Primary Work Sample | Food Is Nature Highlight Reel
[the following text is copied directly from my application]
I made this video to pitch a documentary project about the ecology of eating. The series will interview farmers, foragers, researchers, chefs, and anthropologists to illuminate the science, ethics, and regenerative potential of what and how we eat. I want to help viewers reconnect with the natural world, and envision a just and biodiverse food system.
This piece combines footage from client and personal projects, and highlights the many ways I’m comfortable working. Some of the client work here relied on solo “run and gun” production, meaning that I showed up with a camera and had an hour to record whatever was happening, an hour to record interviews, and that was the only chance to get footage. Other footage is from more complex productions requiring me to direct multiple crews in-person and remotely (though this sample only includes footage I shot myself). Regardless of project scale, I show up to every shoot well-prepared. I do my research. I’m often complimented for thoughtful interview questions, especially in science communication projects.
The personal footage here is a mix of selections from my own wildlife footage archive with bespoke shots for this video (I specifically shot all the cooking bits for this). I’ve amassed hundreds of hours of macro video of insects, which is well-organized thanks to my first film industry gig as a video archive manager. Recording wildlife is a daily practice during spring, summer, and fall, and happens in my garden, on hikes, and on vacation.
Bonus Work Sample | Freshwater Mussels
This video was commissioned by Carnegie Museum of Natural History as part of a series of videos and podcasts about climate resilience & biodiversity. Created for an exhibition and as free educational resources. I'm including it as an example of more conventional short documentary production.
Double Bonus Work Sample | Bee Roll
A lil love poem to bee diversity. 30ish species that i've encountered, almost all in the backyards of my previous and current homes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Included because I relied on iNaturalist throughout making it. Here's an ongoing effort to identify the bees: inaturalist.org/projects/bee-roll-video-id