StoryKeeping

01/12/2023

Roasted by Cookie and Paups

Roasted.

Before we started filming I told Cookie and Paups a little about my wife and how I tell her she's my favorite. Big mistake. :)

01/11/2023

Every StoryKeeping production we create is going to look and sound amazing before we release it to the families we serve. Even the aesthetic and sound of our base level of production, Raw, receives our full attention to detail.

In Raw productions like the one pictured, the family receives the entirety of the interview as it happened. In higher level productions we organize the stories into chapters.

01/11/2023

If I can still make my wife laugh like this after six decades of marriage I'll be proud.

01/10/2023

Now that it sounds like I’m right back in that house, my audio editing is complete.

01/09/2023

I sent Cookie a text the morning of our interview to let her know I was looking forward to meeting them and we'd be having some fun. Before she got the text she was afraid I'd "be a stick in the mud" and was relieved. While I built out the set she had her favorite band, Midland, playing on her stereo. We both knew it was going to be a great day by then. :)

01/07/2023

Legacies captured. Mission accomplished. Who’s next?

01/07/2023

Well, it’s safe to say StoryKeeping is off to a strong start in 2023 because we had a blast with Cookie and Paups today. Filmed stories covering the full range of emotion. Had a delicious shrimp poboy and jambalaya for lunch. And if all that wasn’t enough, they sent me home with a box of king cake. 😮

01/06/2023

How far are you willing to go to capture the legacy of your favorite storyteller? I’m right there with you.

01/05/2023

Off to Nawlins for our first legacy film shoot of 2023.

01/04/2023

Clearing memory cards gives me some serious mixed feelings. While I understand the content has already been transferred and backed up, I still hesitate before hitting “Execute”.

The flip side is I get excited about the stories we’ll be capturing next. There’s a grandma and grandpa in New Orleans with a knack for making it onto (and winning) The Price is Right, and we’ll be kicking off 2023 with them this week!

01/04/2023

What’s important? Where do I cut? Does this go before or after this other snippet? Wait. Is this a new topic?

12/30/2022

I’ve learned through legacy film interviews that we are all a work in progress and, ultimately, we are all doing our best with the culmination of life experience we’ve been fortunate enough to accumulate.

Today finds me pulling from years of helping my father at Haby’s Automotive. When I saw some vibration dampeners on my drone had ruptured I did what my father does. I ordered and am replacing them myself rather than sending everything off. Why lose out on valuable time when I could be preparing to serve my clients better?

12/29/2022

In Austin today to pick up a new key light for interviews. I also dropped in on a location we filmed earlier this year in a historic home — only the home is no longer there. It doesn’t take long does it?

12/28/2022

Can y’all see me happy dancing? This is what legacy films are all about, y’all.

12/28/2022

My childhood church always has the best Christmas tree, so I pulled off the road on my drive home for some night time flying practice.

12/27/2022

I know I'm bombarded by Storyworth ads. Out of curiosity I clicked into the comment section of an ad to see what folks were saying and found a woman lamenting that she'd gifted it to her father but he passed away after only responding to a couple of prompts.

Writer's block plagues even the most gifted writers, so I crafted StoryKeeping to be a fast and easy solution for my clients. All they have to do is kick back, be themselves, and talk about things they love. I may not have been a fit for that woman, but if she knew about StoryKeeping she'd have his energy in a beautiful movie archive instead of two dry responses.

The spirit of Storyworth is similar to StoryKeeping, or any other similar service, so on a personal level I'm a big fan of what they're doing. On a business level I wish I had their marketing budget. Ultimately I'm grateful we have the ability to capture and preserve what's precious to us. Props to the Wall Street Journal for putting a spotlight on the need today.

12/26/2022

Join me in welcoming Mama Mondrone to the StoryKeeping family. She’ll be lifting an assortment of our finest cameras and lenses to the sky in 2023.

12/25/2022

Merry Christmas from the house and family that made me who I am.

12/23/2022

No alarm was set this morning but I woke up thinking about how I can make StoryKeeping better and knew I wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon.

This is a perfect time of year to reflect on what’s amazing and what could be better. We are going to wow a lot of people in 2023.

12/21/2022

When Caroline finishes cutting up hours worth of legacy film footage, I get excited because I know we're about to hop on the phone to talk story. Listening to what Caroline picked up on and talking through what the storyteller made us think and feel creates stronger productions for the people we serve.

We celebrated our best year yet at the StoryKeeping party last night and I handed her a 2 TB hard drive with more stories to work on in 2023. We love you all for trusting us with the stories of the people you love most. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, y'all!

12/18/2022

My older sister and her family flew in yesterday, and thus begins the Christmas and New Year season for our family. Sunday is typically the day of rest, but I'm perfecting this audio for a client production today in one final act of over-achieving in 2022.

