Cinematography & Editing

Honestly, It’s Not About the Camera. It’s About What People Feel. You know what? Let’s get real for a second. Nobody, literally nobody, cares what frame rate you used. Seriously. No one’s sitting at home thinking, “Oh wow, this was shot in 60 FPS. Amazing.” Nah. People care about one thing : Did you make them feel something? That’s the whole game. That’s it. And yet – I’ve sat with so many brands, so many creative teams, all arguing about the latest lens, the new drone shot, the buttery smooth b-roll. And guess what? Half the time, they forget to ask: what’s the story? Yeah. Wild, right? So here’s me telling you… if you’re still obsessing over the gear? You’re missing the real win. Okay, So What’s Cinematic Storytelling, Really? It’s not just pretty shots. Or those slow-motion hair flips everyone loves. It’s about stories that, you know, stick to you. The ones that make you pause for like… a second longer than usual. The ones you remember later, when you’re brushing your teeth or waiting in traffic. Yeah, those. Cinematic storytelling is the thing that makes your audience feel something – without them even realizing why. Can We Please Talk About This: Gear Is Not Everything Look, I’ve done this a while. I’ve shot with expensive rigs, fancy setups, all that. But I’ve also shot some of my favorite work on a basic DSLR that’s older than my shoes. One mic. One lens. The lighting? Literally, the sun. But here’s the thing – it connected. Because it was real. It was messy. It wasn’t trying to be a superhero film. We caught the pauses, the awkward laughs, the moments people don’t plan. And that’s what people care about. Not your gear list. Real Talk : What Actually Makes People Feel Something Forget the overproduced stuff for a sec. Here’s what really makes your video hit. 1. Start With The Feeling When I walk onto a shoot now, I don’t go, “Okay, what’s the shot?” I ask, “How should this feel?” You want them to feel tight? Relaxed? Curious? That’s what drives the shot. The camera just follows. 2. Pacing = The Pulse Fast, slow, hold it longer than you should? It’s all about the vibe. Some shots need space. Some need speed. You’ll feel it. Trust me. Want tension? Quick cuts. Want it to breathe? Slow, still, maybe even drag it a little too long. It’s not science – it’s more like music. You feel when it clicks. 3. Sound. I Beg You, Don’t Ignore Sound. Seriously – sound makes or breaks your story. People don’t realize it, but bad sound makes good footage look cheap. I literally build videos around silence sometimes. Yeah. Silence. Try it – Pause everything for a second, let it sit there quiet. It makes people lean in. 4. Colors Aren’t Decorations. They’re Mood. I used to slap on filters like stickers. But nope—colors tell the story. Warm colors = home, memory, that comfy safe feeling. Cool tones = distance, tension, something’s off. Pick colors the way you pick music. Thoughtfully. 5. Camera Movement Should Feel Like It Means Something Slow push-ins? Feels like the story is pulling you in. Handheld? Feels like you’re there, like you’re in the middle of it. Don’t spin your camera just to show you can. Make it mean something. Quick Story : The Project That Taught Me Everything I worked with this tiny non-profit, right? No big budget, no actors, no flashy anything. They wanted to do the whole “interview in a chair with a nice background” thing. I told them… honestly? Nobody cares. Let’s follow someone through their day instead. Let’s catch the rough stuff. We shot the morning rush, the chaos, the quiet parts. It wasn’t polished. Some shots were a little shaky. Some were underexposed. But guess what? People loved it. It raised more funds than any of their big-budget videos. Because people felt it. It wasn’t perfect. It was powerful. Seriously, Don’t Overthink It Most people make videos that look good. But the ones people remember? They feel good. They feel real. Stop chasing what’s trendy. Chase what’s true. If you can make someone stop scrolling? That’s the win. Want to Make Something Real? At STRAXCEL, we don’t make cookie-cutter videos. We make stuff people remember. Stuff people actually talk about. 👉 Wanna build one? Book Your Free Strategy Call Let’s make your next story one that sticks. One that moves people. One that actually means something.