Black and white.

When you shoot in black and white, you strip the visual look of a film down to its essentials of light and shadow. It’s raw. It’s compelling. The eye is less distracted.

In this video we produced for Aid For Women, we were telling the emotional stories of women experiencing unplanned pregnancies, and we wanted viewers to connect with these sensitive situations as quickly as possible. So we shot the b-roll in black and white, but then we went a step further. When interviewing the Aid For Women clients who would be featured in the piece, the director sent the production crew out of the room, so it was just him, the interview subject and a microphone. He asked the women to close their eyes and tell their stories in the present tense — as if the experience were happening right now.

The results provide an immediacy and universality to their stories that showcases the ongoing mission of Aid For Women. The organization didn’t just help these specific women, it continues to assist women in these situations every day. As the video moves into the impact of Aid For Women’s support, color is restored and the mood of the piece brightens as a visual representation of hope and new life.

We have been blessed to work with Aid For Women for about five years now, and in that time we have always used RED cameras and other high quality gear. That paid off on this project, as we were able to integrate b-roll that had been gathered years ago without losing any visual quality in the footage. Quality gear makes a difference!

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | Aid For Women appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.

In this Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown, Spirit Juice Studios’ Creative Lead Chris Weingart takes us behind the scenes of a fundraising video we recently produced for the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island.

The diocese needed a video call to action to grow support for a capital campaign to preserve the towers of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, the spiritual center of the diocese. But how do you make a compelling video when your main character is a building? That was the challenge we faced in producing this piece.

Fortunately, we knew the breathtaking beauty of the cathedral would provide some stunning visuals and that our interviews could fill in the cathedral’s rich history and explain the need to preserve it.

We did Drone shots to give the viewer a rare vantage point of the impressive towers and reinforce its place as an important physical structure within the city of Providence. We also did Hero shots wherein we lowered the camera and shot upward to make the subject look more dominant and powerful—to emphasize the scale of the cathedral and show the intricate details of the craftsmanship.

Passionate sound bites from the bishop, the project architect and parishioners conveyed the importance of the cathedral as a spiritual home and explained its place in the religious and cultural history of Providence. Finally we kept the b-roll in motion to bring the building to life and the viewer intrigued.

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | Cathedral Towers appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.

In this Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown, first-time breakdown host and senior editor Theresa Cooley takes you behind the scenes of a Spirit Juice Studios project produced for the Norbertines of Green Bay. As a native of Green Bay, Theresa has a particular affinity for this promotional video created for an event at which a newly restored statue of Saint Joseph would be unveiled during the Year of Saint Joseph.

The creative hook of this promo piece is that there is no dialogue or narration — everything is conveyed through the stirring music and the variety of b-roll shots that feature lots of movement and tricks with light to establish a mood and a feeling of anticipation. The teasing shots at the end nearly reveal the revitalized statue but instead cut away to a URL where people can learn more about the event.

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | Statue of St. Joseph appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.

In this Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown, Spirit Juice Studios project manager Victoria McEachern goes behind the scenes of a vocations video we recently produced for the Diocese of Worcester in Massachusetts.

The concept for this video comes from a Bible passage — Revelation 7:9 — to promote the idea that priests come from every nation, tribe, people and language. We needed a variety of shots and a diversity of subjects to showcase this theme, but we only had one day of filming in which to complete this.

With multiple cameras and crew members splitting up to divide and conquer the needed shots, Spirit Juice was able to gather b-roll of seminarians, priests, parishioners, a choir and neighborhoods around Worcester to show the necessary diversity as well as give the piece a local feel. Victoria also mentions that the predicted bad weather did not materialize, so the one-day shoot was able to benefit from beautiful outdoor shots. With stirring narration and voiceover, the b-roll brought the theme to life and provided a compelling call to action for anyone contemplating a priestly vocation.

We have produced quite a few vocations videos over the years for dioceses, seminaries, parishes and other organizations. If you are interested in working with us, please reach out and we can bring your message to life on film.

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | Diocese of Worcester Vocations appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.

