Videographer Buys Cheapest Camera Online, Shoots Awesome Video of a Mazda RX-7

And there are plenty of ways to highlight that statement. Just think about cars. All the modern driving systems will make a better driver out of an average one. But a pro will probably be better off without them. Going around a track, an experienced driver in an old car might easily outrun an unexperienced one in a newer vehicle. The same goes for photographers and videographers. Buying the most advanced camera on the market won't automatically turn you into a pro.

Find your calling

I've known Alex for almost 10 years now, he was still clueless as to where his passion for videography would take him back then.. When he first came into the office I was working in, I was dealing with several motorsports events around the world and we needed an editor badly. As soon as he entered the door, we sat him down and gave him a Ferrari-related project which included 50 hours of footage.So when he recently approached me to propose shooting an ambitious project, I immediately jumped on board.

In today's story, I'll be diving into his life story, professional career, and then bounce back to the idea that we spoke about earlier on. Most of the times, our current passions are deeply rooted into some sort of activities we had experienced during childhood. And I was curious to learn about where it all started for Alex.

"When I was still in kindergarten, my uncle bought one of those handheld video cameras that were all the buzz at that time. I was fascinated by it, and even more so by the resulting videos. I felt like I had found my calling. When I turned 12 I bought a cheap camera. It wasn't even a digital one. I would take photos of anything I encountered, and it was fascinating to me."

But Alex yearned to reach the realm of 24 frames per second or more, and photography was only the first step of his journey. So it was only a matter of time before he outgrew his first camera and wanted to start climbing up the ladder. "At age 13 I managed to get a digital camera and I used it to shoot videos of my bike trips, sort of like a vlog but before anyone really knew what that was. YouTube had only been around for a short while when this was going on, mind you that. During my highschool years I was shooting video sketches with an iPhone 5, so I decided I would attend the National University of Arts soon after."

I never imagined I'd make any money shooting videos

"Working in a call-center wasn't fun at all, but it allowed me to get the budget for a Canon 60D camera. I was using it for my college assignments, small personal projects and even paid gigs. I remember doing this video for a company that organised corporate events. It took me two weeks to shoot and edit the whole thing and they paid about $300. Back then I felt like I had asked for too much, as I never previously imagined I'd make any money shooting videos.Next thing you know I was editing a highlights video from this huge event called Mille Miglia."

"I had to swift through 50 hours of footage which was insane. And all this while I still had to attend class and go to my regular job during the night. I decided to fully commit my life to cinematography, and in a matter of months I was already shooting race-spec Ferraris on an F1 track in France. I had a Panasonic GH4 for the job, but it didn't take long before I was put in charge of operating a RED Epic Dragon 6K camera on a racetrack in Dubai. Those were some amazing years for me, creating projects connected to events like the Gumball 3000 Rally, the Ferrari Challenge Mondiale and even Targa Florio."

In a matter of years Alex had travelled around the globe doing what he loved, but he wanted to start a business of his own. He felt the need to create an environment that would better suit his vision and desires, and he figured that creating social media content for other companies would be a good starting point for his new endeavour.

Facing an increasing market demand, he even starting collaborating with other photographers and videographers to meet his clients' needs and expectations. He started creating more content focused around another one of his passions: bicycles. But he never lost sight of motorsports either, and there was always a racetrack nearby that beckoned him to deliver more exciting shots. Naturally, I was excited when I heard about his idea about using an old camera for an action movie.

It exceeded my expectations

"I want to buy the cheapest used-camera on the market and find a cool car to make a movie with it." I instantly thought about my fellow rotorhead, Mike Dendyuk, which I've interviewed before. His 1992 Mazda RX-7 is a road-going monster, with an estimated 550+ horsepower coming out of the big-single turbo 13B engine. Alex bought an JVC Everio GZ-E10 camera, and we found a quiet little spot for the project. "I thought it would be quite poor in terms of quality, but it exceeded my expectations. I just wanted to prove that with the right idea, you don't need the most expensive gear on the market."

I went along for the shoot, which lasted less than half a day and required driving to three different locations. Needless to say, the RX-7 went through almost half a tank of fuel that day, and it even fried two ignition coils in the process. But once Mike manages to get it to the dyno, problems like that aren't likely to occur anymore.

I asked Alex how we felt about the project and he mentioned that he would have wanted to spend more time with the car. "Still, we achieved a lot more than we thought we would initially. We were so happy that we could fit the camera to the FPV drone and follow the RX-7 down the road. The Axisflying Bluecat C3 is so much better than a regular drone. And I'm getting better at flying it with every new video."

While this isn't a 4K video, it's amazing to see what you can achieve with an old camera and a series of good ideas. And I was curious to know what kind of projects Alex is thinking about taking up next. "I have a few ideas in mind, such as comparing a $50K RED camera to a smartphone, or using larger cameras for POV videos and so on so forth. I'll probably be doing these comparisons while using motorcycles or cars as test subjects, as that's quite exciting for me."

"I love the idea of discovering a car or a bike, and seeing it pushed to its limits. The Pennzoil commercials are amazing, but I do feel that they're slightly longer than they ought to be. That's why I think the sweet spot is set at about 60 seconds for the whole video. My dream combo would be shooting a vintage convertible somewhere along the Mediterannean sea, at sunset. I can almost envision a red Mustang driving along the coast, and me chasing it down with an FPV drone."

Hoping that Alex's story has inspired you to pursue your dreams too, we asked what he would recommend to an aspiring videographer or photographer:"Most people are under the impression that they have to go through some kind of a process, that they first need to carry someone's batteries or lenses around first. All I can say is that if you want to be a videographer, do it. If you want to be a director, do it. If you haven't got any projects, find some. Don't wait for other people to find a job for you, do it yourself. The sky's the limit!"

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