The How To Film Weddings Show
The How To Film Weddings Show is a weekly conversation with filmmakers, wedding pros, and creative storytellers from all over the industry looking to raise the standard, together.
The How To Film Weddings Show
Why Most Wedding Filmmakers Chase The Wrong Things (How To Fix It!)
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In this episode, we unpack the shift from chasing success and validation to building a business that actually aligns with who you are and what truly matters.
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Javiers | Sundial Creative
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This is Javier and his wedding business Sundial Creatives, it's making waves right now. But what caught my attention wasn't just his amazing work, it's what he said about feeling stuck even when things were working.
SPEAKER_00You know, it's it's fun, it's fulfilling, but I just didn't have like a long-term vision. And what came to me really is just like it felt like even though like sharing my own business, but I felt like I was playing by other people's rules, and I felt like, okay, this is not really me.
SPEAKER_01Because I think there's a season that filmmakers go through where you're booking weddings, you're growing, but something still feels off. It's like you're moving forward, but you think you're not really going anywhere. So today we unpack that. What it actually looks like to move from survival to proving yourself to finally building something that feels aligned with who you are.
SPEAKER_00What do I care about? Do I care more about how things look, or do I care more about the meaning of what I'm doing? That was like the mind shift change for me.
SPEAKER_01So if you've ever felt stuck in your business, unsure of the direction you're going and wondering what's next, this conversation might be for you. Welcome to the Hat of Fim Wedding Show.
SPEAKER_00Uh, thank you for having me, Jared. Excited to be here.
SPEAKER_01Excited you're here, excited to talk all things wedding, business, life, just the journey that we all go through. You know, I think there's a season that every filmmaker walks through when things are whether they're moving, whether they're slow, you know, it's just that internal feeling that something feels off. You know, like you're working hard, you're booking weddings, but just kind of existing on autopilot. I don't know if you felt that way before, but like there's just like no clear direction of where you're going. Um, and sometimes like success doesn't feel grounding. So you had posted a video recently that just related I related to on every single level. Um, and like the first question I just want to ask you is like when you're looking back at your early years, um, was there ever a season like that for you, or was it all just like, you know, hunky dory, Peachy King, you know, just all sunshine and rainbows?
SPEAKER_00Oh man. I mean, when I first started back in let's say end of 2017 is when I first started, it was I really I still had no real clear path or direction. I just wanted to start a business. That was the the main goal. I went to school for business and I picked up photography at the as an elective in 2016 during college, and I just saw photography and videography at the time being the easiest path to be able to start a business. And so I was on fire with that. And so I had you know that imposter syndrome from that point on all the way, you know, probably until like 2023, where I feel like, okay, I'm in this. I feel like an actual wedding filmmaker, and I'm proud to call myself one too as well. That's the other thing, taking pride in the in the work that you do and the value that you have to offer. And that was, and that took time to really get there. Um, and even now, like in the even within that, like 2023 to 2025, you know, seeing success, seeing some um things going my way, I still didn't even have a clear vision or clear path where I just felt unsure what the future looks like, especially now that you know I'm married, I have two kids, they're growing up, I want to be more present, things of those natures take place. And so um, it left me really unsure about everything.
SPEAKER_01When I started the business, it was I remember this instinct, this feeling inside of myself where it wasn't so much about um any type of professional goals at the start. It was just a matter of I just need to survive. That was like the first goal, right? It's just like the first business goal I had was survival. I want to make this work for myself, I want to prove to myself that I can do this, that I don't need a nine to five, I don't have to fall in line with the system of how the world thinks that I'm supposed to operate and function and live my life. And then the next goal, usually once you kind of make some steps and get those milestones of like, okay, I'm making some money, I'm booking some weddings, this is cool, like I've proved myself I can survive doing this. The next goal tends to transition into okay, now I want to impress people. Now I I I have this kind of internal goal of I want people to look at my work and just say, wow, this is like incredible, like you know, this this guy gets it, he's just he's um he's just doing the thing. And then I feel like though, where I got stuck was in between the hamster wheel of impressing other people and trying to compete with other people. Um and I feel like that's where I found like the path of most resistance um within myself because I was I was trying to battle something that just wasn't what I actually wanted. You know, when it comes to the seasons that we go through, what was happening internally? Like, how is that showing up in your actual business when you just started to kind of feel like directionless? Like if you like had to put it on paper, like the you know, what was showing up in your business?
