Our Creative Philosophy

What Is Cinéma Sauvage?

see-neh-MAH so-VAHZH · Truth cinema in wild places.

Cinéma vérité was a radical idea: put down the script, pick up the camera, and let real life unfold. French documentary filmmakers of the 1960s proved that the truest moments, the ones that actually move you, are never rehearsed.

“No poses. No performances. Just you, the wilderness, and the truth of your story. Captured on film, preserved forever.”

We took that tradition and brought it into the wild. The mountains, the high desert, the open sky. Your day, your story: unscripted, unposed, and entirely real. This is Cinéma Sauvage.

Why Motus

It’s More Than Videos and Photos

When the night fades on your wedding day and it is finally just the two of you again, what stays is the feeling. No AI can recreate it. No flashy, trendy edit will make it feel like you in twenty years. The only people who can hand that back to you are the ones who were actually there.

We’re Brandon and Aby. We built Motus as a husband and wife who believe the way your day is documented changes how you’ll remember it. For years it was just the two of us, and we turned away more couples than we could take. So we built a team of Motus leads who shoot the way we shoot, and we match each couple with the lead who fits them. Same Motus. More weddings. And if you want the two of us on your day, you can still have that.

Brandon and Aby shooting a couple on the beach at golden hour

Your Lead Is In It With You

Motus leads are the ones who hold your flowers when your hands are shaking, who crack a joke right before you walk in, who cry a little too. Not observers. Participants. It’s the first thing we look for when we bring someone onto the team.

We Remember What You Forget

The glance across the room. The held breath before the doors opened. The way your dad looked at you when he thought no one was watching. You’ll be too present to catch all of it. That’s what your lead is there for.

We’re Rooting For You

Long before your wedding day and long after the last frame is delivered, we’re genuinely pulling for you two. Your lead, and the two of us behind them. That’s not something you can put on a package list.

STORY 01

The Phone Call We’ll Never Forget

We originally got into this wanting to shoot commercial work. Weddings were how we were going to pay the bills while we built toward that. We had no idea what weddings would do to us.

A few months after a wedding in Breckenridge, we got a call from the bride. It was one of those families that didn’t need a reason to get together. Every year or two, the whole extended family would pile in and push the furniture back. They’d spend the night doing line dances and partner dances, spinning kids around until everyone was laughing too hard to keep going. That energy was all over her wedding. Her younger brother was right in the middle of it.

“When she called, he was gone.”

She hadn’t purchased the raw footage. She just needed to see him again, the way he was that night. Loose and laughing. With everyone he loved around him.

We sent her a highlight reel of her and her brother. Then we gave her every frame of raw footage we had. All of it.

That was the moment everything shifted. You are not photographing a wedding. You are photographing people who might not all be there next year, in a light they will never be in again. Celebratory. Together. Whole. That is exactly why your guests need to actually enjoy the day. Why the dancing needs to happen. Why none of it can be staged or rushed. And why every single frame has to be captured reliably.

The Team

Who Shoots Your Wedding?

The two of us. Or the Motus team we trained, matched to you.

Brandon & Aby: adventurers, partners, storytellers. Married fellow track‑team‑mates, living at precisely 8,888 ft above the sea in Colorado, with two dogs, a cat who thinks she's a dog, and a one‑year‑old who fits right in with the chaos. We founded Motus, we pick and train every lead, and we still run every part of it. Book the two of us and you get the full film-led Motus experience, on a handful of dates a year.

The Motus team: if our dates are gone, or the two of us are more than you planned to spend, this is how you still get a Motus wedding. Your lead is a photographer or filmmaker we vetted, trained the Motus way, and chose for you. Once you book, we introduce you on a call. If it isn't a fit, tell us and we'll find you another.

Your lead is with you for most of the day, not behind a camera shouting poses, but beside you while it actually happens. The quiet ones, the loud ones, the in-between. Years from now, these are the frames that will pull you right back into the feeling of it.

Learn More

How We Build a Motus Lead

Trained by us. Paid like it matters.

Anyone can put a stranger on a roster and call it a team. We didn't do that. Every Motus lead is either someone we already knew was excellent, or someone we took the time to make excellent. Usually both.

FIRST

We start with the work

Before we talk to anyone, we go through their weddings frame by frame. Not the highlight reel. The full gallery, the hard light, the dark reception. If the work isn't there, the conversation ends there.

THEN

We train them the Motus way

How we move through a day without being in it. How we run audio and backups so nothing can be lost. How we talk to a couple who's nervous, how we shoot a first look, how we edit. They shoot alongside us before they ever lead for you. Nobody skips that.

