December 22, 2014

OX Creative – Doing Good in Uganda

LPG’s December head of the month is not an individual, but rather a company. OX Creative, a boutique creative agency out of Chicago focuses on working with individuals, companies and nonprofits that are making positive differences around the globe.

“When we wake up each morning, we aim to set our hands to work on things that matter. Great and difficult work that has nobility, courage, and brings a lasting and eternal change to our world.”

– OX Creative website

Jonny Mendez, Corry Wiens, Jesse Oxford with a Feather Camera Crane, Ikan Tilta rig and Sony A7s

We recently spoke with Director and Editor, Corry Wiens.

Can you give some insight into your company’s mission?

OX Creative, founded by Jesse Oxford, works with clients who are trying to do good in the world. We really want to partner with companies who have an awesome cause, but don’t necessarily have the funds. We’re able to provide them with video, graphic, and web design, in other words, we’re producing ad agency quality work for companies who might not have the budget. That’s really the heart of our organization.

What was your recent project in Uganda all about?

Our client asked us to go to Uganda to create a documentary short (fall 2015 release) about the leadership and how they’re working to turn the country around. You know, you hear a lot about Africa and how it’s rot with corruption, political unrest … Uganda’s a country that has a deep history in some of that stuff. They’re also a country right now who’s working towards a lot of reconciliation and they’re really on the rise in Africa. It was cool to be able to go there and film about how they’re moving forward.

Jesse Oxford getting the shot with a RED Scarlet

You purchased a Feather Camera Crane for this trip. Did you have any highlights?

We filmed at the Gaddafi Mosque in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. They have a big minaret, like a giant spire, and there’s a staircase that spirals up the inside. We really wanted to get a shot from the top, looking down from the center. The only way we could possibly get that, besides having a drone in close quarters, was to have a jib all the way up there. And the Feather Camera Crane was perfect for this because it was so light, we were able to carry it up to the top–no problem.

To hang it over the edge, over the staircase, and to have an entire boom move, where the camera is going down through the center of the spiral staircase … That was a really cool moment and definitely one of my favorite shots!

Gaddafi Mosque in Kampala, Uganda

Did you have a personal highlight from your time in Uganda?

It was just really an incredible trip, but the most impactful part was filming a convocation event. The country has a really dark past. Idi Amin was the president back in the 70’s and he’s responsible for slaughtering hundreds of thousands of Ugandan citizens. He was overthrown in ‘79, but his actions are still fresh in people’s minds. So what’s happening right now, is they’re having these events where people from all different tribes are coming together to reconcile as tribes and to unite as one Uganda. What’s really cool is one of Idi Amin’s sons is going around to these convocation events and he’s publicly apologizing on behalf of his family for the atrocities his father committed. We got to see him up on stage, holding hands with a woman whose entire family was slaughtered by his father, apologizing and being forgiven by all these Ugandans. So that was really cool to see just a piece of what’s happening there right now. It was pretty incredible.

Thanks Corry, and visit http://oxcreates.com to see what else they're up to!