Recent Videography Articles

How Do You Film The World's Fastest 3D Car Sequence?

Filming in 3D is still relatively new to videographers. So when Jeremy Hart and professional driver David Coulthard decided to film the world fastest 3D film featuring the Mercedes SLS AMG flying down the road, they had to design and test shots that had never been filmed before. The footage is absolutely stunning and will definitely make you want to travel to Ireland and race sports cars up and down the Isle of Man. Click the Full Post to watch a short clip of the final movie (in 2D). ><
The Sound of Inception: Making Photos Come to Life

Fstoppers is a blog mainly geared towards videographers and photographers. However, sound engineering is another field that will soon be of interest to photographers who are jumping into film or video projects. In the case of full length features, many of the images we see on the screen would not have the same impact without the music and sound-effects that accompany them. I love all behind the scenes videos and this one really made me appreciate the guys behind the soundboards. Watch as Richard King and company unveil some of the sounds they used for the movie Inception. Check out Sound Works Collection for more videos on this sort of thing.

"Inception" Sound for Film Profile from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.

Freddie Wong Sky Dives Out Of His House

I was just introduced to Freddie's youtube channel and I am blown away. Freddie and his friends keep creating fantastic videos with some impressive homemade CGI and then they explain how they did it. Watch this BTS below and the finished product in the full post. <
Monument Valley Timelapse With Philip Bloom

Philip Bloom is an amazing British DP, Director, and Film Maker who also works hard to bring us some neat gadget to use out in the field when filming DSLR video. When I saw this timelapse video of Monument Valley out in Utah, I knew this BTS video/audio would appeal to our landscape photographers who are often stuck watching fashion and commercial videos. So in an effort to change it up a bit, go ahead and load both the audio and video tracks (hit play and then pause) and start with the audio track. Philip also outlines a lot of the gear used in this timelapse over at his blog so check that out too. Enjoy Monument Valley commentary by PhilipBloom

Monument Valley from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Contest Entry:  Keith Bradshaw Shoots A Music Video

Some of you may remember Keith Bradshaw and his DIY Steadicam Merlin. Well Keith is at it again with a few DIY techniques and some very creative video ideas. I think Keith's music video and BTS video are probably the most involved video of all of the contest submissions. Even if you are not shooting music videos I think there is something to take away from this video. Keith also knocks out a great photograph in the middle of the BTS video as well. I'm sure you guys will have lots of questions about this so feel free to leave a comment below and be sure to click the full post to watch the full music video.

The Making of "Mr. Wonderful" from Keith Bradshaw on Vimeo.

Tom Guilmette Shows How Sports Are Done

We were first introduced to Tom Guilmette's work last week when he showed us how to shoot slow motion video at 718 fps. This next video is even better! Tom takes us behind the scenes of a Big East college basketball game. Cox Sports shows us everything that goes into producing a sports program at the event and piping it to your television at home. After watching the last 3 minutes or so of real time action, I think I would have a nervous breakdown if I had to work on something like this day in and day out. Tom has more information on his blog; hope you guys enjoy! <
Richie Thomassen Shoots The Most Beautiful BTSV Ever

Let me begin by saying that this BTSV is not very informative. I usually only post videos that will help others learn but I must make an exception. This video is the most beautiful behind the scenes video I have ever seen. As creative professionals this video should be inspiring to us all on so many levels. Who would have thought that you could turn a simple photoshoot into a work of art. Thank you Richie Thomassen, you have given me something to aspire to. It is time to step up the video production of our BTSVs. Oh, and I almost forgot; the photographer is Wynn Ruji and his car portfolio is fantastic.

Jaguar XJ | Behind the Scenes from Richie Thomassen on Vimeo.

Tom Guilmette Plays With Slomo

We have all seen great slomo videos on the internet but rarely do you get to see what it takes to film them. Check out Tom Guilmette's quick BTSV.

Fastec Imaging High Speed Camera - Testing 718 Frames Per Second at 720p from Tom Guilmette on Vimeo.

Do You Want To Be a Man?

