The Great String Showdown: Filming Arlo & Mongo in Slow Motion with the DJI Action 5 Pro

gear4greatness
Jun 8, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Nov 13, 2025

The Great String Showdown: Filming Arlo & Mongo in Slow Motion with the DJI Action 5 Pro 🐾🎥✨

There’s something about the sound of that crinkly string sliding across the floor that wakes up a part of my cats I never see at any other time. It’s like flicking on a switch. One second they’re lounging around like sleepy little lions, and the next they’re locked in—shoulders low, eyes wide, pupils big enough to swallow the room. I’ve filmed Arlo and Mongo a hundred times now, but there was something about this string session that felt different. Maybe it was the morning light, maybe it was the mood in the house, or maybe it was just the right moment to grab the DJI Action 5 Pro and capture them the way I see them every day: playful, chaotic, full of personality. 🧶🐱

I went handheld with the Action 5 Pro, crouching, sliding, sometimes holding the camera just inches from the action as the boys launched themselves into the air. Shooting at 4K 120fps felt like unlocking a superpower. Every flick of the string slowed into this weightless dance. Arlo’s tiny jumps became soaring leaps, and Mongo’s heavy paws turned into these big, dramatic swipes that almost looked choreographed. With RockSteady+ smoothing everything out, the camera gave me footage that felt closer to a wildlife documentary than a living room shoot. I locked my shutter to 1/240s, set the white balance so the colors stayed true, and let the natural glow of the room do the rest. 🌞📷✨

There was this moment—Mongo lunging forward, Arlo spinning mid-air—that made me stop and smile right in the middle of filming. I could feel how much I loved capturing them like this. It wasn’t just content for G4G; it was something personal, something that reminded me why I love filming in the first place. The slow-motion playback in Filmora felt magical. I watched frames I usually blink right past in real life: the tension in their whiskers, the flutter of their tails, even tiny dust particles drifting through the golden light. It felt like real life, but clearer. More deliberate. More alive. ❤️🎬

To pull the whole mood together, I added a soft, playful voiceover — not overly polished, just enough personality to make the story feel warm and familiar. I synced the beats of their jumps with subtle whooshes and kept the music light so their movement stayed center stage. The final video came out to just under two minutes, but it feels like a little short film — a glimpse inside their world, slowed down enough to appreciate every tiny detail. Honestly? It’s one of my favorite clips I’ve ever shot of them.

The Great String Showdown: Filming Arlo & Mongo in Slow Motion with the DJI Action 5 pro

📦 Shot With:

📦 Buy on Amazon USA

DJI Action 5 Pro

DJI Mic 2 Transmitter

Final Thoughts 🌄💭✨

There’s something deeply grounding about filming your pets in slow motion. It forces you to slow down too — to notice the beauty in motions you’d usually overlook. Watching Arlo float through the air or Mongo brace for a pounce reminded me why I pick up a camera in the first place: to freeze the tiny moments that matter as much as the big ones. When I rewatch the final edit, I feel that mix of love and wonder that only comes from capturing real life up close.

What surprised me most was how well the DJI Action 5 Pro handled the chaos. Indoors, low angles, fast movement — it didn’t flinch. It almost felt like the camera wanted to play along, like it understood the energy in the room. The 120fps slow motion turned their small living-room battle into something cinematic, almost heroic. These are just two cats chasing string, but slowed down, it feels like pure storytelling. It gives their personalities room to breathe on-screen.

And maybe that’s the part I loved the most — seeing their quirks magnified. Arlo’s ninja-like leaps. Mongo’s patient, heavy strikes. The way they both freeze mid-pounce like they’re thinking five moves ahead. Slow motion gives those little traits weight. It makes them feel bigger, and somehow more meaningful. It turns an everyday moment into something worth remembering.

I walked away from this shoot feeling grateful. Grateful for them. Grateful for the gear I get to use. Grateful for the chance to slow down and capture these tiny pockets of joy that would otherwise slip by. It reminded me that even simple videos — a string, two cats, a sunny room — can hit deeper when you film them with intention. And that’s the whole point of creating: to notice life as it happens, one frame at a time. 🌅🐱✨