SPEAKER_00I just had in my mind, like once I hit 35, I'm done doing weddings type of thing. Like once I hear a certain number, like I am done with weddings. And like, as much, you know, it's it's fun, it's fulfilling, but I just didn't have like a long-term vision. And what came to me really is just like it felt like even though like sharing my own business, but I felt like I was playing by other people's rules, and I felt like, okay, this is not really me, you know, it's not really designed for me intentionally. And kind of going in 2023, I did an epic wedding. It was like maybe once-in-a-lifetime type of event that I'll get to captured, and it was just the most amazing experience. But after that amazing, you know, experience, I'm like, okay, what's left now to do? It kind of felt like I hit that milestone and I was unsure about everything else. And it wasn't really until maybe I'll say 2024 where I kind of first found myself creatively that it started to shape what I kind of wanted to do moving forward. So like I look at things in like categories, and so like creatively, I wasn't always there, and I feel like now I I found my creative stride of what that looks like and feels honest to me and the work and you know, perspective, my approach. And then came to designing the actual like infrastructure of how to achieve that and breaking down the steps of okay, this is what I like creatively. How can I now design the business to be um around that allows me to like succeed, but be myself along the whole way and the whole journey and and communicate that to couples? Um, and so kind of funny. And you know, the video that I referenced and that that you watched was back in October, more like I feel like I got everything in place, but I don't know what the long-term vision is. And it took a lot of talking, a lot of praying for me based on my faith, and and really just taking the time to reflect and and see where can I make the most impact. For me, I'm I've I care about like what can I do to make an impact to somebody, and that's why I like I find value and joy what I do get to do in terms of creating these wedding films, because they'll serve for generations to come, hopefully. And you know, and if you're intentional and designing it, my goal is whoever watches it, you know, mainly the couple, that they can feel like those goosebumps feeling when they're getting something, receiving it for the very first time. And you know, feel like wow, they had he had that level of care on our wedding day throughout the process and also when they received the film. Um, but you know, uh being on the computer side or behind the screen of a camera, you know, you do find yourself at a standstill. What does it look like for the future moving forward in terms of your own business, your own family, the own people that you're you're serving um and providing for too? And and that's where I found myself at that standstill where it's like, oh man, like I'm gonna be 32 in April coming up, and I'm like, man, you know, time is going by fast. Every move that I do has to count, and the vision of it needs to be more clear. And it it really came down to just doing the same thing what I did creatively to figure out what inspires me to now to figure that out with you know my spouse and what the future looks like in the vision together, because I'm the only one in my business. My wife doesn't, you know, she has her own separate career that she does, but and that's where we kind of find ourselves lonely because we're always in this cycle in our own minds. If you have nobody else to have a soundboarding, you know, and understanding the struggles we face with and dealing with everything and wearing multiple hats within the business, you know, you just you'll find yourself in that cloud where it's like uh, you know, at a standstill and you don't know how to progress and move forward and start creating an action plan that gets you out of that mess to have a clearer picture.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean that's so true because I feel like you know, what you're essentially saying is like clarity isn't just emotional, I mean it's operational, right? I mean, it's that bridge to sustainability and living a purpose-driven life. Um, and I know I know sometimes like the word clarity gets thrown around there. And oftentimes we think clarity is just this feeling, but you know, clarity often shows up in just every business decision. Like it moves the needle forward, it like basically takes you from level one to level 10. It's you know, based on you know what you say no to. I mean, having the clarity to, you know, choose the weddings that are right for you, choose the projects that are right for you in your business, what you charge, um, you know, who you bring onto the team, whether you're scaling or offering different services, um, all the way to how you edit and um you know how you ultimately present yourself um you know to the world on social media. And yeah, I I struggled with that for years. Um and I feel like too, I mean, for anyone who's just starting, I've I I kind of feel like it's it's worse for people who are just starting because just the way of the world, the way social media is so fast-paced nowadays, just also the talent that's out there. It can you can just look at it and you know, uh take it at face value instead of really uh trying to understand like the steps that that person took or you know the reps that they took. And so I mean you mentioned just like your journey and like what you had to do. Maybe like let's let's like take a look into the practicality of it. Like, what did you do in those early days to kind of get you to the point of fulfillment today?
