinelutsvol1
This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com Want to support the show directly?
Join us on Patreon for unique access to our guest Q&A thread: www.patreon.com/mbwf
It Starts On TikTok ft. Bottlebrush Films
Grace and Andrew have built an impressive audience of 120 thousand followers on Bottlebrush’s TikTok by showcasing their films and their personality, resulting in real enquires through their website. With over 1 billion monthly users now using TikTok we thought it was about time to do a deep dive on the platform, address some common concerns among videographers and talk through some ideas for how you can start using it to build your brand and get you more bookings.
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Cinematic LUTs Volume One - OUT NOW
https://makebetterweddingfilms.com/store/p/cinelutsvol1
This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
Want to support the show directly? Join us on Patreon for unique access to our guest Q&A thread: www.patreon.com/mbwf
Gold Amongst the Shit ft. David Le
Sometimes someone creates something so fresh and out of the box that people can’t help but stop and take notice. Today, Andrew and I are sitting down with wedding photographer David Le, who created a Wes Anderson inspired, stop motion masterpiece of a film that was nominated for Junebug's best wedding film 2021.
However, the catch here is that it was so time consuming and difficult to create, that he will never make anything like it again. And so today’s show is about trying new things, learning, being creative, failing and ultimately finding small nuggets of gold amongst piles of shit.
Follow David on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/davidle_nz
Watch Tina & Kris' Film here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CT52AL4pRqQ/
Cinematic LUTs Volume One - OUT NOW
https://makebetterweddingfilms.com/store/p/cinelutsvol1
This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
Want to support the show directly? Join us on Patreon for unique access to our guest Q&A thread: www.patreon.com/mbwf
Empathy ft. Monika Frias
We’ve talked a bit about being an empathetic filmmaker on this podcast before and today’s guest is yet another example of why this skill is a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to making truly unique and standout work. Being able to connect with your couples first and foremost and make a film that’s for them, not for you or your ego as a creative, but for them is what results in art that has substance behind it.
Monika’s work is beautiful, raw, delicate and timeless. She’s one of those creatives who is clearly comfortable with their tool, comfortable with the “rules” of filmmaking and confident about breaking them in the best way possible.
Check out Monika’s work on her incredible website here: https://www.monikafrias.com/
And make sure to follow her on Instagram @latxina
Cinematic LUTs Volume One - OUT NOW
https://makebetterweddingfilms.com/store/p/cinelutsvol1
This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
Want to support the show directly? Join us on Patreon for unique access to our guest Q&A thread: www.patreon.com/mbwf
Shamarah + Tyler - Editing Breakdown ft. Grace Cardona, Bottlebrush Films
Grace got a HUGE amount of DMs after posting her latest wedding film asking how in the heck she did what she did! So today we are answering all your questions and breaking this edit down piece by piece.
If you haven't seen the film yet, make sure you check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CS5CFCoBdqX/
This is basically a mini masterclass in editing techniques from the legend herself so settle in and get the notepad ready!
Today's episode is sponsored by Musicbed - Get the first month of a Wedding Subscription FREE by signing up with the promo code MBWF - https://www.musicbed.com
Always Be Creating ft. Russell Kent Nicholls
This podcast is all about helping you find and develop your unique style of wedding filmmaking, something that your couples will see and think “that’s us, that’s what we want!”. But this often goes beyond the films themselves, couples connect with the filmmaker as much as the films and so on today’s show, we’re talking to UK videographer Russell Kent Nicholls about his all-round approach to how he portrays his films, his brand and himself through social media. Russell has managed to combine his beautiful filmmaking with, education, humour, relatability and authenticity, resulting in an online presence that presents him as the perfect balance between aspirational and approachable.
Follow Russell, his work and his workshop with the links below.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russellkentnicholls/
LUTs: https://gamut.io/product/hestia/
Workshop: https://www.milkshakekisses.com/
This show is sponsored by Musicbed - Sign up for their Wedding Filmmaker subscription using the promo code MBWF and get your first month free: www.musicbed.com
Want to support the show directly? Join us on Patreon for unique access to our guest Q&A thread: www.patreon.com/mbwf
Creating Balanced Films ft. Stanton Giles - Films by Stanton
We often have a certain style of film that we prefer to create, whether it’s more moody and “cinematic” or fun and upbeat, but the reality is that most weddings contain a full spectrum of emotions and energies. Today I’m talking to Stanton Giles of @filmsbystanton because his work, I feel, is a rare example that shows the full spectrum of emotions on a wedding day. On today’s show we’ll be breaking down Stanton’s work and figuring out how he transitions between the light and shade, the highs and lows and still manages to create balanced, cohesive films.
