If you are a content creator, an artist, or a business owner of any kind, do you want to make your work matter? Do you want it to be impactful? The below thoughts are things that we at Gregg Media are constantly working on.  How to avoid the comparison trap, love the work you do, and give of yourself. We realize these are much easier written down than implemented. And to be successful, you must not only understand these points, but also be able to put them into practice.

Our brains are amazing and have fantastic memory, especially when it comes to taste and smell. So, even though we can’t actually smell the food in a video, if we have good visuals, along with good audio, we can trigger the part of our brains that remembers the smell and taste.

Whether you’re a novice trying to learn the basics or an experienced videographer looking for new techniques, making a better video can be challenging. It requires a lot of practice and knowledge of different technical aspects, along with being willing to try new things and look at things differently. But don’t worry, with the right guidance, anyone can learn the tips and tricks necessary to make great videos.

Start with What You Know When Making Videos

When I was learning how to make great drone videos, I knew what I wanted my final product to look like, but didn’t know how to get there. So I started by familiarizing myself with different things that make great looking videos.  That gave me new things to learn about like frame rates, shutter speeds, apertures and other technical aspects that could help me achieve the look I wanted. This was so helpful in getting me started on my video-making journey. The journey seems daunting, but just learn one new thing at a time. Try not to over complicated it.

NASA study found that 98% of children at age 5 were creative geniuses, but by the time people reach adulthood that number drops to 2%, Why? I was listening to a Podcast called, The FUTUR with Chris Do. For those interested, it was episode 212 “The Laws of Creativity” with Joey Cofone. Their conversation was all about why people struggle to be creative.

I (Caleb) love the movie, “Miracle” produced by Walt Disney and staring Kurt Russel. It is about the journey of the USA 1980 olympic hockey team and the coach Herb Brooks. In the movie, they faced almost insurmountable odds and over came the challenges to beat the Russian team that was unbeaten. How?

We all have habits, good ones and bad ones. The life we live, to put it simply, is nothing more than collection of actions and choices.  What actions we take and the choices we make are linked to our habits.  We have been learning about habits and the dynamic role they play in our lives. When we finally got unconformable enough with our life, we knew we needed to make some big adjustments, create new goals, and change our family’s trajectory…but how?

Whether you’re making a movie, commercial, music video, or something else entirely, incorporating firearms into your production can be done safely! However, it’s important to understand that doing so requires careful planning and effective communication from everyone involved. Earlier this year we were shooting content for a promotional video that had multiple people and firearms involved. Because of the measures taken by everyone, the content captured with multiple people firing their firearms, was a success. Having a solid plan in place going into a session and having clear communication among all those involved created a safe and fun videography session and gave us the ability to capture some very creative shots with both ground and drone video. Below we want to go over three of the biggest things that will help you achieve a safe and successful photography and/or videography session:

Now that we’ve covered how to take cellphone videos with intention, by adding in transitions, let’s talk about how to edit these transitions. A lot of people will capture the content and then not know how to fully use it, so then they just don’t. We want to empower you on how to edit your cellphone videos in a way to put all the transitions to work and create a visually interesting cellphone video that you can be proud of

We covered quite a bit In Upgrading Your Phone Footage part 1 and 2 now are gong to dive into using transitions, planning for transitions, and how to spot opportunities to use transitions on the go. Using some well thought out transitions can really elevate your video and make it visually interesting. This is where all the pieces we talked about in the last couple blog posts start coming together. We’ll go over some basic transitions and how to use them. We’ve talked about shooting videos with the end goal in mind, now we are going to break that down and focus on getting the right transitions that will seamlessly pull all the video clips together in a way that sets your video apart from the average cellphone video.

Last time we talked about some basic tips on how to upgrade your cellphone footage to make it look stunning. Today we are going to dive a bit deeper in to how to use light, frame rate, and video sizing to make an even more engaging video that looks like it wasn’t shot using just your cellphone.

