"The Year In Creativity Blog" 2022 Edition
2022 was an interesting year for my work. I had a few projects that went on throughout the year, but most of my work focused on Conner Prairie, my day job! I will touch upon highlights from both worlds. Here is my 2022 Top 5 projects.
5. Starting The Year: “Comes Spring”
I thought I would start with this one because it’s about the beginning. Beginning of the season at Conner Prairie, or Opening Day. It also felt like the beginning of the season for my 2022 work, when things really started to get going.
This video was inspired by something I saw (probably). I loved the idea of a poem speaking to new beginnings, new growth and a new year. This was a fun piece I used to promote the start of the season for our outdoor grounds art Conner Prairie. It showed off people getting ready, setting things up and preparing for guests. I loved the way the poem turned out, courtesy of our Programs team. They put together and summed up the idea of “new” far better than anything I could have even fathomed.
I loved the slow-mo, which was filmed at a higher speed and slowed down, making for a pretty little slow-mo throughout. I like to do these official type of things for social, especially when we may not have any official storyline to promote it on TV or digitally.
4. Wedding: Yes I still do weddings!
I don’t always do weddings (but am trying to do more!). So when I do them I always give my all. :D I met with Rachel what felt like forever before her actual wedding. She found me through a mutual friend, someone else whom I had the pleasure of filming their wedding. I love word of mouth!
Rachel and Eric are a fantastic couple, and a couple that comes from a huge community of people that love and adore them. A huge sports community, too! So being able to capture their big day and to hear about their amazing lives was an honor.
Their wedding and reception was held at the Golf Club of Indiana, a beautiful golf course I had only ever seen from the road. I had the opportunity to film this wedding with my wife as well, always a treat!
For this wedding they chose the larger of the two wedding packages I offer, something I love to do because it lets me spend more time capturing the entirety of the day, from start to finish. Making for a much more comprehensive recap of the day!
Some of the highlights of the day were using the drone to capture the awesome landscape, using all the cameras possible to show off the wedding, dancing and speeches and timelapse cameras. The timelapse cameras I think were a new thing for me, something great to use for transitions and an elevated bit of interest to the videos. We’re so happy for the Lantz family and wish them the best in their lives together!
Watch the full recap HERE. This recap is different from many I do. Rachel requested the use of their vows in the video, something I’ve seen done but don’t tend to do, but it’s a wonderful type of recap. We recorded them saying their vows that day, during down time, if you can believe there was any! Thanks to the amazing couple for letting me be a part of such a special day highlighting their lives.
3. Ignite Camp: I’m back with another youth camp update. This was my 18th year helping with Ignite Camp through Eagle Church… Each year proves a challenge, this year was no exception!
Each year the lead up is pretty straight forward with all the deliverables. Logos, promos, email signatures, booklet, etc. Check out past blogs talking about Ignite Camp for more.
The hardest part this year, probably not having my wife and daughter there! Though camp is challenging and having time to focus while there is nice, this was the first year in a LONG time without my wife and daughter there to see all day and hug at night. Sometimes having a child at a camp not targeted towards her is challenging for the Mrs. and me, so staying home was the pick this year.
Other challenges typically include last minute ideas like random videos during camp and keeping things new and fresh. After a while of filming the same camp location finding new things to film is key. But you already quickly realize what you don’t need to film, like hours upon hours of worship. Recap videos about a youth camp tend to benefit from activities, certainly worship shots for the heart, but people love to see what activities there are!
2. The LaFargels: After a 2021 hiatus to reevaluate, The LaFargels card is back and better than ever.
As I mention in my blog, this project is a hefty one, 15 years in the making!
I enjoy the process of making this card each year, despite the effort. It’s a fun way to show off some creativity and our growing “family”.
1. Year-In-Review, Rewind: What better way to end 2022 than with a recap of the year, at least the year at Conner Prairie.
I love a good recap, as you know, so being able to make one on an annual basis for Conner Prairie is fun! It not only sums up the year and shows it off in an impressive way, it’s a tool used for a lot of people a Conner Prairie. That includes donors, staff and guests to reshare, use for promo and used to grow and show off the organization.
Some of the ways I crafted this recap include having a fun introduction with the title, then a brief recap of highlights. Then I go into the mission with some elements, as well as “classic” Conner Prairie things like Prairietown and the balloon, then I go into new projects, new exhibits, returning events and then sum it up at the end.
It’s fun to look back and remember all the work I’ve done with Conner Prairie and I look forward to new ways to recap the year. I hope to mix up the layout of this video and to see how to continue the idea in future versions.
BONUS: National Night Out
A family friend reached out to me this year to help capture her neighborhood event, National Night Out.
This friend really just asked for some images but I thought capturing some footage would be fun! So I captured some shots and put together this little video. She loved it.
The idea of National Night Out is a really amazing one, a great way to honor those that work hard to protect out streets, most of the time without any thanks. So it was fun to be a part of such an experience!