In this Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown, Spirit Juice Studios’ creative director Branden Stanley takes us behind the scenes of a reflective piece that was produced for Pro-Life Wisconsin, entitled “I’m Emma, I’m Adopted“. This production had some initial challenges in that neither Emma’s birth parents nor her adoptive parents were available to be a part of the film shoot. That’s where the Spirit Juice team used some creativity to overcome this seeming obstacle and mix in some symbolic visual elements to tell the triumphant story of Emma’s life.

The first half of the piece shows Emma largely on her own in a variety of settings, some of them covered in dust and dirt. She discovers a neglected piano—which we shot from above in our studios—and she wipes the dust off and begins to play. At this point, the musical score turns brighter to reflect both the visuals and the uplifting mood of Emma’s narration, as she talks about the great love her adoptive parents showed in choosing to take her into their home. The rest of the piece features more shots of Emma in various places, but this time she is in bright sunlight with a radiant smile. The music, the narration and the visuals combine to show the hope of Emma’s story as just one example of how the choice to adopt a baby can give that person a new life full of hope and opportunity.

No matter how challenging you think it might be to tell your story, Spirit Juice Studios has the creativity to find a way to present your ideas in a compelling, professional production. Please contact us when you are ready to use the power of filmmaking to take your organization’s mission to the next level.

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | I’m Emma, I’m Adopted appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.

This Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown is extra special, showcasing the fruits of one of Spirit Juice Studios’ unique opportunities. AnaMichele Morejon, an aspiring filmmaker, spent the summer participating in the Spirit Juice internship program, and recently completed her “passion project” — a profile of Father Anthony Buś, pastor of Saint Stanislaus Kostka church in Chicago. The passion project gives interns the opportunity to pitch an idea and use the resources, equipment, staff and expertise of Spirit Juice Studios to bring their project to life in the production of their own film.

AnaMichele, decided to tell the story of a priest who brought a dying parish back to life as a sanctuary for perpetual adoration of the Eucharist. The production featured many recreations and a narrative style of filmmaking. It was also helpful that Spirit Juice Studios had a preexisting relationship with the parish, as we had previously filmed the opening of the sanctuary.

Some of the reenactments were particularly difficult to produce with the need for exact lighting, locations, and props over the course of the quick three-day shoot. She was able to use the church’s austere attic as the setting for Father Anthony’s interview, giving the viewer a hint of what the parish looked like before its revitalization. The project also made use of specific lighting effects to bring to life key moments in his story and dramatize such an inspiring experience in the history of this parish.

Through the internship program and particularly her passion project, AnaMichele was able to get a true sense of everything that goes into the process of high quality filmmaking and video production. The Spirit Juice team is grateful for the opportunity to work with her throughout her internship as well as helping to fuel her passion project.

If you would like to learn more about the Spirit Juice Studios internship program, please visit https://www.spiritjuicestudios.com/intern/

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | The Road to Sanctuary appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.

In this Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown, we visit an explanatory piece that we produced for the Christ Medicus Foundation, an organization that defends religious freedom in the arena of health care by supporting Catholic medical workers and building up a Catholic, person-centered health care system. Haley Rossi, Creative Lead at Spirit Juice Studios, discusses the techniques employed to bring the foundation’s vision to life on film.

In order to communicate the mission of the Christ Medicus Foundation and the passion of its leaders, it was necessary to first explain the challenges that Catholic health care professionals face within their industry in terms of religious liberty. Through a combination of scripted material and testimonial interviews, we were able to create a sense of urgency about the foundation’s work and convey the convictions of its executive director Louis Brown. Allowing him to talk about the foundation’s vital work in his own words makes it more personal and compelling.

To complete the video in a way that was both visually diverse but also economical, we used a variety of high quality stock footage for b-roll to save on the filming costs of acquiring shots of hospitals, doctor’s offices, patients and medical students. Interwoven with the stirring interviews, the footage works well to show the breadth of health care settings in which the Christ Medicus Foundation does its work.

We are grateful to work with organizations such as the Christ Medicus Foundation to share their story with the world through the power of multimedia storytelling. If your organization, parish or school needs a video to explain why people should support your mission, consider working with Spirit Juice Studios. We have the filmmaking tools and expertise to successfully present your vision to a wider audience.

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | Christ Medicus appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.

