Video

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December 17, 2012 by admin

Elena and Joe – Video Save the Date

You know what the best part is about Elena and Joe being engaged? Joe wanting to do a video save the date featuring him in a mullet wig. That and the fact that they are going to share a lifetime of happiness together, of course.

So this project was obviously not documentary, but it’s definitely storytelling. And working with the couple to come up with a creative plan for sharing their excitement with family friends (and avoiding having to print and mail paper Save the Dates) was about as fun as it gets. Plus they’ll have something fun to feature on their wedding website and a very personal way to remember this time in their life forever.

Hope they’re not planning on walking those train tracks all the way to Iowa…

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September 26, 2012 by admin

Casey and Jeff

Here is Casey and Jeff’s Short Story, the highlights of the documentary wedding video from their July wedding in Raleigh, North Carolina. If you didn’t see the earlier post, check out For Mama, the surprise family documentary video Casey gave her mom as a wedding gift, and you’ll see why I’m really going to miss this bride.

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September 4, 2012 by admin

For Mama

I’ve been keeping this one under wraps for months! This video is the result of an awesomely creative idea hatched by bride Casey Wilson as a surprise gift for her mom. Casey contacted me last winter after seeing Bri and Alex’s documentary wedding video, and my Surviving Siblings personal documentary project. She hired me to do a documentary wedding video and asked if I’d be willing to also do a short family documentary video about her relationship with her mom, a stage-four breast cancer survivor who also happens to be her best friend. The deal was we’d keep it a secret for months and then Casey would give the final video to her mom the day before her wedding. We had to be pretty crafty about the whole thing, sneaking away home videos and convincing Casey’s parents that the early shoots I did were all part of her wedding video (lies! lies! lies!), but I think we’d both agree it was worth it.

I don’t think I can ever thank Casey enough for trusting me with this story, and for giving me such creative freedom to capture the beautiful relationship she has with her mom.

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August 28, 2012 by admin

Born Into Coal

Coal queen pageant contestant Arianna Bailey competes for a crown to represent her family’s way of life. Former miner Goose Stewart lives with the memories of a mine explosion. One thing binds both families: coal.

I co-produced “Born into Coal” with Cath Spangler as part of Coal: A Love Story, an interactive film that uses short documentary videos, motion graphics and interactives to tell the stories of coal miners, protesters and even beauty queens that make up the surprising complexities of coal.

We have been blown away by the response to this short documentary and to the Coal: A Love Story interactive film as a whole. Most recently, “Born into Coal,” was shortlisted for the 2012 Vimeo Awards in the documentary category, and Coal: A Love Story won the SXSW 2012 Interactive Awards student category. Here’s a list of some of the other awards and recognition this project has received.

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August 27, 2012 by admin

Surviving Siblings

My brother Ben died of cancer when he was 27, and I was 23. Several years later, I came to this project with an interest in telling a story of the grief felt by young people who have suffered the loss of another young person.

Initially, I was hesitant to take a first-person narrative approach and make this a personal documentary, but my adviser, Chad Stevens, encouraged me to tell my own story. Rarely, he said, are you in a position where you understand some level of your subjects’ pain and process. I took his advice and used my own story to weave together a short documentary of three young women who have lost a brother or sister to cancer, suicide, and an automobile accident. In this short film, Kim, Amy, and I reflect on our personal experiences, and how we carry them with us as we move forward.

This shared experience, both the grief of losing a sibling and the vulnerability of putting that grief in front of a camera, was an important lesson for me as a storyteller. I’ve always been hyper aware of the responsibility you take on when you ask someone to entrust you with sharing a piece of his or her life. But nothing could heighten this awareness more than editing a story about one of the most important people in my life, and the influence that person’s life and death has had on me.

I am incredibly grateful to Kim and Amy for allowing me to share their stories. To Elena Rue who conducted my interview, asking just the right questions in just the right way. To Graham who made it possible to film a race I was running in, and as always, patiently watched more edits and versions of my work than anyone should ever have to see.

And though it goes without saying, to my parents whose unending love and ability to keep moving inspires their daughters and everyone who knows them, to Alli, who understands my love and loss like no one else possibly can.

And to Ben, for teaching me how to be tough and to keep going.

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August 26, 2012 by admin

Brianna and Alex

I’m excited to finally post Bri and Alex’s documentary wedding video. It’s always great to be back in Richmond, Va., (my old stomping ground) and Bri, Alex and their families and friends made it well worth the trip. Bri was about as laid back a bride as you can imagine, and her dress was flat out stunning. The Country Club of Virginia puts on a pretty beautiful event. And did I mention there was a caricature artist? Definitely a crowd favorite.

Thank you guys for letting me be a fly on the wall on your big day and for trusting me to capture the story of your wedding.

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August 24, 2012 by admin

Dreams Delayed

This is the trailer for the multimedia documentary web project I produced for my masters thesis. You can see the entire dreams delayed project here.

I wanted to tell the overarching story of access to higher education for undocumented students using three different approaches. The first was to find a teacher who works closely with students (undocumented and not). And through whose eyes you could see the daily trials of undocumented students. Kat is the type of teacher every parent hopes their child has. She cares so deeply for her students, and she feels that this is her battle as much as it is theirs.

The second approach was to find a student who had already made the decision to be vocal about his immigration status. Jose often speaks publicly, and to media outlets, about his struggles as an undocumented student. He is very aware of the risk he takes each time he reveals his identity and his immigration status. He says he does this because he feels like he is running out of options, and if real change is going to happen, the individuals who are being affected need to come “out of the shadows and into the streets.”

My third approach was to try a different visual technique for concealing someone’s identity. After an excellent suggestion from Elena Rue, I decided to shoot Alice and Daniel’s story primarily in tightly composed details. Details are a powerful tool for intimate storytelling, and one that does not require a full shot of a person’s face. This approach pushed my technical as well as emotional boundaries. Because I had to shoot differently, I had to see differently. I would crouch down, look for new angles, and focus on visually compelling details that did not rely on two eyes, a nose and a mouth. It pushed me emotionally by making me get passed the “intruder nerves” very quickly. Not only did these young people have to be willing to let me into their lives, they had to be willing to let me into their personal space. I could not have asked for more open, understanding, and inspiring subjects than Alice and Daniel.