Southern Stories, Captured on Film
There are TONS of wedding photographers and videographers in the industry. It’s no small endeavor to try to find one that 1) falls within your budget, 2) shares your same morals, and 3) really lives up to all the hype. I recently interviewed a videographer, Mason Bentley, who is known for his cinematic-styled films and faithfulness to Christ! Just from viewing his work alone, I knew that Mason had years of videography experience under his belt. His films are seamless, well-shot, and are downright gorgeous.
Mason started filming weddings when he was only 13-years-old. His inspiration for film stemmed from watching Youtube videos when he was 9. Mason decided that he was going to be a Youtube vlogger, so he invested his time into creating videos and vlogs which then turned into short films. Before he knew it, he was asked to film a wedding at 13. Since then, he has filmed over 75 weddings. Not only does he capture the magic and beauty of weddings, but he also films advertisements, music videos, voiceovers, pretty much anything you could think of. A notable project in his career was filming for Chloe Holladay, who is a UA crimsonette.
I know that many brides are looking for a style of filming called, “Super 8". However, Mason can film in this same style and edit the video to mimic the Super 8 feel. Among Mason’s other talents, he also offers a wedding package that includes a drone option. This package is a dream for brides because it captures a bird’s-eye-view of the venue and ceremony as a whole.
There was a moment in our conversation when I asked him, “What makes you unique?” To which he replied, “I’ve had time to master everything and I’m not even 19. I’ve made a full career out of this.” My jaw dropped. I could not believe he was 19 and is already outperforming much older people in the same field. It shows you how committed he is to his craft and how much passion shows in his work. There is an advantage to being so young in such a compacted and cramped field—he has a new, fresh perspective on videography and is easily relatable to younger couples. This alone makes him valuable and highly sought after.
The final question that I asked of him was if he had any funny or interesting stories from his time in the wedding industry. His reply is as follows:
“I filmed a wedding where the bride’s dad lit all of the sparkles in one hand and the same time and didn't realize that they would become a ball of fire and start melting. So, he ran down the aisle with sparks shooting everywhere! No one was hurt, but it was definitely a crazy experience. I was at the end of the aisle looking down at my camera, when suddenly there was a bright ball of light on the screen coming right at me. I had to run out of the way.”
I absolutely died laughing when I heard his story. This just shows that weddings will never be perfect, but at least you can catch it all on camera!
🎬Website: https://www.masonbentleyvideography.com
📸Instagram: @masonbentleyvideography