SPEAKER_00Oh man. Well, my journey is like unlike most others, and maybe in the creative, like you know, sometimes somebody it becomes like a side hustle, a side job. I went all in right after college. And me and my wife had been at the time she was my fiance, but we had been dating for about to get to the five-year mark. And so I got married on June 1st, 2018. She's like, You got five years to make it work. And I had just quit my job because I was in the insurance while I was in college, so in the insurance world. And I'm like, okay, I have no income. I don't know how I'm gonna get married first to complete that. And and I, you know, so I got in, I was doing photo and video collabing a lot, and I got into um, you know, photography, I was doing you know, videography, and then later on I dropped photography. That's why I only do video, love video. But um, at that point I needed to figure it out, and it just felt like it was a fire. And me, you know, ended up figuring out we got married, you know. We had our first um, I'll say it was a mother-in-law suite for my professor that he actually rented out to us. Um, and it was affordable. And so I'm like, okay, this is perfect. This works in my situation. And then six months later, we found out my wife is pregnant. I'm like, oh, wow. Like, now I really need to get my figure this thing out even at a faster degree. Um, and my wife at the time, she was going doing her master's, so she wasn't really working, so it's all on me to figure it out. So I really was doing anything and everything I could, you know, any gigs, anything that came up, I did it. I was doing commercial work, I was obviously trying to do the weddings, figuring it out. And I was just, it felt like um like a chicken running without his head really much. Like I didn't know what I was doing. I'm just trying to survive. Um, and I was able to do that maybe for the next two years. But then once COVID hit, came like a situation where it's like, oh man, I it wasn't really second shooting either for other people. And so that came a moment where I'm like, hey, I need to start like helping others. And I came from a competitive background being like in soccer, playing sports and stuff, where it was a wrong mentality to have. Um, and that 2020 season really humbled me in the aspect of like I need to reshape my mindset to help me to help others, and you know, that all seed plants more seeds and comes back to you. And so um, through that whole mess, I was just trying to figure out how to like settle the fire, to be honest, like put the fire down because I was put in a hostile situation I put myself in. And it wasn't really until later on these years now where I feel like, okay, I've been able to calm that fire, get situated, and be in a position to think more clearly. And like anyone who reaches out to me who's new, getting into this, I'm like, I always tell them, like, hey, are you you have another job? Perfect, because that's a leverage tool, that's a tool right there that you can take your time to build something smarter, efficiently, and not make a lot of mistakes as like others would have done. But it has shaped me so much to now be able to speak about it and to talk about those situations and hopefully be an inspiration for somebody. But um, but again, everybody's journey is so different, and I always say, like, you know, comparison is a thief of joy. We've all heard that quote. And we just got to be mindful that everybody's starting place is completely different, and others had to do certain things to get out of that situation or improve and learn from it, um, so that later on they can be in the position that they're in now and you know, be more cautious with the moves that or decisions that they make. So it it shaped me to be much more think twice, you know, be level-minded, write it out, um, and and in practice a method of like clarity because what you don't want to find yourself in is like in a financial mess or financial troubles. Um, you know, and not be, you know, quick to, uh, you know, for me in the Bible, like Proverbs, like it's it's like um be quick to listen, slow to respond, and taking that approach in everything that I do.
