Filming a Promo video for GTI Tours in Jordan & Saudi Arabia
Filming this promo video for GTI Tours was all about finding the right balance. We needed solid gear to capture the shots we needed, but we didn’t want to roll in looking like a full-blown Hollywood crew. The goal was to blend in, keep it low-key, but still capture the experience as high quality as possible.
The Setup
I kept things simple but solid with two rigs:
• Canon R6 Mark II in a SmallRig cage running the RF 28-70mm f/2 with a Tilta Matte Box. Super versatile, perfect for locking in tight shots and grabbing cinematic B-roll without swapping lenses every five seconds. Since this set up made my rig look like a proper cinema camera, I only used it in places where I was confident it wouldn’t draw unwanted attention.
• Canon R6 with either the RF 16mm f/2.8 or 50mm f/1.8 STM. These lenses are the same size, so switching between them on the DJI RS3 gimbal was quick and easy. The 16 allowed me to get those sick wides that show off the landscape super well, and the 50mm allowed me to get tighter, cinematic shots of people in the moment without being distracting. I also brought and used the RF 70-200mm f/4 for those super compressed shots. I love the f/4 version over the f/2.8 cus it’s so tiny and light without compromising image quality and I appreciate the Optical Image Stabilization for filming video handheld.
• RODE Wireless LAV Pro Mic for clean audio on interviews.
• Peak Design tripod for the star shots in Wadi Rum.
It was just enough gear to get high-quality shots without making people feel like they were on a movie set.
What We Saw & Filmed
We landed in Amman but the trip kicked off in Jerash which might be one of the most insane Roman ruins outside of Italy. It’s a full-on ancient city, not just a couple of columns here and there. Walking through those streets, you could totally picture life here 2,000 years ago. Seeing that much Roman influence made it click just how connected the world was back then, even in places you don’t usually think of.
Petra was next which had the iconic Treasury that everyone thinks of. Yes the one from Indiana Jones haha. It was so sick, but what blew my mind was how massive Petra actually is. You always see that one famous shot, but that’s just the front door. The city stretches way past that, with crazy tombs, staircases, and even an ancient water system. Definitely lived up to the hype.
One of the wildest spots was the Split Rock of Horeb. If this is actually the place where Moses struck the rock and water came out, then it’s crazy to think about how that story might’ve played out in real life. Seeing it in person just makes it feel way more real.
Then there was Wadi Rum, which straight-up looked like another planet. If you’ve ever seen Dune or The Martian, that’s basically what it felt like. I set up the tripod and grabbed some long-exposure shots of the stars, which was unreal. No light pollution, just an insane sky stretching forever. The finale of the trip was seeing the sunrise over this place from a hot
Keeping it Low-Key
Filming in these places meant being smart about how we shot. The 28-70mm was a lifesaver because I didn’t have to keep swapping lenses, and the 16mm was clutch in tight spots like the Siq in Petra.
More than anything, I wanted to keep the focus on the experience, not the cameras. We kept interviews casual, pulling people aside for quick chats instead of staging some over-produced setup. Some of the best moments happened when people weren’t even thinking about the camera. They were just reacting to what they were seeing.
Wrapping It Up
This trip was epic, not just for the footage but for everything we got to take in. It was a solid reminder that the best storytelling isn’t about having the fanciest gear or the most “perfect” shot. It’s about knowing when to step back and just let the story unfold.
Now it’s time to dig into the edit and piece it all together. Can’t wait to share it soon! Be sure to check out GTI’s website for more info about their tours!