Here at Spirit Juice Studios, it’s not all just about producing engaging Catholic documentaries or inspiring video profiles of Catholic organizations and their activities. Sometimes we get to stretch our creative legs in different ways by producing commercials that require a little less gravitas and a little more fun.

In this Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown, Spirit Juice Studios’ Senior Project Manager Dani Conklin walks through the production of a commercial for Catholic Match, who hired us to promote their new video chat feature.

The brief commercial needed to get several points across to potential users and customers. First of all, the commercial had to briefly demonstrate how the video chat feature works and that the technology is easy to use. Secondly, the piece had to demonstrate that the new functionality was fun to use and appropriate for any Catholic Match user, no matter their age. Lastly, the commercial needed to show how the video chat feature would enhance the dating experience for everyone on the platform—potentially eliminating awkward first dates and allowing users to more quickly detect if there was a spark with their potential match.

If your business or organization is interested in producing a commercial, drop us a line and let us know about your goals. Maybe Spirit Juice Studios will end up being a good match for you!

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | Catholic Match Commercial appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.

In this Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown, Senior Creative Lead Daniel Gebert of Spirit Juice Studios breaks down a music video he directed for well-known Catholic speaker, singer and songwriter Trish Short to promote her song “I Am the Bread.” When you have the opportunity to work with a talented performer like Trish, you want to make sure that all the details come together to provide a perfect look and feel for the production that matches the content of the song.

“I Am the Bread” was written to address some of the current challenges facing the Catholic Church today—a steady decrease in the number of practicing Catholics as well as an overall crisis of belief, especially belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. To match the desolation of these challenges, the first half of the video was shot in an abandoned church that lacked electricity and heat. This presented challenges for a cold mid-January shoot, requiring the production team to bring in generators and heaters. The video makes extensive use of light and dark, thanks to massive lights that were placed in the dilapidated stained glass windows to provide a natural-looking sunlight effect. The camera focuses on the deteriorating details of the location and moves around the performers to give viewers a sense of feeling like they are present in this space.

For the second half of the video, Trish wanted to stress the beauty of the liturgy, so we switched to a new location—a beautiful, well-lit church with a priest celebrating the Eucharist. By cutting between these two settings, we were able to visually represent Trish’s message about the universal saving power of the Eucharist, whether you are receiving it in an abandoned church or inside a beautiful cathedral.

Spirit Juice Studios has extensive experience working in this format to produce visually compelling videos for everything from ancient traditional Catholic hymns to original new songs by Christian music artists. We were so grateful to work with Trish Short on this music video, and we hope it offers a visual meditation for you as you listen to her song. Please contact us for any of your Catholic video production needs and we will make it easy to get started on your project.

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | I Am the Bread appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.

In this edition of the Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown, Spirit Juice Studios’ vice president of projects Greg Krajewski revisits one of his favorite video projects that he has worked on during his time at Spirit Juice. This is the trailer for Called to Accompany, a multi-part series produced for the Archdiocese of Atlanta to educate and train volunteer youth ministers on various aspects of effective parish youth ministry programs.

Greg talks about enjoying the logistical challenge of the shoot, as Spirit Juice producers had to schedule multiple interviews with youth ministry experts from across the country and sometimes even shoot their interviews together in the same room. Actors were hired to reenact some shots and youth groups from around Chicago were also enlisted to gather b-roll of what parish youth ministry looks like in action.

One of the blessings of working in the Chicago area is the chameleon-like nature of the city. A variety of shooting locations can be used to get shots that look like they were produced in any number of locations. In this case, Windy City locales stood in for the city of Atlanta.

Spirit Juice Studios produced the individual training videos for the Called to Accompany series as well. Topics include reaching out to Generation Z, evangelization in community, teen ministry, pastoral care, relational ministry, and cultural diversity. This series was a great opportunity for Spirit Juice to take a cinematic filmmaking approach to instructional videos, offering a blend of compelling expert interviews with related b-roll and visuals that complemented the instruction and made the subject matter more engaging. Be sure to check them out or pass them along to anyone you know who is involved in youth ministry activities at the parish level.

The post Catholic Filmmaking Breakdown | Called to Accompany appeared first on Spirit Juice Studios.