Technology has come a long way since the first cellphones hit the market and it’s now easier than ever to take high-quality videos with your phone. Amy and I will watch cellphone videos on Instagram to inspire our own creative abilities using professional videography gear. Have you ever taken the time to watch some of those videos? It’s impressive what we can do with just a cellphone. It’s inspiring and a great reminder that anyone can get pretty amazing videos, with just a cellphone and some creativity. From planning your shot, to editing, here are some tips and tricks on how to upgrade your phone footage to make it look more cinematic.

The Power of Storytelling for your Brand. Amy and I went on our very first trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is a 1,090,000-acre wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in the northern part of Minnesota . We used Sawbill Canoe Outfitters to rent our canoe from and during our time there, we were blown away by how the staff took amazing care of us, educated us, and provided lots of other supplies to us to give us an incredible camping experience. We left Sawbill feeling equipped and ready for our first Boundary Water Canoe trip. The trip was a great success!  We had a wonderful time and got to fully experience why so many people rave about going to the Boundary Waters. The wildlife and absolute quiet peacefulness made us lounging to go back again and again. Even though it was our very first time going up there, by going through Sawbill Canoe Outfitters, we were able to feel well equipped and therefor just enjoy up our time in the Boundary Waters.

If you’re looking to take your commercial branding video up a notch, drone footage is the way to do it. First-person view (FPV) drone footage is becoming increasingly popular in marketing and advertising, and for good reason—it provides a unique perspective that can draw viewers in and give them an exciting look at your product or service. Let’s explore why FPV drone footage is the perfect addition to any commercial branding video.

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” -Joseph Chilton Pearce. This quote has been part of my creative mantra for years. I'm sure it's something that many of us artists can relate to. We get so caught up in trying to do things right, that we don't allow ourselves the opportunity to make mistakes, take risks, or even just to be wrong. It took me a long time to start learning this hard lesson, but I'm here to tell you that once you start taking those leaps and giving yourself permission to be wrong, the creative possibilities and opportunities open up in ways that you never imagined. Being wrong no longer holds you back, but helps you grow.

When I wanted to learn how to fly drones, things weren’t so easy at first—I had to start from ground zero with no background knowledge on drones or the world of aerial videography. All I knew was that I wanted to make something great, but I wasn’t sure where to start. Through trial and error, however, I eventually figured out a way to reach my goal. And what I discovered is applicable to any endeavor or journey you may be taking in life.

Getting outdoors can save lives. Seriously. We live in a world that is constantly going, and buzzing with activity. Recent studies have shown that people are more stressed, more anxious, and have more mental health issues than ever before. Chronic stress is a silent killer, it leads to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and a verity of mental health issues. But the one thing we can sometimes forget is that the great outdoors is always waiting for us! We all need to get out of our offices, the house, and into the natural world around us, because it can do wonders for our mental health, our creativity, and even our overall well-being. Let’s take a look at why getting outside saves lives.

When it comes to shooting photos and videos, timing is everything. Depending on the look and feel you are going for, certain times of day can create vastly different results. For example, if you’re looking for a warm, golden glow, the “golden hour” may be your best bet. On the other hand, if you need a crisp midday shot with lots of contrast and shadows, then the middle of the day is your optimal time. Here’s a closer look at how time affects photo and video shoots.

When we started Gregg Media, Amy and I wanted to inspire others to get outdoors more and we’ve been using inspiration as one of our main connecting pieces in our content marketing. As a business leader, you know the importance of content marketing for your brand. You understand that it can help to build relationships with customers and increase visibility. But by using inspirational content, you can create a much deeper connection with your customers. Let’s explore the power of inspirational content and how it can benefit your business.

If you are looking to create a great video, the key to success is proper preproduction planning. Before any cameras roll, you need to have an idea of what the story is that you are telling and who will be involved in telling it. You also need to know where the video will be filmed and what props you’ll need in order to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible on set. A little bit of planning ahead can save time and money in the long run, so read on for more details about preproduction planning for video shoots.