AT YOUR BEST

F&V adjunct faculty members Mark Schimmel (Producer/Director/Editor) and David Spodak (Co-Producer) collaborated on 10 profile stories for Lehigh Valley Health Network.

For five years in a row, Schimmel and his production company, Once Upon a Time has been producing, directing and editing award-winning Web Videos for Lehigh Valley Health Network. These emotionally riveting videos celebrate the Health Network’s most precious assets–the employees, the patients and the community.

For 2013, At Your Best is by far the most compelling project to date. The video features a Paralympian 2013 bronze medalist swimmer, child cancer survivor, zumba instructor, ex- Army Ranger, MedEvac Paramedics and other employees of the Network.

Running just under five minutes, the 10 profile stories inter-cut with each other providing a stimulating and emotionally driven experience for the viewer. The Web Video is first revealed to an audience of 6,000+ employees over the course of 30 days, at LVHN’s Annual Employee Forum. Filled with emotion, inspiration, and motivation, these videos often exceed their objective of strengthening an already strong community, team-building, and perhaps most important, celebrating the accomplishments that have been achieved by the healthcare network, employees, and their community partners during the past year. After the 30 day screening, the video is hosted by LVHN’s web site and YouTube page. Other uses include integrated marketing campaigns directed at the Lehigh Valley Community.

Shooting with three cameras provided different angles for Schimmel to edit with. For a documentary look and feel, the B-Roll footage plays in black and white against a cinematic composition by feature film composer, Angelo Panetta. The client and production company decided to maintain a smaller production to accommodate the 18 different locations over the four-day shooting schedule. “The greatest challenge was allowing the real people to be authentic in their work environment while providing a “YouTube” feel without sacrificing the integrity of the overall project. The clients and I agreed that reality doesn’t have to look bad, it just has to be lit right, shot right and in some ways, under-directed. In my case, providing the cast of real people with less direction gave me the content I was looking for.”