A week and a half ago, I landed field passes for the Cotton Bowl to test out some video on the Canon 7D. The problem was that I had no idea what I was doing. I haven’t had this camera long, and I’ve never shot a football game before. I did not know what to expect or what to do, really.

I ended up shooting stuff for the whole first half just trying out different things. My other problem was not having a telephoto lens. My largest focal range was on the Canon 28-135mm stock lens (which actually worked quite well, I’m surprised). It was definitely an interesting experience on the sideline, but I don’t know if I would want to do it again.

Frankly, it was kind of boring. Maybe it was the lack of offense from both sides (7-0 at half). Or maybe it’s just not my calling. My favorite part of the whole thing was the wide angle as the Cowboys entered the field (Canon 10-22mm). It turned out really awesome!

I sat down to this footage the other day and was stumped as to what music to pick. I ended up going with Colplay’s “Fix You,” because I think it’s one of the greatest songs ever made, I was on a huge Coldplay kick after completing my demo reel and I’ve always wanted to edit to it.

The song is simply mesmerizing. Any footage would look awesome and epic with this song. I love when it kicks in on the wide angle player entrance. Beautiful, beautiful song. Can’t say enough about it.

After the edit, I graded the footage using Magic Bullet Looks for the first time. I pretty much stuck with a preset throughout tweaking it on a few shots. (Another problem with my footage is the different light on different shots, something I will get better at recognizing over time). I love this program! Really gives you a whole new feel.

Congratulations to the Cowboys on a hugely successful and fun season. Thanks to all the fans out there and their continued support!