This spring we had the opportunity to work with the Jefferson County Historical Society to create an orientation film for their renovated museum.  Rather than produce a traditional historical documentary, we took the theme, “We Came with Dreams” and created a piece that was more impressionistic.

Over the course of three weekends, our intrepid filmmakers, Stephen and Kyle, set off for Jefferson County, interviewing 17 people and shooting over six hours of beautiful images.

Using oral histories, archival footage, literary quotes, newspaper accounts, present day images and interviews, Kyle pulled together a truly beautiful piece that really captured the spirit, essence and history of this colorful county.

The film was unveiled at the Jefferson County Historical Societies’ Founders’ Day on April 25th. The Peninsula Daily News was on hand and caught an interview with JCHS’s Executive Director Bill Tennant:

“The film was wonderful — it exceeded what we all thought it would,” Tennant said.

“There were strong, bearded men who were crying.”

“It really does a great job showing everything from the Olympic Mountains to the coast to the Hood Canal region to Port Townsend,” Tennant said.

“We have kind of joked that maybe we shouldn’t show this to very many people because they will all want to move here now.”

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Recently, we had the opportunity to work with another great organization doing outstanding work. Lifelong AIDS Alliance is a nonprofit that provides assistance to those diagnosed with HIV and AIDS. Their message is about awareness and educating people in prevention.

Our video, which was created for their annual “Caring for our Community” breakfast, illuminates Lifelong’s mission of providing care, encouraging prevention and offering hope to its many clients.

You can watch the video below:

This spring we created a video with one of Nordstrom’s designer partners, St. John.  In this 13-minute piece, stylist Lela Briggs demonstrates the fun and versatility you can have with the line. Lela has been with the St. John since 1995, where she began as the house model.  Lela was great on camera and made our job in post pretty darn easy!  Thanks to everyone at Nordstrom who worked with us on this project.

CollinsWoerman is an innovative company that specializes in the design and construction of environmentally friendly buildings.  In need of a trade show video, they approached us to create a piece that would convey their unique vision.  The timeline for this project was quick but we were fortunate to work with such a great team over at CW.

For more on CollinsWoerman, check out their website http://www.collinswoerman.com/

The Stroum Jewish Community Center is a gathering place.  The “J” supports and fosters the Jewish community through various programs, activities and groups.  For their luncheon video, we wanted to create a collage of stories about what it is that makes this place special.

After five days of interviewing 20+ people, the impact the “J” has had on people’s lives became very clear.  We heard stories of how couples met through the Jewish softball league and how lifelong friends first met at summer camp.  It was great to see how the J has created and nurtured such a vibrant community.

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Jeffrey selling take 3! We’ve just wrapped shooting for the third installment of Jeffrey Selling videos, this time with handbags. The SFW crew was back inside Nordstrom in the handbag department to film Jeffrey Kalinski demonstrate the art of selling. No matter if you’re “just browsing”, Jeffrey will convince you that you need that new Fendi bag.

What becomes a legend most? American Legend, formerly Seattle Fur Exchange, has been in Seattle for over 100 years. Their iconic advertising campaign for the luxurious Blackglama fur has won numerous awards and featured some of the most famous celebrities from Judy Garland to Cindy Crawford.

Where does SFW fit in?  We’ve been brought on board to help American Legend expand their clientele across the globe with a tradeshow/collateral video (translated in three different languages!). American Legend is one of only four auction houses in the world and we are very excited to be a part of their marketing efforts.

It takes a little imagination to talk about Spring Fashion when it’s freezing outside! Recently, SFW conducted two days of interviews at Nordstrom to get the low down on Spring 2010 from the buyer’s that know it best.  Using runway footage from Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Milly and many more, we’re are creating the best designer video yet for sellers and buyers.

We’re going to Broadway! Well not really, but we are currently working with an amazing organization called Broadway Bound. They have created an outreach program with city schools to get kids from Kindergarten to High School to participate in musical theater. Our video will be shown at their annual benefit luncheon on December 1. To learn more about Broadway Bound and see how you can help bring musical theater to Seattle schools, check out www.broadwaybound.org.

Last Friday, SFW had the pleasure of attending the Association of Fundraising Professionals National Philanthropy Day event.  For the last five years, we’ve been asked to create short vignettes honoring each award recipient.  This year it was especially inspiring to see how the award winners made a difference in their community despite the state of the economy this past year.  Thanks to everyone at the AFP for putting on such a wonderful event!

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