If you don’t live around here, you may not realize what a water-sports mecca we have in Eastern North Carolina. Area lakes, rivers, an intracoastal waterway, plus a little body of water called the Atlantic Ocean, present the perfect playground if you like to get wet. A new company is teaching folks of all ages some new ways to enjoy the water. Wake Up Water Sports enlisted my company to create a call-to-action piece for this very purpose. They teach wake boarding, wake surfing and of course traditional water skiing. We filmed from dawn to dusk and put together a fun little film that gives you a snapshot of a day at their “office.” Everything’s better when wet!

After NC Healthy Start Foundation received great feedback from the SIDS PSA we produced last spring (see blog post  – http://cdphoto.com/blog/?p=1697), they called with a new assignment. This time the message was essentially the same — make smart decisions — but the target was broader: young women around our state. The foundation wanted wanted this piece to really stand out. An idea the client presented featured two women having a discussion on the couch. But we decided to take it one step further by showing one woman having a conversation with herself. Our makeup artist and actress had a lot of fun with the transformation process. Many thanks to NCHSF for their trust and flexibility with this production. Which “you” are you?

Lately I’ve been shooting for some very creative entrepreneurs. The latest inventor to call has developed a product called Müngi Bands (pronounced MOON-gee), the next generation of silicone bands for kids that use magnets to connect to each other. My client needed a branding video for his website and had seen my children’s portraits. We were going to shoot outside, but the schedule kept getting pushed back due to the late delivery of his product. Suddenly we found ourselves in the drab grey of December. So we secured a classic skating rink and invited a ton of elementary and middle-school students on the first day of their Christmas break. The kids were really into it and even surprised my client with the creative ways they wore their Müngi Bands. Kind of a rolling focus group, if you will. The video definitely added some flavor to his website, as well as a new trade show booth. He may have to order a few more cases of Müngis!

 

 

This is a 30-second “trailer” for a local organization called the Blue Ribbon Commission. The purpose of this spot is to build interest and drive traffic to the new BRC web site www.brcyez.org where the viewer can check out the rest of the story.

 

Every once in a while you get a chance to concept and shoot a great idea for a great cause. This spring, the NC Healthy Start Foundation gave me that opportunity. The message about infant safe sleep hasn’t changed in years, so they came to me looking for a fresh way to catch viewers’ attention and inform them about the dangers of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. I presented a few ideas, and  focus groups confirmed that the most compelling concept was the best approach. So we moved forward with production of “Danger.” My clients gave me an unbelievable amount of creative freedom. And I didn’t take that trust lightly. Note: No babies were harmed during the making of this spot. In fact, not one of them even cried. 🙂 Danger starts airing in selected markets in North Carolina April 11th.

Even in a sleepy little beach town, things move pretty fast. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at a typical street corner in downtown Wilmington. I was honored to be a part of an amazing team of photographers and filmmakers assembled by Port City Community Church to shoot some time lapses in and around our city. This particular sequence (shown below) consists of over 650 frames shot over 75 minutes and compressed into 30 seconds. The team’s clips were used in a B&W video that included live-action images of the church band who covered a song called “This City is Yours.” The point? To rally the church around a second campus that will be opened in our city sometime in the next year. Click this link to see the awesome final product by director Evan Vetter…. “This City Is Yours” Music Video

Lately I’ve been meeting local small business owners who provide unique products and services—take South ‘n France, for example. They offer delicious bon bons that are completely made by hand. Charlene Dupray, the “southern half” of the company, said she needed a short informative video for their website, SouthnFrance.com. Pascal Siegler, professional chef and the “French half” demonstrated how these exquisite chocolate morsels are made. The resulting 2-minute movie was designed to be a warm and charming peek at this cute couple and their entrepreneurial efforts. If you’re still shopping for a tasty gift for your clients or loved ones, look no further! (Disclaimer: several bon bons were consumed in the making of this film.)

And read about the shoot in this awesome article, “Chocolate Movie Stars,” on the South ‘n France blog…. SouthnFrance.com/blog

Don’t ya love it when it all comes together. Take for example the two 15-second spots we shot for Kitchen & Bath Galleries announcing their Expo in May (see the post titled “No Shouting Required”). After the event brought in new clients, K&BG asked us to shoot a 30-second branding spot. The idea they liked best: you’ll love your new room so much that you’ll never want to leave. See how it happily plays out below.

Here’s a sneak peek at “Insomniac,” a brand-new spot for the Goodnight Sleepstore that starts running in June. This is the second ad of a campaign that’s generating a lot of buzz for the mattress retailer. I enjoyed working with director Joey Connolley again. More collaboration is coming this summer to a TV near you, so keep your eyes open. 🙂