Matt Van Ness ~ Visual Artist | Entrepreneur | Wedding Filmmaker

Matthew Van Ness, owner of MV Film Productions, LLC has only one thing when it comes to the digital age of wedding and event filmmaking. PASSION. There is no other way of explaining what this visual artist displays for the industry. Van Ness created the business back in the spring of 2007, when still in high school. “I have always loved motion picture media and the idea of capturing moments to replay forever. It’s something that has been a part of me ever since I was a child.” Matt enjoys creating pieces by going out and filming, editing, and producing what unfolds in front of the camera. “To be honest, I don’t like writing and directing films. I’m the type of guy who likes being creative when working in the live environment and having the stress from the idea that anything may happen.” He credits is awesome team for helping him produce what you see today.

Matt has had opportunities to capture incredible moments at some of New Enland’s top-notch venues and grounds, With the digital age ever expanding, video/cinema has become one of the leading ways to relive the moments of the past and being able to produce high quality productions is what Matt strives to accomplish.

Matthew graduated from the New England Institute of Art located in the Boston area with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science for Digital Video Production and Audio.

Max Palmer | Cinematographer, Filmmaker

We met Max back in 2012 while shooting a wedding together at the Woodwinds in Branford. Max was an assistant to the photographer at the time and during the reception, we got to know each other. We then had drifted apart for a while. Now fast-forward a few years later, we were actually looking to add on a new filmmaker and we received an email from Max, total coincidence. He stated that he started filming weddings instead of photographing them. We had our first wedding together in May and it went phenomenal. Max is the type of filmmaker who for sure knows what he is doing behind his camera and the skill he brings to MV Film Productions is second to none! Getting those smooth, cinematic, story telling shots is Max’s forte. The man is nasty with a slider and DSLR. He still can’t get over how many people Matt knows within the wedding industry. Along with filming for us, he is also the owner of Maxmotion Video, a wedding cinema production company. Currently Max resides in Trumbull, Connecticut.

Nick Petrone | Cinematographer, Filmmaker

Nick Petrone comes to the team from freelance producing all over Connecticut. As a skilled cinematographer, Nick brings a creative look and feel to our films and this is exactly what we need! With being a skilled DJI Phantom Quadcopter pilot, Nick brings some epic sweet footage to the editing room when on an assignment. Bottom line, the team has been enhanced yet again by another skilled member! Watch out! Nick currently resides in Enfield, CT.

Jessica Cowell | Post Production Editor

Jessica is the newest addition to our team, but one of our most important key players. She comes to us after graduating from Mount Saint Mary College with a degree in Media Studies Production. After receiving an email from her back at the beginning of our wedding season, we for sure wanted to connect with her. Not only were we looking to add another editor to the team, but also having a female’s perspective to our stories and projects was an essential thought. Jessica is definitely an editor and her work shows for itself. Her workaround on the computer is huge for us. She is always willing to learn and in this industry, learning something new is key. When we originally met with Jess, we gave her a few projects to work on so we could see what her style of editing was like and how she worked with our setups. The first project completely blew us away, right then and there! Jess can take a project such as a wedding and completely tell a story from all of the footage provided to her…even without being on location. Now that is a talent that is hard to come across. What makes her even more valuable is that she can jump right from a wedding to a commercial project, make equal and different edits to the story at hand and complete it with a smile! To see some of Jessica’s latest films, bounce on over to the “short films page”. Currently Jessica resides in Shelton, Connecticut.

Dean Rocha | Cinematographer, Filmmaker

Dean comes to us from the South Eastern part of Connecticut where he is always one to make Matt and anyone at our weddings laugh and enjoy themselves. With a solid attitude towards bringing life and a story through his filming, Dean is an awesome aspect for the business. He films his own select weddings each season and brings energy and creativity to the day. Dean is not afraid to do whatever it takes to get the shot needed and we truly value that as a team player. Currently Dean resides in Stonington, Connecticut.essica Cowell | Post Production Editor.

Ryan Keckler | Cinematographer, Filmmaker

Ryan hails from Branford, Connecticut and comes to us from a good photography friend’s recommendation to bring Ryan onboard with the concept of filming weddings and thinking way outside the box when it comes to the wedding industry. Ryan is a huge asset to the business and surely knows how to get those “candid, yet oh so valuable” moments on camera, you know, the ones we can’t stage and go back and “do over”. Great to hear you on the team!