SPEAKER_01You know, this really is such an important message for any videographer, filmmaker, entrepreneur, someone who wants to leave a nine-to-five, go into business, to really understand that there will be seasons, there will be walls that you run into, there will be times where you just don't want to do it anymore. And I can say without a doubt, the best decision that I ever made in my business was delegating, outsourcing tasks, things that I just had to get off my plate if I was ever gonna be able to breathe again. And that's where the presenting partner of today's episode comes into play, and that is uncut gems. I've been using uncut gems for three, almost four years in my business, and they have just helped me so much. When it comes to just sending projects and taking a lot of that pressure and the weight off of myself to constantly be on, right? Constantly be showing up, constantly be editing, performing behind a screen, whatever it is. You know, I have a family now. A lot of things have changed in my life, my priorities have shifted. So therefore, if I want to keep doing this, my business also had to shift as well. So if you are on the fence, just struggling right now in your journey, and you just need a little bit of assistance. Check out Uncut Gems. They have been kind enough to offer you guys 60% off on your first edit, use the code HTFW at checkout. They turn your raw footage into some absolute gems, and they have just been a great team to work with over the last few years. So if you're interested in learning more about outsourcing, learning more about uncut gems, I will have that linked down below. Yeah, no, that's so good, that's so strong too when it comes to just starting a business from nothing and out of like just this desire to do what you love, but also like provide for your family and like your quickly growing family. It's uh, you know, there's so much there's so much pressure to that, but there's also so much just blessings to that as well. At the same time, it's like I I think ultimately we all are going through this battlefield in our minds, you know. I mean, we generally tend to, I don't want to project on anybody, but I from my own perspective uh personal experience, I know that I have made everything ten times harder for myself just because of my internal voice. Um or you know, that um that critic inside of me that's just saying, uh, I don't know, this this isn't the right decision, or this this, you know, isn't gonna help you make more money, or your films aren't good enough to um you know to elevate your pricing just yet, or um, you know, all of those those just voices in your head that just kind of turn you away from just progress. Um, you know, and and I'm a I'm a man of faith as well, and I know that's just the enemy that's in my head, you know, talking and sp you know, spitting noise that's just keeping me distracted, and it's I think, I think, you know, whether it's you know looking at your situation and being grateful or looking at your situation and being frustrated, you can choose. You can choose how you you know navigate this season, you can choose how you feel in this moment. You have that choice. Um and honestly, just that mindset shift for me in that first year, because my first year I wanted to quit. 2017. Um, you know, I went all into my business. Um I shot 42 weddings. I filmed and edited all of them. I had like a three-week turnaround time. Um so it was, it was, I put myself in a very stressful uh situation. And at the end of the year, I was just like, gosh, I don't want to do this anymore. This just doesn't seem like it's sustainable one. It's not this isn't bringing me joy. Like, and a lot of it was just because I was um I was a first-time business owner. Like, this is like I'm I'm I was thrown to the wolves, and I was just kind of figuring all this out as I'm like navigating it. And it's just like in real time, that that burnout and that sea of despair of like, oh, I just I thought this was what I wanted. The grass seemed greener on the other side, but it's just like there's so much work that goes into it, and it's just like I don't know if I can be this person. And I mean, that was kind of my journey of just like I have to figure this out. And I mean, at the time I I was, you know, single. I didn't have um you know the family that I do today, and so which I don't know if that held me back. I feel like if I had my family back then, that might have helped me kind of like push myself a little bit further, like your story. You know, it's like, hey, I got people to provide for. I know's not an option here. We gotta, we gotta push this thing, we gotta make this work. Um, but too, I feel like, you know, when you do that, I mean, you yes, you have that goal once you achieve it, then like once the dust settles, you're like, whew, okay. All right, what was I doing again? Like, and you can kind of get confused in a little bit. And so it's like, I feel like weddings and being in this industry, it's such an interesting world that it just I don't know, there's we run into walls often in this industry because it's just like we feel like we've kind of done everything we can. Like your story in the beginning of like you filmed this extravagant wedding, it's just like, well, what's better than this? Like, what a what's like the next thing that's like you know, so you know, I would I I want to kind of just like pivot into maybe some like things that you've done um like in your business to whether it's you know, hired a mentor or um you know anything like tactical that you've done that just like I guess reignited a creative spark. Because I I know like you know when we run into those walls creatively, we're like alright, well, maybe I just need to shift things, maybe I need to think things uh think through things differently. Um yeah, I mean, is there anything that you've done that because I mean I feel like yeah, your work is just incredible, and yeah, you're trying. Traveling to all these like luxury um locations. I know you've had filmed one in, I think it was was it Italy with Cody and um Andrea and Joe. