​Many of the video cameras now are quite good. They have many professional specs we would have only dreamed of having ten years ago. One thing that is not too flattering is how sharp the videos render. I know it’s funny, we shoot video but don’t want it to look video-like. Rather we want our videos to look filmic. How can we make it filmic? Lighting is one of the main ways to make your stories shot with a video camera to look more like a cinema picture. Choosing the correct framing, colors, editing also all contribute to a better looking and sounding film. However, even when you use these suggestions you will still have that off putting sharp video.
One way to overcome the sharp look of your videos is to shoot wide open. Open your lens to the max. Most lenses are not too sharp when they are used wide open. Another great way to over come the over sharpening of video is by using a black pro mist filter. This one is a Tiffen filter that makes the picture less sharp and smooths out the overall look. When lights are used it really makes them glow in a good way. They also smooth out wrinkles which is great if you are interviewing someone who does have wrinkles. These filters are not too expensive, but the cost does depend on your lens’ thread size. Here is a video that shows with and without a black pro mist filter. The camera and lens combo was a Gh5s and a Sigma Art 50-100 mm 1.8.

​There are several things to consider when creating a film. There is lighting, color, angles, pacing of edits, audio, music and more. I base my films with one very strong character. Someone who has desire, uniqueness, and complexity. During my interview process I listen and ask questions regarding the person’s life, job, and desires. This helps me understand them better and gives me an avenue to take the story. Sometimes the people just don’t have the desire in them. I have said it before and I will say it again, the audience is only going to be interested in the film if they main character gives them a reason to be.
Deciding on the main character is one thing, another aspect is creating the mood. We can create mood with color, how the film is edited, but for me one of the most important and I think overlooked areas is music selection. If you do not have the correct music playing under your film at the appropriate times, your film is done, wasted.
Don’t go as far as getting a great subject and then waste the whole film due to lack of music planning or bad selection of music. I know many try to go the least expensive route and buy cheap music. With cheap music you are may not be able to find that right sound for your film. Music selection should be dependent on what is happening in the scene or what is being said. You wouldn’t want to place a happy cheerful song under a person who is talking about a depressing topic. It is so important to decide the mood of your film before you select your music. The direction of the film should dictate the selection of music.
Music enhances the storytelling as well as creating emotion. You want your audience to be engaged and music can help with that. Here is an example.  I chose three songs for my latest film Georgio’s Bottega. Listen how the music drives the story. 

I am very honored and blessed to have won a second Telly Award for 2018 for my mini documentary Faith | Christ Saves. This short article is more about listening to God and his purpose than it is about me winning. I am going to keep this brief, so you can read it. 
Last year I saw an employee at one of the fitness gyms in Fresno wearing a hat that said FAITH. I asked him where he bought it and he explained to me that the hat was made locally by a man named Tony. God whispered in my ear and had me give the employee my contact info since he said he knew Tony and he would see him in a day or so. 
At this point I wanted to learn more about the man who created this hat that read FAITH. Tony called me the next day and we chatted for a good half hour. We set up a time to meet in person so that I could talk to him about my intensions on creating a mini doc on him. 
I was blown away after I met with Tony. While talking with him, I discovered that he didn’t only make hats, but he changed his whole life around because of God. I have placed the video link down below for you to watch it.
This is a story that God set up for me to do. Everything fell into place. The filming was on point, the editing was a breeze. It was as if God had laid out the red carpet for his message. The video was uploaded right around Thanksgiving....the time to give thanks. It’s a testimonial that will make you believe. It all started with an employee wearing Tony's hat. It was God who had me speak up and ask for about Tony, because I myself wouldn't think about doing it. Being a believer you need to listen when God speaks, even if you feel uncomfortable. His will must be done, not yours. Stories are all around us, we just need to recognize them and follow up. Thank you, Tony, for sharing your life story with me and allowing me to document it. I share this win with you my brother. 

Our first meeting.

Hear from a man who sufferred a stroke, couldn't talk, couldn't put his thoughts together. And get this, his job was public speaking. After several months he has become better. I sat down with him and his wife and they explained a therapy that gave him his life back.

​This past year I partnered up with a wonderful non-profit called Bud's Odyssey Foundation which provides grants to cover neurofeedback services for our military veterans and our first responders. And today we'll hear from one of those veterans and his wife about how BrainPaint neurofeedback here at Elevate Brain Training gave him his life back as well as hers. I believe I needed BrainPaint. Came to Linda first as she discovered BrainPaint and started explaining it to me because I was struggling. I had, uh, had a stroke almost over a year ago and um, I was dealing with some side effects from that. I was in a fog. I was having trouble putting my thoughts together, trying to figure out what to do and how to do anything. Because he speaks for a living, it was really hard because he would begin to address the congregation and then he just didn't have the words. And he would see the words but they wouldn't come out. And so I would go up to him and I would tell him it's okay, you don't have to do this. And then he just couldn't speak. I knew that life was out there and there was a better life than what I was dealing with at the time. And I just didn't know what to do. I called Linda at Elevate Brain Training and I was interested in what they were doing and so I talked to my husband about it and he was a little skeptical. And when he met with her, he was like, "Wow, I actually feel hope." When we drove away he said, "I actually feel hope now." And he hadn't felt that in such a long time. When I was going through BrainPaint after a few sessions, not many had taken place actually, I think maybe four, I started to feel a physical change there that was going on within me. I had more clarity of mind, awareness. And I began doing things slowly. My wife, Linda, she would see me and sometimes it was like, "Are you okay? "Can you do this, can you do?" Yes, I'm fine. I'd have to reassure her, trust me I can do this. I counted every day 'cause it was like a gift, every day was a gift and we're so excited. And then I was like I'm gonna be so excited when I don't have to count days anymore. And so I don't have to count days anymore. So it was like a miracle. I help out more around the house. I'm sure Linda appreciates that. I think she missed it there for a time being. I was, it's one of those, it just seemed that I was in the background. But when I wasn't able to, she saw that, hey, this guy really did a lot. We wanna go forward and kind of have a new season. We feel like we've kinda got a new lease on life now. Linda and I were looking forward to retiring one day together, probably we moving out of the state. Like to do a little bit of traveling. But in the meantime while we're still here, I'm gonna continue doing the work that I'm doing in the church. And we enjoy hiking and I wanna keep that up and actually expand that. Wanna get back into our workout schedule together.  And it just feels so good to see him so positive and to see him to be able to be functional and to be able to do what he wants to do. Well, I highly would recommend BrainPaint for anybody who would be struggling with issues such I was struggling or even something else. I can't even imagine where I'd be at right now had I not been introduced to BrainPaint. I was really on a downward spiral. And it's given me hope and we gotta have that hope.