David Leaman-Miller, with the help of Abby Deaton, films a group of hogs in their pen at Merry Lea Sustainable Farm.

By David Leaman-Miller

On September 6 of this past year, I found myself sitting hunched on floor of a metal canoe floating down the Elkhart River. In my right hand was a Black Magic Pocket Cinema camera. Anchored onto the frame of the canoe next to me was a GoPro Hero 3. Sitting on my lap, inside a watertight case, an iPad was monitoring the GoPro footage. I was in heaven.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for the outdoors; for as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for cameras; and for as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for using cameras in the outdoors. Especially nice, fancy cameras from the awesome perspective of a canoe floating down the mighty Elkhart.

This shoot was the second of many, for a series of 6 videos that FiveCore produced for Merry Lea. In addition to the Elkhart River, the shoots took me to Merry Lea (three times), Butternut Sustainable Farms, TalTree Arboretum & Gardens, Manchester Jr./Sr. High School, and even Alamosa,

General Manager Kyle Hufford talks with Jesse Bontreger and David Leaman-Miller at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center.

Colorado. Just kidding about Colorado part. Shout-out to FiveCore alum Lauren Weaver who shot the beautiful Colorado footage. In addition to shooting glorious B-Roll in these beautiful locations (pardon the bravado), I also got to interview 7 different interesting people. What fun it was.

While creating these videos was extremely fun, it wasn’t without it’s challenges. This was my first FiveCore project where I was more or less in charge from beginning to end. I was there at some of the early meetings with the clients, and I played a large role in shaping each video’s story and conducting the interviews. I was also the primary editor for 2 of the 6 videos, and oversaw work on the other 4.

While having more creative freedom is freeing, it also comes with a certain amount of added pressure. I was no longer just filling a role; I was creating the vision. This meant that I got/had to make creative choices about the look, feel, and story of each video. Fortunately I had the wisdom of Tim, Jake, and Kyle to bounce ideas off of, and we were able to create six unique and successful videos. I am proud of each one of the  videos we produced for Merry Lea.