Today we’d like to introduce you to Regan Strutner.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ve been making videos since I was a kid-back in the days of home camcorders and VHS tapes. While my parents were out on dates, my brother and I would record skits on the camera and play them back for our parents when they came home.
My curiosity with creating as a kid continued through high school and college, where I took classes on video like editing and lighting. But it’s my mind it remained a hobby more than a career endeavor.
As I began traveling internationally as a young adult, I started encountering incredible stories from the people I met around the world. My junior year in college, I did my cultural studies internship in Zambia, where I had a conversation that changed my life.
I was chatting with my Zambian friend Lewis, asking him what I could do to make the world a better place. I was surrounded by so much need in Africa, and I didn’t know what someone like myself could do.
He told me to look at what God had already put in my hands. In other words, the resources and talents I already possessed.
And it dawned on me: it was video.
Videos have this incredible ability to transport us into another time and place–to make us feel something. To meet people, we may never meet and hear stories we may never hear. With a camera in my hand, I could be a voice for people who might not otherwise be heard.
So today, I consider myself a storyteller just as much as a videographer. I want to make my viewers feel something so that in the chaos of all the digital noise we are in, we might stop and really listen. And act.
If you’re wondering how I got into weddings specifically–well, that was a surprise too. I feel like it was at the brink of the wedding industry as we know it (made possible by affordable cameras!) Friends just started me to film their weddings. It turns out, they loved their films, and I enjoyed making them!
I realized that I could pursue my non-profit passions and fund it (and the rest of my life) through the income of weddings. I officially launched my business in 2014 and haven’t looked back since!
Please tell us about your art.
I make both wedding films and non-profit impact stories. They may seem like very different categories, but essentially I’m just telling stories visually.
My wedding films are 3-8 minute pieces that take you throughout a couple’s wedding day. My goal is to bring out and emphasize the emotion from the day–both the heartfelt, tear-jerker moments, as well as the joyful, wild party.
I build my videos around the audio content from the day [for example, the first look, the vows, the toasts] which allows me to tell a story, rather than just create a music video.
Many people tell me they don’t even know the couple, but they feel like they do after watching their video. And moreover, the wedding video of these complete strangers made them cry. For me, that’s the goal because I’ve connected with the viewer at a deeper level to feel something.
The style of my non-profit films are similar, but the content is very different! In my non-profit stories, I’m telling a story about a particular individual who has been impacted by the work of an organization. I strive to connect with the viewer by telling a story. And a good story really gets to know it’s main character–what makes them tick as a person? What do they desire in life? What have they overcome or are striving to overcome? What makes them unique?
It’s all a simple and yet complex recipe of interviewing, shooting, music, and editing that emphasize emotion in order to tell a story.
Because I believe if you want to help an organization gain support–it’s not statistics that’s going to do it. It’s a story that will move people’s hearts to give.
And the best part for me is watching people watch these films, seeing the tears roll down their face, and then allowing it to compel them to DO something about it.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Start with what you have. You don’t need the best camera, the best lenses. Just learn how to use what you’ve got, and work cheaply for people and gain experience.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can view my work on my website, [www.reganelizabethfilms.com], my Vimeo page [vimeo.com/reganelizabethfilms] or on Instagram [@reganelizabethfilms]
Contact Info:
- Website: www.reganelizabethfilms.com
- Phone: 9545601501
- Email: regan@reganelizabethfilms.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/reganelizabethfilms
- Facebook: facebook.com/reganelizabethfilms
Image Credit:
Headshot by Shelly Anderson Photography
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