This is what a two-person interview looks like in my software. I'm treating each microphone individually first and will then recreate a mix so the viewer will feel like they're sitting in the room with the storytellers. This is going to sound amazing by the time I'm done with it tonight. Then I'll celebrate with a sense of peace. :)

12/15/2022

Apparently TikTok isn't just for the children anymore. :)

Give me a follow and I'll follow you back.

https://www.tiktok.com/

12/12/2022

Filming with Ople in the home she grew up in was something truly special. Not only is she incredibly sweet, Ople is able to speak from personal experience about things no one else on the planet could possibly deliver.

People just like her are scattered across the countryside, and I only wish I could film them all. These stories are available for a limited time only.

12/09/2022

Published in the paper! How about that?

12/09/2022

Old Fashion Christmas in Castroville

Props (drone pun, sorry) to the Castroville Area Chamber of Commerce for putting on a lovely Old Fashion Christmas.

Visit Castroville TX will be releasing more of this aerial footage in the future so give them a follow.

12/09/2022

That sweet aerial photo of the Old Fashion Christmas could now be an ornament hanging from your Christmas tree. :O

If you want one order it now as this is a limited edition run and sales cut off 12/13.

Get your LIMITED-EDITION 2022 OFC Christmas Ornament.

Deadline to receive before Christmas is Tuesday, December 13th.

Order Yours Today: https://www.castroville.com/events/old-fashion-christmas/ofc-2022-ornament/

12/08/2022

Sunset along the Medina River in Medina, Texas is something special this time of year.

https://vimeo.com/779328263

12/08/2022

Sam's Story - From Water Scarcity to Water Solutions

This short film premiered last week at a fundraiser for The Water Environment Association of Texas. Sam is a WEAT scholarship recipient and has one heck of a story we had the privilege of capturing.

As a child in Israel his family never knew when they would have water. Now Sam is working to make sure our Texas communities never think twice before turning a faucet.

12/07/2022

Listening to Cecil talk about stonemasonry is fascinating. When someone is that good you know they live and breathe their craft.

"Do you ever dream about your work?" I wondered.

Cecil laughed and said he sometimes wakes up and has to lay all that stone all over again.

12/06/2022

L.D. was described as "an honest to goodness cowboy" and he did not disappoint. We filmed in the town of Medina for three days last week and captured over a terabyte of storytelling gold.

It doesn't get any better than hearing stories from the people who lived the moment.

12/03/2022

The Area Chamber of Commerce put on one heck of an Old Fashion Christmas Celebration last night.

I snapped this shot of the town square and festivities.

12/03/2022

Had a good time filming at the Old Fashion Christmas in Castroville this evening.

12/02/2022

“How’s your day?” asked the guy at the restaurant counter.

“Pretty exhausted. Just finished a three day shoot.”

“Yeah you look tired. Respectfully.”

😂😂😂

Never heard that before, but it feels good to work hard and do well.

11/30/2022

Do you think there are some stories in these hills?

Today we’re kicking off an oral history archive with a couple of women born in the 1920s.

11/29/2022

Sorry I’ve been quiet on here. ‘Tis the season for long hours, but I do want to share this client feedback I got today.

“It feels like I’m in the room with her.” That’s exactly what I’m going for when I film a storyteller. The audience should feel like they’re right there in that moment, even if they’re watching it years after the storyteller is gone. Capture the legacy, indeed.

11/25/2022

I'm presently bombarded by Black Friday and Cyber Monday opportunities to save money on gifts no one will remember this time next year. It's the people we love and the stories they tell that get me into the holiday spirit.

Though this season is always hectic, the idea of delivering gifts families will immediately love and future generations will treasure keeps me hustling. We're out of time to deliver new projects in time for Christmas, but if there's a cherished storyteller or two in your family send me a message. I've got ideas. :)

11/24/2022

Happy Thanksgiving to all my StoryKeeping friends and supporters. We have a lot to be thankful for, y'all.

11/16/2022

Folks heading west into Castroville. My ancestry did this in the 1840s, though I imagine it looked a little different then. How amazing would it be to press play on their stories, and will our descendants in the year 2200 feel the same way about us?

11/16/2022

I'm always behind the camera so this picture is rare.

On legacy film shoots we like to show up 2 hours before filming so we can load in gear, determine where the storyteller will be comfy and look the best, and then build out the movie set. Lots of decisions are made as we pull from over $100,000 worth of gear to get everything right.

11/14/2022

Joining the Castroville Area Chamber of Commerce was a no brainer.

We've done legacy films all up and down Hwy. 90 for years. In 2018 the St Louis Catholic School celebrated their 150th anniversary and we captured all kinds of history for the community there. Most recently the City of Castroville has had us creating beautiful footage to promote the culture and local businesses.

The Alsatian language preservation production we filmed at the Castro Colonies Heritage Association is being translated from Alsatian to English right now as well, and I'm excited for what that content is going to do long-term for the community.

Each of these productions remind me of outstanding people in the Castroville area who proactively prioritize what's important. We've done a lot and there's so much more to do. Thank y'all for trusting me with such important work.

Please join us in welcoming our newest member, StoryKeeping. We are so excited to have him as a member! Clinton Haby is doing all the beautiful videography work for the city. He does some amazing things, check out his website https://storykeeping.com/