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was like, dude, that one was so good. And I just like from my like perspective of just being like a small town filmmaker, I'm like, all right, how do I get to a Amalfi Coast? Like, what do I do to like, you know, like that maybe that's what I need to like shift the tide. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Well, after that wedding is where I had that real like kind of reality check. And funny enough, like before that, I was just filming a lot of barn weddings and opportunities here in my area. Um, but it honestly just opened up just because of serving intentionally and getting referrals, and and they had the trust in me because I've never done anything like that, you know, and and just had the trust that they're like, hey, we believe in him that he'll be able to fulfill it. And their family, the couple, like that was an incredible experience where they like loved us, and um it was just an awesome opportunity. And after that opportunity, we're I was in that standstill of like, wow, what's next? And so um, you know, to to say something what what's been tactical, honestly, it's for me, and it shapes everything, is just being intentional, sitting down and designing things. Um, funny enough, like I never saw myself as a creative person at all. Um, you know, my goal was never to become a wedding filmmaker or anything. And that's why I kind of dealt with that whole imposter syndrome feeling, is because I never was one proud of calling myself a wedding filmmaker or creative. Um, but I love business in itself, and I believe business is it's literally like where you can test your hypothesis. It's a creative method, you know. If you figure it out and you add value in a creative way, like it works. It's and so um I kind of after that I went back to my values and I just said, like, what do I care about? Do I care more about how things look, or do I care more about the meaning of what I'm doing? Um, that was like the mind shift change for me. Um, because once I've you know tactically said I value that value more the content, the substance of what I'm creating over, you know, the look of the venue or X, Y, and Z, then now I can focus on like the creative and in designing that intentionally too as well. And that led to the next step where um a year later over the summer, I was some I was working on something else in the background. And so I ended up purchasing the Blazar anamorphic lenses, and I was like, okay, this is cool. I like the anamorphic look and it allowed me to see the world in a different way, and I just connected to it. And I'm not saying go out and buy anamorphic lenses to to help you in this process, not at all, because I don't even use them anymore. But um, but it opened up something for me in my mind that just allowed me to see the world differently. And then that started changing my approach where I mic up the bride, I mic up the groom. I try to find more candid moments, but still add my like, you know, the quality look and feel to things. And and that just kind of changed everything and opened up things. Where now I just all had to do is be able to like communicate it on the website, what I do and the value. And I learned that, you know, people buy, you know, like sometimes if we make it too much about ourselves, we're miss the point of serving, you know, and we highlight all our achievements. We're again missing the point of what the value that we're providing for the couple. And um, funny enough, so my wife at the time, she was like a mental health therapist, and I was going through like a little standstill where I'm like, you know, struggling a bit, trying to figure out like, okay, how can I like get more conversions, more, you know, weddings in this side, or and I wanted to update my copy. And and so I told her my plan at the time, and she's like, it sounds like you're guessing. So I'm like, okay, well, if you had a patient, and I gave her a scenario because she doesn't love business. So I found a scenario and asked her a question that fits her in her work scenario. I'm like, well, if you have a patient that tells you that they don't love you, what will you tell them? And she's was like, Well, I would tell them, like, you know, it's it's in a way, it's like signal versus noise. So your noise is being the emotion, signal is being like the truth that you actually know. So, in a sense, it's like, do they show up for you when you're hurt? Yes. You know, do they care for you and um show love through action? Yes. So it's like, okay. So that just clicked in my head. I'm like, what's the way people buy? Trust, budget, style, and the need or value of it. And that really clicked for me. And I just redesigned everything to be those four points. And when I did, it killed it. Like it worked, absolutely, and it continues working. And I'm like, that's how we all make decisions based on if we're buying gear, we're buying, you know, for uh hiring a mentor for a coach or something. Um, you gotta have trust and you gotta have like all these other factors when it goes into it. And so that was the big tactical shift for me. First, figuring out the value, my value system. Um, and from that point on was just designing it after that and the creatively, the website, the the workflow, even as well. Like everything is super intentional with what I do, and it's efficient. Um, people would be like, Man, you you use a lot of cameras or you use a lot of stuff. I'm like, but you'll be surprised how fast I am with all this stuff. When, you know, as soon as it's done, time code does its thing and you know, their edits done is like a next week, and then I just work on the creative stuff.