On the heals of Isaiah Mustafa, we were sent this already viral video on a parody of the old spice commercial for the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU. Unfortunately, Old Spice does not film behind the scenes videos of their commercials so you are left only hearing about how it was shot after the fact (which is great nevertheless). Watch this fun video by Stephen Jones and Scott Winn over at http://www.scottdavidwinn.com/ on how they created a spoof of the original for their alma mater. Click the full post to watch the full version; it's almost as good as the Old Spice versions. <
How They Filmed The New Old Spice Commercial

Everybody likes the old spice towel guy and his single take commercials right? Well they are some of the most popular commercials of all time because nobody can figure out how they were shot. It kills me that they don't film complete BTSVs of the whole process but we have the next best thing below. Isiah Mustafa, the towel guy himself, will walk you through it. Video Game - E3 2011 - Movies and TV
Walk Across America

Jeff Calbom just sent this amazing video over to us. This group of guys decides to travel across the US in 14 days while creating one of the most complicated stop motion videos I've ever seen. Nothing will ever be more complicated than this stop motion video though. You can view the BTSV below and the final product in the full post. <
Marty Martin Creates Supernova

The BTSV for this music video isn't very technical and normally I wouldn't post it but the final product is so good that I made an exception. Watch the music video below first and then try to guess how they filmed it, then check out the BTS in the full post. I was shocked when I saw the simplicity of the shoot. ><
Aerial Photography By Mark Watson

Mark Watson is an 'extreme sports photographer' and in this video he has teamed up with Red Bull hanglider Jon Durand to produce some amazing photos as well as video. The idea was to mount a D300s camera to his hang glider to shoot both video and still shots while he sails through the Morning Glory cloud. The results are absolutely stunning! I hope Nikon includes the remote video hack described in this video in their next series of cameras. UPDATE: Mark shares more info about this shoot in the FULL POST!

Mark Watson takes on the Red Bull Glorious Days Project - Nikon D300S from My Nikon Life on Vimeo.

Sam Nicholson's Short Film "World Cup"

As a photographer, I really enjoy seeing how the film guys approach their filming and there is no better way to learn than to watch behind the scenes of some larger productions. Check out what Sam Nicholson and his team of videographers did with the new ARRI Alexa Camera in their short film called "World Cup". Click the full post to see the final product. <
Mark Romanek Gives Commentary On NIN's Closer Video

Mark Romanek is one of the all time greatest music video producers. His vision for Nine Inch Nail's Closer video created a lot of controversy back when it was released in 1994 but now lives on as one of the greatest music videos of all time. I can still recall the first time I saw this on MTv and how it made me feel. Check out this long behind the scenes video of Mark and Trent Reznor talking about the concept for the video as they work towards filming something that had really never been done at the time.

NIN: The Making of the "Closer" Video from Nine Inch Nails on Vimeo.

Amir Valinia Shoots A Music Video With The iPhone

Yes, this has been done before; but never this big. Amir took things up a few notches by shooting Paul Wall's new video "I Need Mo" featuring Travis Barker. I hope that Amir gives this another shot now that the iPhone 4 is out. The video quality is stunning on the new phone. View the finished music video in the full post. <
Giuliano Bekor shoots BeBe campaign at World Cup

If you aren't familiar with fashion photography, Giuliano Bekor is one of the top photographers in the industry. Watch as Giuliano demonstrates the correct way to jump after a soccer ball while wearing ridiculous fashion clothing. We also featured another BeBe fashion shoot he did with crazy African animals that you should probably check out after watching this photoshoot. I figured this was an appropriate post for Monday since Spain just wrapped up the World Cup yesterday (and it seems I dropped the ball on my earlier post today). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FXEXyfC3h0<
Patrick Boivin Creates "AT-AT Day Afternoon"

I have been on Vimeo for probably an hour going through one terrible BTS video after another. There is so much talent out there but so many of these videos have no details and are so boring. That all changed when I ran across Patrick Boivin's "AT-AT Day Afternoon." The BTS video has no talking but it is still totally informative. The finished video is in the full post and it is AMAZING.
Dodge Challenger Commercial:  Happy 4th