ALWAYS

We pay them fairly

A lot of associate teams are built around paying the shooter as little as they can. We built ours the other way around. Our leads are paid like the professionals they are. That's why the good ones stay, and why your wedding gets their whole attention.

AND

We stay close

One of us is never far from a Motus wedding. Some days that's a text check-in with your lead. Some days it's Brandon or Aby there for part of it. And if your lead can't make it, more often than not it's one of us who steps in.

That's the difference. Not a roster. A team we built by hand, and would trust with our own wedding.

STORY 02

Then It Happened to Us

That same year, we got married.

Our videographer lost the audio on our vows. Not degraded. Gone. We hired someone we thought was qualified for the photography. We also hired a high school student to handle the video coverage. The footage came back unusable. The things we said to each other that day, in front of everyone we loved, exist only in our memories now.

“We can’t get them back. Nobody can.”

So when people ask why we take reliability so seriously, that is the answer. It is not overcaution. It is experience. It is knowing exactly what it feels like to lose something you can never reshoot.

How that drives everything we do:

At every wedding, we run three to four independent audio sources minimum. For elopements, the intimate nature of the setting means we are physically closer to the couple by default, which allows us to work with fewer sources while still maintaining full monitoring and control. We never drop below two.

On the film side, we always have backup film cameras, plus digital cameras running alongside them. Film is a beautiful medium and an older one, and older cameras can fail in ways you cannot always see in real time. We plan for that. Your day is not a rehearsal, and we treat it accordingly.

Every Motus lead runs the same setup. Redundant audio, backup bodies, digital alongside film, cards backed up in two places before anyone sleeps. It is not a preference. It is the standard, and it is how we decide who gets to shoot under the Motus name.

Couple in Colorado, candid portrait by Motus Weddings

The Motus Experience

Where Every Frame Is an Adventure

Adventure In Every Frame

From the first tear rolling down your cheek to the roar of the engine in that classic getaway car, we journey beside you wherever your hearts take you, crafting an authentic chronicle of your love story as it unfolds.

So Inconspicuous We Need a Bell

We're so unobtrusive and quiet that we occasionally startle the coordinator. After a brief yelp, we frequently hear: "Oh wow, I didn't even know you were there , you're like a ninja!" Your real moments, undisturbed.

Matched, Not Assigned

Nobody gets a random name off a roster. We read your inquiry, look at your day, and pick the Motus lead who fits the two of you. Once you book, you meet them on a call, and if it isn't a fit, we find you another. That is how every Motus wedding starts. See how booking works →

Let the Adventure Begin

Adventure Weddings

What Classifies as an Adventure Wedding

“An adventure is an exciting, unusual, or bold experience. It typically involves a degree of risk, unknown outcomes, or stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. While often associated with physical travel or thrilling activities, it can also refer to any daring endeavor or personal challenge.”

We do not get to define your adventure. You do. Some couples hike to a ridgeline with a dozen people and a permit. Some fly in by helicopter. Some do the whole thing off-road in a vehicle that has seen better days and they would not have it any other way. But some of the most memorable days we have ever shot had nothing to do with elevation.

Adventure is whatever is uniquely yours. Whatever makes you two who you are. Here are a few versions of what that can look like.

Emma and Ryan — Rocky Mountain elopement on 16mm film

The Outdoor Adventure

National parks. Alpine ridgelines. Canyons at golden hour. Helicopter drop-offs. Places that required more than a Google Maps search. If the landscape is the point, we are in.

The Off-Road Adventure

UTVs through red rock. 4x4s into places roads never reached. A cattle gate, a dirt path, and a ceremony on the other side. We have shot it and we will do it again.

The Experience Adventure

Hot air balloon. Sailboat. Ski run. Motorcycle ride to the ceremony. Skydiving before the vows. If your day involves something most people only talk about doing, it counts.

The Place Adventure

The city you two always talked about visiting. The brewery where you had your first date. A rooftop, a record store, a museum after hours. Anywhere that is just undeniably you.

The Intimate Adventure

Just the two of you, or a circle of people small enough to fit in one car. No program, no timeline, no pressure. You pick a place that matters and you go there.

The “Nobody Has Done This” Adventure

We genuinely cannot predict what this one looks like. It is the day someone describes to us and we think: we have never shot that before. Those tend to be our favorites.

If you have ever said “we want it to feel like us” and felt like no one got what you meant, that is the definition. That is adventure. That is exactly why we are here.