SPEAKER_01You know, there's there's a lot of experimentation with what we do. Um, it it takes experimentation to find, you know, what our style or our message and like the what we really want um to bring to the world. It takes experimentation, and I would say I would argue that it takes a consistent experimentation once you kind of get to a certain point, um, but not to the point where it pivots away from like like you were saying, like your your your values and your um and why you do what you do. Um but I yeah, the wedding industry, it's like it's becoming well I guess I I want to be careful how I frame this. Um I don't know. I feel like in in a way the wedding industry is very not always, but and not with everybody, um, but for a vast majority, I feel like it's very ego driven. Um where we put or we have put a huge emphasis on on the art over people. Um and that's I again like for me that took time to one kind of be in this industry long enough to where I see what really truly matters um with what we do, what uh with what I do. Do I just want to create strictly for myself to you know reach professional milestones? Like, is it all just for me? Like, is that really what's gonna make me happy, or is what's really gonna make me happy is creating art for other people that makes them happy. And I think that at the essence is like for me what I've always found so much joy and fulfillment in. That's why, like, with every couple I try to get them to record the reactions because like I just need to see it. I just need to see how you react to this film. I need to see if you're smiling, if you're laughing. Like, that's what brings me joy. It's like when I create an emotional response in other people, that's um that's what really fulfills me because I see the impact, right? It reminds me why this work is important, and it reminds me that it's not about me. It's not about what I want. This is always this is a service-based industry at the end of the day, and I think unfortunately it has become inflated due to social media. Um and, you know, not to anyone's fault because you know, it's just it's easy to kind of get caught up in the rat race and the hamster wheel of all right, we're uh well, I have to post controversial topics and ideas in order to draw attention, in order to uh get some inquiries. They go about it the wrong way. Um, but I know like at the heart of it, they're just they're trying to just feel seen, feel heard, feel validated, and just like change something in their in their business and in their journey. And so I want to say it's like it's not anyone's really fault. I feel like social media and just the way things are have just um yeah, convoluted the the meaning of what we do and conf put some confusion in there.
