SAINT JOSEPH DRILL COMPETITION RECAP

Going back to my roots, this was a simple montage built around one idea: what it feels like to compete at the Saint Joseph Drill Competition. I was asked to make it feel “warm,” so I kept everything simple—tripod shots, no heavy effects, and a focus on clean, steady footage.

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As the meet started, I filmed each contestant from different angles to keep things visually interesting despite the tight space. I used upward shots to separate subjects from the background and a wide 14mm lens to place people within their environment rather than isolate them.

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In editing, I had about 40 minutes of footage to condense into 4 minutes, and I struggled at first to stay engaged with the project. But one clip at 0:59 changed that—a younger cadet smiling, clearly excited to be part of it. That moment reminded me who this video was really for. From that point on, I approached the edit differently, focusing on making something the kids could enjoy and feel proud of.

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This project showed me that not every video needs to feel big or intense to be meaningful. Sometimes the strongest moments are the simplest ones, and that’s something I’ve carried forward into my work.