Hope everyone in America is having a happy 4th of July. Thought you guys might get a kick out of the latest Dodge Challenger Behind the Scenes commercial. Thanks to Thomas on the forum for sharing this with us! Click the full post to watch the final commercial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLa6NGduJ_c<
Michael Koerbel Directs A Video....On The iPhone 4 (Update)

This video is great not only because it is a solid video and has a behind the scenes video built in right at the end, but also because I think it goes to show that even with a relatively cheap phone you can shoot amazing HD footage for your BTS videos. I know a lot of our readers are iphone users (or android) so this video should help inspire you for our BTS Contest that ends August 1st. Now instead of having to find a friend who has a pro video camera or DSLR with video, you only have to find someone with an iPhone 4! Hope you guys enjoy watching this and can appreciate the team's creativity despite the 'limiting' camera gear. Update: New music video added to the full post. I actually find it much more impressive although it was not edited within the phone.
Pacific Star II gives us another view of the world

I hope it is not too soon to feature another video of a camera sent to space with a weather balloon but the footage taken from the Pacific Star II is really amazing! This was all done with two cheap Canon point and shoot cameras off ebay, a weather balloon, and a simple Styrofoam enclosure. It still blows my mind that such a simple setup can produce such beautiful shots. <
Contest Entry: James Karinejad Shoots "Strange Fruit"

James Karinejad has officially raised the bar on this contest. His team shot Emma Michelle's music video and he created a great BTS video to show us everything that went into making this a successful piece. View the full post to see the finished product and remember to please leave James feedback in the comments below or on his forum post here.
Ok, NOW I Have Seen Everything

If you didn't know, the GoPro HD is a cheap video camera that shoots stunning HD footage. These guys attach it to a weather balloon and then let it fly (what appears to be) into space and then they use GPS to retrieve it. Is this for real!?!

Balloon flight, shot with an HD HERO camera from GoPro. from Francois Brahic on Vimeo.

Luxembourg Air Rescue Trailer By Claude Kongs

Claude Kongs is an overseas director and his latest trailer for the movie Luxembourg Air Rescue is pretty amazing. What do you do when you are disappointed by the "unsexiness of your location"? Click the full post to watch a lengthy behind the scenes video on how this trailer was filmed.

Portfolio: Luxembourg Air Rescue Promo Movie from Claude Kongs on Vimeo.

The Last 3 Minutes Revisited

About a month ago we shared Shane Hurlbut's video The Last 3 Minutes and the behind the scenes on the making of that video. Here is another look at some more scenes from the short movie all filmed on the Canon 5D Mark II. It's really cool to see Shane taking the time to give commentary over this BTS footage. Enjoy.
Behind the scenes of how a Canon 500mm lens is made

A reader emailed me this video a while back and I finally got around to watching it. If you enjoy watching how things are made you will really appreciate the amount of effort that goes into making pro level lenses. I have never thought of my lenses coming ultimately from a bunch of powder! Click the post to watch all three videos and see the final product <
How To Make A Transparent Car

"Can we make a transparent car?... Of course, we can do anything given the time and the budget" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3HM1bQzubw
Leo Burnett Creates "Space Chimp" And Makes Me Sad

This video does not have the most informative behind the scenes video to go along with it but it is so good that I wanted to post it anyway. View the full post to see "the making" of this fantastic short.

Space Chimp from Leo Burnett on Vimeo.

Stillmotion:  If you don't know them, you should

Stillmotion is a group of photographers turned videographers whose work literally knocks me out everytime I see it. Watching their final products is sure to change your view of wedding photographers in general, and for me personally, they make me feel like I have no clue what I'm doing behind a camera. Check out this BTS of them working on a Trash the Dress session and click on the post to see what they can do with a full wedding. It's absolutely amazing!

||StillMotion||BehindTheScenes|| from Casey Warren | MIND CASTLE on Vimeo.