SPEAKER_00Everything is shifted, right, with social media because it gives you opportunity to put yourself as like sure you're providing a service, but also like almost like a figure hidden away or an authoritative figure, um, especially if you have a falling or the influence or whatnot. And funny enough, like I've kind of come to my standstill, and I've because you follow my other YouTube channels in the past too. And like I've never like quite felt right with any of it until that October came. I'm like, you know, I shared some of the like hardships, it was kind of fun, and then I want to do some other stuff, and I never had a good clarity again, and knowing like what am I doing? It's really because I didn't know what Sundal Creative's direction was really gonna head to and go to. And so um until I came to that like understanding, like, you know what, like what I really want to do is actually just inspire people and create an impact and share, you know, vulnerability because you know, we found that okay, there's already authority figures that want to teach, you know, want to teach or want to do this or the other, but again, not a lot of people are share showcasing the journey, the real journey, you know, whether it's good or bad, um, showing what design looks like and also serving intentionally and mixing everything together. And, you know, it's funny enough, like I've been kind of creating those videos Reflection Monday, and that's what that video was. And one of my brides had seen it and we became good friends, and she's like, You should share that on your Instagram. And that's how you ended up seeing it and reached out. And I was like, I was like that, what a crazy world. Because if for me, I kind of shape my mind and based on my values and everything, it's like I just want to make an impact, playing one seed of one person. And if it helps somebody else, then that's amazing. And and that is what I care for more in that sense. And for me, it's like also I get to save, it's almost like a video like diary that my kids one day can watch later on and look at their father through their journey, you know, his journey that he's gone through. And so I'm like, you know what? Okay, I'm gonna design it, I'm gonna be consistent with it. Um, like I'm just speaking to a friend, not really preparing as much, but like whatever is on the mind, I'll speak. And then recently I've been vlogging. Um, I'm looking forward to releasing that like in March or in April and start sharing like a consistent vlog of a like week in the life of a wedding filmmaker and kind of showcasing that and be vulnerable too as well. I think you know, for couples, that just creates transparency if they want to watch and see what it looks like. And some couples do care about that, others don't at all. They care about the output and the outcome and what that looks like, and can you fulfill it? And so, um, but the journey that I kind of allow myself to not fall into the traps of comparison is really like, okay, I'm gonna design it to be who I actually am. And the more I just more comfortable with knowing that, and it's you know, the easier it becomes then to um create videos and showcase things. Like it's kind of funny. Like recently I've been creating Instagram reels on gear, and I'm just wearing the Ray Band Meta glasses, and I'm just like setting all up. And I'm I'm telling you, these reels have been like so easy to make in five minutes. I make it like right before I go out back, I'll make like three or four. And no effort is being put into it, but it's working, and I don't know why, to be honest. And it's getting attention, it's getting people as I'm like, all right, if if it brings them here, and that's the you know, the seed that works, and they get to go to YouTube channel and get to know other stuff, then I get to hopefully share what's really more important, which is the people that you're serving.
SPEAKER_01The gear is just a tool, but it is an attraction. Um, I feel like it's it's you know, it's just fun, it's just like all these toys, these cameras, lenses, audio gear. Um, yeah, a lot of people, especially for me, when I first started, I loved watching videos about just like people taking you behind the scenes or just like how something was created, or just like getting inside the mind of the creator and so it's like, yeah, with your reels, and you see these this POV angle of like you at a wedding solo shooting the ceremony, and just like, all right, good lord, he's got three, four cameras. Okay, I gotta see how he does this. Like, it's just so it it there is that level to it, and something I've been trying to like muster up the courage to do for myself is um I do some BTS on the wedding, but I don't show like um like full scale behind the scenes um because I I've just tried I'm trying to find the lane where I can do it in a way that's respectful of who I'm serving, and like yeah, it's like it's again I'm not here to serve myself, but um it's like you know, what's that in the Bible? It's like you can't, you know, serve two masters. That's kind of how I I think about it, where I'm just like, all right, well, if I'm trying to serve myself and other and and the couple, like there's gonna be some misalignment with what I end up creating. And so that's why I haven't um done the full scale. Now, like metaglasses, like little GoPro stuff, I do that all the time because that's just attached to my person and my camera. So it's like that's easy, but um, I because I know some there's so many people that like find a lot of value in the behind the scenes stuff, and it just takes really, I think if you are gonna do it, it just takes some communication with the couple, and um, it's just something I haven't really just explored yet because