I worked with Willow Street Pictures, Reading's premiere fine art photography studio, to set-up their film department and bring their client's experiences to life.
A Family Thread: The Sacco Family | 2021 | Willow Street Pictures
Director | Cinematographer | Editor
Long time friends and clients of Darren Modricker - Willow Street's founder - Tony and Sherri Sacco wanted to have a video to help launch the film department and highlight their family journey.
This project was one of the most challenging but rewarding yet as I had to plan and run the shoot at their residence - with four interview set-ups, five people, and seven dogs. With input from the WSP team, I conceptualized the story and themes before-hand, directed the production while running sound, and focused on connecting their stories in the edit.
I weaved in multiple threads to create a cohesive story about their core family experiences and what these physical portraits really mean to them - what it means to see their family legacy through an artistic lens.
This short film is one of my favorite pieces to date. It's a genuine portrait of a family growing together.
The Sharma Family: Capturing the Moment | 2022 | Willow Street Pictures
Alvin Sharma and his two children grapple with the real possibility of losing their beloved family pet, Everest.
By rushing their labrador retriever to PennVet - the veterinarian branch of University of Pennsylvania - they put Everest's life in the hands of the skilled doctors and technicians.
In a story that speaks to the crux of why we love our pets so much, take a look at how one dog changed a family's life and how that family fought for their dog's life in return.
A Time of Love: The Pankowski Family | 2021 | Willow Street Pictures
After Troy and Claudia's daughter Danika asked for a little sister, the Pankowski family adopted, not one, but two adorable girls into their family over the past year. They had family portraits done at Willow Street to mark this new chapter in their life.
This was the first major project that I led while running the film department. In many ways, it was a test of skill as much as a test of all the new gear. We chose to shoot the interview sections at the studio where we could do a portrait reveal with the family. After testing out the Gotham Sound audio gear, the Kessler slider, and how far we could push our Canon cameras, we invited the Pankowski family in.
When constructing the story for this piece, I wanted to highlight their genuine experience of having their portraits done at Willow Street - to not just tell, but to show how fun and different the experience is compared to other studios. This first video project was a success, as we were able to give the Pankowski family a beautifully shot and edited film to cherish along with their family portraits.
One of my favorite memories from this shoot was seeing how excited those girls were to ride the Vespa.
