Well shoot camp was a week we won't soon forget. It was filled with challenges, laughter, long nights and early mornings. We ate more donuts and tacos than any of us would like to admit, but along the way we create some work that we are very proud of. You can check out some of it below. We will be doing 3-4 shoot camps this year, so stay tuned for some more good times.

An unexpected idea turns into a zombie apocalypse

This is the story of how an unexpected idea turned into a zombie apocalypse. So the day had started out innocently enough. It was EC Shoot Camp 2011 Day 3. We had decided that one of the set-ups we wanted to shoot was a camping sequence and we all hopped into Chad's Sorento for a quick scout at an appropriately woodsy location Chad had seen a few weeks prior. The day was a bit cloudy and the muted light made everything a nicely uniform contrast. As we parked the car and began our short trek into the deeper wooded area, we noticed we were alone. The cloud cover paired with the absence of any other humans made one of us comment “kinda feels like we're in a zombie movie right now.” We were all in agreement that it definitely had a great creep-factor. Then one of us chimed in, “Wouldn't it be cool to shoot a zombie film in this area?” The unanimous reply, “Yes!” (I think more colorful language was used...).

A few minutes of concepting and we were slogging our way into the woods (side note: Arron wore filp-flops... to go hiking... in December. We're working on his situational footwear aptitude). With gear in tow (2 cameras, a tri-pod, a microphone, plus two newly added props – axes) the zombie idea surfaced as we walked. Once we were sufficiently deep enough into the wooded area to start shooting, we had the kernel of the idea hashed out. Chad, sporting a beard - equal parts intimidating and uni-bombery, would play a Grizzly Adams type who, when confronted by the zombie apocalypse, does what comes naturally, killin'. Twenty minutes and a couple close call axe throws later we had enough footage to edit a trailer together.

That evening as we put the trailer together, it became apparent that two more trailers were needed for Arron and Don. Why should Chad have all the fun. So between editing and then watching and re-watching the edit with zombie-filled glee, we worked out the other two trailers we wanted to do. And over the next day and night, those became a reality as well.

Looking back we can't help but laugh. An innocent scouting trip to shoot some camping footage had turned into three trailers and an idea for a web series. It's what we love about what we do. An idea comes out of left field, we get passionate about it, figure out how to make it a reality and then have a blast making it happen. That's when the saying “If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life” is never more true.

Here's the finished trailers:

A morning run and a walk in the park

As part of Shoot Camp, we wanted to challenge ourselves to produce a variety of work, but only having 5 days made it all the more challenging.  Part of our solution was to work with a local model, Mandy, in a dual morning shoot. We captured a fun, fitness, running piece at the crack of dawn and then switched modes to a more moody fashion piece as the secondary set-up to finish the morning off. The fruits of our labor can be seen below.

An early morning campfire

So, here's the aforementioned camping set-up before it turned into zombie mayhem. We decided to go for a breakfast at the campfire vibe and it didn't hurt that we could eat the fruits of our labor. We got a lot of great ideas for the next round of shooting and the hot dogs wrapped in bacon were a delicious bonus.

We love working with schools, in particular, the smaller guys on the block. Big state run colleges and universities are great, went to 'em, had fun, got the t-shirt, but we've found a school's sense of purpose, passion and community really resonates when the student body isn't the size of a small country.

Schools like Peirce College in Philadelphia appeal to new students because there is a palpable energy and welcoming attitude. This isn't achieved with a tagline and glossy brochure, it's fostered everyday in how you're greeted at the front desk, the affirming attitude of the admissions office, the passion you see from the professors, the approachability of the President walking the halls and even the support crew (janitors, security, maintenance) who are all more than happy to take a moment to let you know what the school means to them. It's a contagious attitude you want to be a part of and one we continuously see in the schools we work with.

We get excited to work with our clients in those types of environments, not only because it's inspiring and fun, but because it challenges us to capture those intangibles. Whether it's in a photograph, a film or design piece. Our goal is to always give someone a glimpse at the experience they will have when attending that school and, most importantly, compel them to take action.

Above you can see some of the photography we've done recently for some of our clients. Below are a couple samples of our film work and a link to some design/branding examples.

We love what we do and we hope it shows. We're not ones to pat ourselves on the back, or tell everyone how great we think we are, but here's what Lisa Paris of Peirce Collage had to say about us...

“Encounter Creative really takes the time to understand your organization so that they deliver creative which captures the essence of who you are and what you’re trying to achieve. Our brand video was so impactful that we had tears in our eyes during the first viewing. On a lighter note, they’re such a fun team to work with that I can’t wait for the next project!”
- Lisa Paris | Assistant Vice President, Marketing/Communications | Peirce College

Short Format Mission Film

Long Format Brand Film

Design Samples

Had an awesome time at the 2011 Battle of the Paddle. It is by far the largest Stand Up Paddle (SUP) race of the year and it was so much fun to experience it for the first time with an awesome group of people. I tagged along with Brody Welte of Stand Up Fitness and Jeff and his crew from YOLO Boards. Some of the highlights of the trip were the amazing cookies at the hotel, the southern California vibe, Brody making a helmet out of a watermelon, enjoying the tastiest blueberry pancakes I have ever had with two amazing people (April and Kevin "The Golden Boy" Cook), Jeff's magical desalted nuts (a story for another day), Pizza Port with YOLO and the Trout family, talking zombie strategy with Tanner (we have a solid plan), John and Ali Denney and all of the fun that comes with hanging out with them (proved that our new business card can hurt someone, just ask Ali), talking creative what ifs with Jake, watching Madra watching her iPhone battery slowly die at the race, Bo Bridges crazy helicopter camera rig (we need one of those), the race experience in general was crazy and inspiring, seeing $100K+ cars being sold in a gas station parking lot, the dinners, the drives, the people and so much more. It was awesome and we can't wait for next year!

We had an awesome shoot last week for Backe Marketing and their client Peirce College. Big thanks to Christina and Lisa for entrusting us with capturing the brand vision through film and photography. Here are a few behind the scenes images taken on our down time in and around our urban adventure loft (side note- If you are looking for a cool place to stay in the city of your choice check out airbnb.com). To see the finished product check it out here.

A few behind the scenes images from our shoot for Fitness Magazine featuring Stand Up Fitness. See the finished product here.

Here's an image we shot for Stand Up Fitness & was used for a YOLO Boards ad.

Another one of our images was featured in Points North magazine.