I'm it's it's also hard for me to like be both a teacher, a filmmaker, and a steward of like the couple and everyone else. So it's like you're wearing so many different hats when you take on that that role, and so haven't done it yet. Thinking about it, hopefully, um, I think it would be very interesting if I do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, it would be awesome, and I I thought about it too for myself. I'm like, because it has to be the right wedding, the right couple. In terms of for me, like the right means like logistics and needs to be right, you know. If you removing way too many different places, I'm like, nope, that's not gonna work. Um, and then ultimately, if the couple is like I would communicate it with them and be like, hey, would you guys mind? If you wouldn't mind, then like, okay, cool. But my priority is always the couple, and I'm always gonna focus on that. I think for my point, it's kind of I I would definitely probably go in in a perspective of let like more like candid raw behind the scenes rather than me teaching or explaining. I personally, this is like something where um I've struggled with, which is like I have you know, beginning wedding filmmakers reach out to me all the time asking me for like direction or advice. I'm like, I hate the teaching. I'm not a teacher. Uh more like you can watch me observe and you can take what you want from it rather than me tell you because I I I hate the like, oh, I'm the authoritative figure here. I'm just like, no, like we're you're in your own journey. Uh everything is designed for me to work for me, not for you. So if it doesn't suit you, then you know it has no need for you. So um I would probably want to treat it like that, just real raw, candid stuff as throughout the wedding day, and and explaining, you know, the gear I do use, but um, but focusing on the couple throughout it. And so it'll be really cool, like showcase that. And that's what I'm trying to do a little bit with the like a week in the life with the vlogs that are gonna be coming out, especially with all the travel weddings coming about.
SPEAKER_01Like that is yeah, no, and people would love to see it. I would love to see it. I think it's just it's so interesting just getting to see someone else's process and um the way they approach you know, serving other couples and filming the day. And um, yeah, I mean that's a good idea, even like like a behind the scenes, and you could probably frame it as like I've considered this where I like approach the couple where it's like another deliverable for them, where it's like they get their produced wedding film, but they also see how it was created, and like that could that could be an interesting angle, you know, where it's like, hey, you guys get the full package here. You get to see how you know all the ingredients we used, how we cook it, how you know how we you know package it up, um, which yeah, that could be that could be fun. That could that could be a fun um project to work on. It's um definitely on my on my bucket list of things I want to I want to try to accomplish. But um, no, this has been such a like great conversation of just about clarity and just about finding um you know intentionality with what you do um for you know someone listening who maybe is kind of feeling misaligned right now. What is you know one step that they can take this month to move towards finding clarity?
SPEAKER_00This is quite funny, but like honestly, journaling, like writing down everything so you can see it visually. Like what are either what you're feeling, what are you thinking, and like write it down and so you can process it better. You know, everybody learns differently, and so it takes several ways to get your ideas out of your head so you can see if you know visually, and to see if it's actually you know emotional based, or is it actually it has logic and you can follow steps and create steps to be able to achieve those things. I think that's the biggest thing sometimes is our feelings can be deceiving, and so it's being able to use for me. I like the pen and paper, write it down and be able to see it visually to now start having some, you know, building some discernment to whether or not this is a good idea and discussing it over if you do have a spouse, discover you know, discuss it with them, if you have a mentor, you know, discuss the idea, but also you find people that you actually trust too as well, because not everybody has great input, and you have to be able to uh filter out the input too as well. And because ultimately you're gonna be the decision maker, and you can't blame nobody else, it's your business, and so you need to be intentional about it. Um, and I think that's something you know I would tell it to every beginner. And even if you ask me, you know, if you're a believer stuff, I'm like, hey, pray about it, fast about it, see what you know God speaks to you and what that works because everybody's on a different mission, and so that's why I think it's really good intentionally to write it down and see it in a different way, sit on it, and then you know, you can act on it once you know it's it's right. And if it isn't, you're still gonna learn something from that journey. And you know, that's where the refinery process comes through as well.
SPEAKER_01I love all that. That's so good. For anyone listening, where can they follow along the journey and catch the behind the scenes into the day of the life when they when they release?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, you can follow me on YouTube at Sundial Creatives, um, and you can follow me on Instagram at sundial.creatives, and uh we're glad to, you know, glad to have anybody watch us and follow us along the creative journey.