Last Sunday we had a great Filmmaking Times show with Henry Martens. He’s a filmmaker whose work has earned him awards and a very successful wedding filmmaking business.
Henry’s videos are so good, that they easily merit being called films. As Henry mentions in the video, all of his clients have a story to tell, and conveying that story is Henry’s main task.
Our one hour chat with Henry is filled with invaluable advice on filmmaking, and the business side of wedding videography. So, I hope you take advantage of this. There is a lot of competition in this business, and you’ll rarely find someone like Henry, who is so willing to share and help others.
Here is our conversation
If you have more questions for Henry, he’s indicated that he can make himself available again. So, please leave comments and questions below, if you’d like Henry to address them.
As always, we got a lot of your questions about gear. So, here’s a full list of gear that Henry uses.
Main Gear
Sony A7s (our review) – Amazon, B&H
Zeiss 50 f1.4 Planar for Nikon – Amazon
Zeiss 85 f1.4 Planar for Nikon – Amazon
Zeiss Batis 25mm f2 – Amazon
Canon Tiltshift 45mm f2.8 – Amazon, B&H
Commlite EF to E mount adapter for Tiltshift – Amazon
Fotodiox Pro Nikon to Sony adapter – Amazon
Tokina 100 Macro f2.8 for Nikon – Amazon, B&H
Zeiss 135mm f2 Apo Sonnar for Nikon –Amazon
Zeiss Milvus 50mm f1.4 for Nikon – Amazon, B&H
Zeiss Milvus 85mm f1.4 for Nikon – Amazon, B&H
Zhiyun Crane Stabilizer (our review) – Amazon, B&H
Manfrotto Xpro Monopod – Amazon, B&H
Henry’s Mavic Picture settings: Cineline-D, -1 Sharpness, 0 Contrast, -3 Saturation (not sure the order of them in the app)
Audio
Rodelink wireless lavs – Amazon, B&H
Tascam DR-10L lav recorder – Amazon, B&H
Sanken COS-11D Omni Lavs – B&H
Zoom H5 recorder (our review) – Amazon, B&H
Zoom EXH-6 XLR Extender – Amazon, B&H
Olympus DM620 Portable Recorder – Amazon
Microphone Sleeve for DM620
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Audio Tips:
- Try to take the second output directly from the Wireless Receiver for speeches or lavs that are being used. Most DJ’s will say there is only one output, but there is usually two (A XLR and 1/4”)
- The EXH-6 Extender is the only way to get the -10db backup track so if you won’t have time to monitor your audio, plug the two most important sources into those inputs
- the Sanken lavs sound best upside down facing away from the mouth
- The fuzzy windscreens might look funny, but they do the trick and will give you a clean audio source in the
highest of winds (I’ve tested in 30mph+)
Software
FCPX: Available in the Apple Store for $299
Hedge for Mac
Rename: Install file located in “Workshop Tools” folder
Pixel Film Studios: Great site for many different FCPX templates
Color Finale Pro (Yes, it’s worth the extra money over ‘Standard’)
SliceX Masks powered by Mocha
mTransistion Zoom by motionVFX.com
Computer Gear
Editing Monitor – LG 34” Ultrawide UC98 – Amazon, B&H
Viewing Monitor – LG 27” UD68-P – Amazon, B&H
Logitech MX Master Mouse – Amazon, B&H
Logitech Z625 Computer Speakers – Amazon
Please check out Henry Martens website.
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