Father and bride fist bumping with smiles during their first dance

Shot on Film

Wow just WOW. We had such an amazing experience!

Brandon was dedicated to capturing every beautiful moment of our special day this past June. He also exceeded our expectations by being cognizant of lighting, angles, and ALL things photography/videography related. Brandon knows his stuff, you can trust him and his company to go above and beyond. His company also doesn't feel like a big platform company that will skimp over the intricate details that an artist thinks about when creating beautiful photos and videography. We are grateful for his ability to build a relationship with us as a couple as well. We are forever thankful that we chose them for our day. Don't hesitate to check out their amazing work on social media platforms!

M&B

Google Review

Super 8 millimeter under the bride's veil as the bride and groom kiss

Shot on Film

Wedding Films

Unscripted, Heartfelt
Wedding Films

16mm cinema film, Super 8mm, 35mm, and digital, delivered promptly, with every emotion preserved.

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Film 03

Film 04

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Film 06

Film 07

Film 08

Drag or use arrows to explore

View More Films

Jade and AJ first kiss at mountain wedding ceremony, Colorado

Shot on Film

His work grabbed my attention instantly — especially the Super 8mm film

I went searching for a videographer less than a month before our wedding. After weeding through many portfolios, I stopped when I came across Motus Weddings. Brandon was extremely accommodating and went above and beyond on the day. After many hours developing and editing the film, the videos turned out AMAZING. I can tell how passionate he is about his job and you can truly see it in his work. I could not recommend Brandon enough.

Jade & AJ

Google Review

Investment

Wedding Packages

Two ways to have a Motus wedding

Premium

With Brandon & Aby

Full packages · Shared on your call

The two of us, start to finish
35mm film photography and Super 8mm, included
In-house film development
Two shooters on every wedding
16mm cinema film available
A handful of dates a year, and they go first

See the Packages →

The Motus Team

With the Motus Team

By the hour, with a minimum. A rough number on the first call.

Photographers, filmmakers, and editors we trust to carry the Motus name
Your lead, matched to you and introduced on a call once you book
Digital coverage, edited to the Motus standard
PicTime gallery, questionnaires, timeline support
Add what you love: 35mm, Super 8, a second shooter, drone

Check Your Date →

Every Motus Wedding

How We Keep It Motus

Four things we hold ourselves to

Nobody Shoots Motus Until We Say So
One of Us Is Never Far
If Your Lead Can't Make It
Colorado Only, For Now

Read the FAQ →

Book Your Date

Three steps, and a lead you'll know by name.

Tell Us About Your Day

Your date, your place, your vision. Photo, video, or both.

We Match You With Your Lead

We read your inquiry, look at your day, and pick the Motus lead who fits the two of you. Or you tell us you want the two of us.

Book, Then Meet Your Lead

Lock your date, and we introduce your lead on a call with one of us. From there they have your questionnaires, your timeline, and you.

Let's Connect

Start Your Story

Collections start at $2,900 with the Motus team and $5,800 with Brandon or Aby.

Tell us a little about your day and we'll reach out within 24 hours to schedule a no-pressure call.

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Cinéma Sauvage.

What Is Cinéma Sauvage?

It’s More Than Videos and Photos

Your Lead Is In It With You

We Remember What You Forget

We’re Rooting For You

Now Shooting on 16mm Video Film.

The Phone Call We’ll Never Forget

Who Shoots Your Wedding?

Trained by us. Paid like it matters.

We start with the work

We train them the Motus way

We pay them fairly

We stay close

Then It Happened to Us

Where Every Frame Is an Adventure

Adventure In Every Frame

So Inconspicuous We Need a Bell

Matched, Not Assigned

What Classifies as an Adventure Wedding

The Outdoor Adventure

The Off-Road Adventure

The Experience Adventure

The Place Adventure

The Intimate Adventure

The “Nobody Has Done This” Adventure

Adventure Awaits

Theana + Colby

Kyndel + Caidan

Zoie + Austin

Hannah + Hayden

Amber + Adam

Shannon + Denham

Amber + Jared

Mckayla + Jaryd

Unscripted, HeartfeltWedding Films

35mm Film Holds That Nostalgic Feel

Wedding Packages

With Brandon & Aby

With the Motus Team

How We Keep It Motus

Book Your Date

Tell Us About Your Day

We Match You With Your Lead

Book, Then Meet Your Lead

Start Your Story

Wedding Resources

16mm vs Super 8mm Wedding Film

How to Elope in a National Park: The Complete Guide

Unscripted, Heartfelt
Wedding Films