Make sure to check out Staton's YouTube channel as he's putting out some great educational content over there! As well as follow his work at the links below.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyWOWdNhbGwXBGaoexsk_qg
https://www.instagram.com/filmsbystanton/
https://vimeo.com/user71975630
https://filmsbystanton.com/
Stealing from Music Videos ft. Grace Andrew & Ben
I’ve had a few types of episodes on my to-do list since rebranding this podcast and today is one of those episodes.
Today we are looking at music videos to see what we can learn from them, what ideas we can add to our toolbox and how we might adapt them for wedding films.
Now today we’ll just be looking at a small selection of music videos to come out recently because the idea for this kind of episode is that we can revisit it again and look at different types of music videos from different eras.
So I hope you enjoy todays’s show and that it get’s you excited to try something new in your films.
Below is a list of all the music videos we mention during the show (and a few more) so you can go check them out for yourself!
MUSIC VIDEOS
Colour -
Justin Bieber, Peaches
Reiley, Let it ring
Lighting -
Demi Lovato - What other people say (flashing colourful lights)
Faozia & John Legend, Minefields (light on drone)
Audrey Nuna - Comic sans (red light at night)
Match cuts -
Demi Lovato - What other people say (0:25)
NF, Clouds
Audrey Nuna - Time
Extreme Motion Blur -
The Vamps, Would You
Buff Nerds, D-Smoke
Audrey Nuna - Comic sans (whip cuts)
Nostalgia (16mm, 35mm, DV cams)
Audrey Nuna, Damn Right
Audrey Nuna - Time (DV cams)
Miley Cyrus, Angels like you
Olivia Rodrigo - Dejavu (DV cams and vintage pastel colours)
Tate McRae - bad ones (DV cam, full 90’s style visuals)
Bea Miller, Aminé - FEEL SOMETHING DIFFERENT (DV cams)
Wide angle lenses -
Justin Bieber, Peaches
Years & Years, Starstruck
Audrey Nuna - Comic sans
Zooms -
Harry Styles, Watermelon Sugar
Long lens gimbal -
Faozia & John Legend, Minefields
Handheld -
Audrey Nuna, Damn Right
10,000 Hours ft. Gione da Silva
Malcolm Gladwell describes his famous “10,000 hours” heuristic as a symbol for the fact that the time needed to develop an innate understanding for a particular skill is most likely longer than any of us anticipate at the outset.
On today’s episode I’m joined by the incredibly talented Gione da Silva, who shares basically a whole two day workshop worth of content on lighting, composition, posing and editing into this hour and a half long episode.
There are no quick fixes when it comes to being an amazing filmmaker, you do have to put in the hours, but I hope that today’s episode shows you that the secret to making those hours count is to be intentional with everything you do and know that there is always more to learn.
If you enjoy today’s episode and want to dive deeper into education with Gione, he offers private mentoring sessions that you can check out here: https://www.gionedasilva.com/education-learn-wedding-videography/
Make sure to follow us on Instagram
Gione: https://www.instagram.com/gione.silva/
Us: https://www.instagram.com/makebetterweddingfilms/
Intuitive Filmmaking ft. Kathryn Majic - Blnk Films
No Grace or Andrew today team, I'm flying solo!
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We’re often chasing a certain aesthetic or style in our work, light and airy, dark and moody, fun, cinematic, emotional, whatever it is we are constantly trying to get our work closer to the image of it that’s in our heads.
Some of us take a very methodical, structured approach while others rely more heavily on their intuition.
Today I’m joined by Kathryn Majic from Blnk Films, who is firmly in the latter camp. Kathryns intuitive approach to filmmaking is really fascinating to unpack and is a good reminder to us all that there is an infinite number of ways to approach this craft.
On this episode we’ll be breaking down Kathryn’s work and exploring some of the ways that she creates her beautiful, dark, moody and textural films.
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Make sure to follow Kathryn on Instagram - @blnkfilms
House on the Clouds ft. Siddharth Sharma
On our instagram page I have a little line in the bio that invites people to DM us if they want to review their films. Our guest today, Sid from House on the Clouds, a Mumbai based wedding film and photo company took up that offer and sent me a message asking for a critique of his latest film and I was absolutely mind blow, it was incredible. I wrote back immediately and said you have to come on the show! and he agreed.
For anyone unlucky enough, like myself two weeks ago to have never seen House on the Clouds work, it’s impeccable. The cinematography, the editing, the lighting, the storytelling… it’s unique and most importantly authentic, nothing seems gimmicky or forced.
Today, Andrew and I will be chatting with Sid about his work and getting him to go in depth on his creative process, how he works with couples, his gear, how he colour grades, everything…
Follow @houseontheclouse on Instagram
Make sure to follow us too if you don’t! We are sharing heaps of cool tips and tricks every week! @makebetterweddingfilms