Behind the Creator’s Lens: Matti Haapoja

Matti Haapoja is the third feature in this series, and he's an excellent way to wrap this season. Hailing from Finland, Matti launched his YouTube channel back in September 2015 and has since then grown to over 510,000 subscribers.

His content is a mix of travel films, tutorials and gear reviews - which make it ideal for the would-be creators.

This episode opens on some incredible drone shots and cinematic looks at the Ice Hotel, a place alluded to in a previous episode. Our host, Marcus Valeur, finds our subject for the day Matti, along with Peter McKinnon in their heated bathroom area in the Ice Hotel. While short on sleep and early in the morning, a creators passion gives them the motivation to start shooting! Immediately, Matti is at work capturing footage - mimicking the endless energy that Peter seems to have. Then it's off for a helicopter ride!

One of the things you'll notice about Matti is his tripod. It's a weighted tripod that allows him to do a lot of interesting captures while on the move. Whether holding it at the bottom to capture b-roll walking footage or straight, the weight helps stabilize the camera for more cinematic shots.

Inspired by the landscape, Matti says that shooting in foreign locations always helps you improve. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. This makes you a better filmmaker. It makes you want to shoot and get all kinds of footage." Today's shoot isn't planned - unlike what Matti said in a previous episode, he doesn't have a song in mind, nor does he have any plan for the vlog! It's all going to be a matter of what comes together in the edit.

Back in Stockholm, Matti shares a story about his start as a vlogger. He talks about having seen other vlogs and thinking "wow that looks so easy", and planned to start his own on a trip to Whistler (British Columbia). Very quickly he realized it's not as easy as it looks and that he wasn't mentally prepared for it. "It took me like 8-months to be cool with the camera, it felt weird and awkward," he adds. "The Motto is 'Learn, Make, Repeat'." For aspiring vloggers, it's a good lesson - nothing will be nature at first, but over time you will improve!

Lastly, he confirms the sentiment that consistency is key to a channel's growth. "I think it's the main reason why channels don't grow is that they just aren't consistent. They don't have the motivation or perseverance to just keep going with it." Well said Matti, we couldn't agree more!