A Cinematic Love Story in the Forests of Florida



Alright, confession time—I’m not a Twilight fan. That title belongs to my wife, Carrie, and to Makall, who took the lead in this episode of Reel to Real. But for the sake of the project (and maybe a little peer pressure), I sat down and watched it. Yes, the whole thing. And while I still have questions about the baseball scene, I came away with one clear takeaway: the vibes are immaculate.


We shot this one at Disney’s Fort Wilderness because, honestly, it looks less like Florida than anywhere else in Florida. Pine trees, moss, soft light—it gave us just enough Forks, Washington energy to make the magic happen. I thought it’d be clever to shoot Twilight at actual twilight. Which it was... until the sun disappeared at full speed and I was out there begging the trees to bounce light back at me.


The color grading? Cranked the white balance all the way over until it looked like the Cullens themselves blessed the edit. And posing direction? A lot of, “Okay Bryan, just stand there... now stare at Makall, but not in a cute way—like you might be deciding whether to kiss her or eat her.” Makall and Bryan leaned all the way in. What started as a fandom-fueled idea turned into one of the most cinematic love stories we’ve pulled off yet.

A person lies submerged in dark turquoise water creating a moody and atmospheric underwater scene.
Dark moody scenes from a supernatural-themed movie set in a misty forest at night.

How We Got Here


This shoot? 100% Makall’s idea. She floated the Twilight concept and before I could even process it, Carrie was on board and suddenly I had two very passionate Team Edward reps staring me down. At that point, I didn’t really get a say—it was happening.


Makall and Bryan were the perfect pairing for this. They’ve got the real-life chemistry to sell the tension, the jawlines to pull off brooding, and the commitment to hold a stare-down in the woods without breaking character.


This wasn’t about cosplay or recreating exact frames—it was about leaning into the mood, the drama, and that hyper-specific energy that Twilight gave us all (whether we wanted it or not).



A romantic couple shares an intimate moment in a dreamy teal-tinted forest setting.
A moody cinematic photo sequence showing a couple walking through a dark forest with a teal color grading effect.

Shooting at Twilight (Literally)



So here’s the scene: we’re standing in the middle of Disney’s Fort Wilderness campground—along a creek, surrounded by pine trees, with actual RVs parked just behind the shot. Kids on scooters are zipping by. Families are grilling dinner. Meanwhile, I’m telling Bryan to “look more tortured” while Makall and Carrie are living their best Twilight fantasy like it’s opening night in 2008.


The sun was going down fast. I thought it would be poetic to shoot this during actual twilight. Spoiler: it’s not poetic when your light disappears by the second and you’re still adjusting settings. But it forced me to shoot with intention—every frame had to count.


White balance? All the way off the rails. I pulled it deep into cool tones to get that iconic blue-green Twilight tint. It’s aggressive, but honestly, it works. That weird, cold color grade the original film dropped on us? I leaned into it hard. The result? Shots that feel like a moody teen romance caught between golden hour and total darkness. We kept the posing simple: lots of distance, tension, and slow movements. I didn’t want it to feel overly directed. Bryan’s main instruction was basically “stand there and stare at her... but like, not lovingly.” He nailed it.

A dark underwater scene shows two people swimming in a turquoise-tinted environment.
A couple stands in a moody forest setting with dark teal tones creating an atmospheric romantic scene.
Moody cinematic portrait in dark teal tones showing two figures in a dramatic forest setting.
Two people embrace while gazing upward in a misty forest bathed in ethereal teal lighting.
A dark and moody forest scene with figures silhouetted against a misty atmospheric background.
Romantic forest scene with couple in teal-tinted lighting creating ethereal atmosphere.
Atmospheric teal-toned photo sequence showing two people in a misty forest setting.
A sequence of black and white photos showing hands holding a red apple against a dark background.
Two figures stand in a dark, moody forest setting with a teal-colored atmospheric filter.
Silhouettes of people walking through a misty forest path with ethereal blue-green lighting.
Two figures swim through murky teal-colored water in what appears to be an underwater scene.
A dark underwater scene shows two people swimming in a turquoise-tinted environment.
A couple stands in a moody forest setting with dark teal tones creating an atmospheric romantic scene.
Moody cinematic portrait in dark teal tones showing two figures in a dramatic forest setting.
Two people embrace while gazing upward in a misty forest bathed in ethereal teal lighting.
A dark and moody forest scene with figures silhouetted against a misty atmospheric background.
Romantic forest scene with couple in teal-tinted lighting creating ethereal atmosphere.
Atmospheric teal-toned photo sequence showing two people in a misty forest setting.
A sequence of black and white photos showing hands holding a red apple against a dark background.
Two figures stand in a dark, moody forest setting with a teal-colored atmospheric filter.
Silhouettes of people walking through a misty forest path with ethereal blue-green lighting.
Two figures swim through murky teal-colored water in what appears to be an underwater scene.