Old Courthouse Foundation

Vice President of the Old Courthouse Foundation, Larry Bristow, and Courthouse Representative, Joelle Knight, partnered with Cinegate Productions to produce a marketing campaign that consisted of a series of modern day history tours throughout the 130 year-old relic and property, along with a cinematic "Save the Clocktower" fundraising video.

This fundraiser was to spread awareness of the condition and severity of the historic building's clock and bell tower, and the need for updating and restoration that has been neglected over time. Upon sharing the vision, we took on this project head on by investing ourselves in the history, purpose, and heart of this campaign. A few key elements to directing and creating an emotive film were pulling attention to the incredible, architectural beauty and inspiration of the Old Courthouse, the purpose it has served so many who have kept it standing, visited, used, or even simply heard it through the generations, the true visual and explanation for its decay and neglect up until now, and the legacy of keeping the bell tower ringing for generations to come.

From the time of taking on / joining the project, it took about two weeks to prepare for and several more weeks to film, as we needed to tour the entire property to grasp the extent of the project; gather tour scripts and work with the vice president on delivery; work around weather, events, and the availability of several key spokespeople; help storyboard and direct 6 tours and a handful of scenes and b-roll for each; and setup scenes with appropriate lighting, audio, and visual aesthetic. One tour video was filmed by drone to show off the exterior, while another was deep underground, which required special treatment.

Within 3 months of releasing the initial campaign video, $5k was made in online donations, and $25k in grants by other historical foundations. The video reached over 6k views on Facebook and was played publicly at an event and to the board of commissioners, all of whom were impressed and pleased by the investment. In a letter, vice president Bristow thanked Daniel and Maria and shared the following.

To: Daniel & Maria of Cinegate Productions

As Vice President of the Old Courthouse Foundation of Vanderburgh Co., I want to express our gratitude for the clocktower video and series of virtual tours of the Old Courthouse that you recently produced. The high quality of the seven videos shows the many hours of video and sound production and the talent it took to complete the project.

I want to especially compliment the overall art direction which captured the both the grandeur of the building and its current role as vital part of our community. Kudos to Maria for her help coaching the narration and Daniel for his intrepid determination to video the extent of the property, including areas long closed to the public.

Adding to our admiration of the series is our gratitude for your willingness to undertake this large project. Through it, we will give access to our beloved building to viewers far and wide. Our goal is to engage the minds of those passionate about historical preservation and garner support to carry on renovations and retain the magnificence of the Old Courthouse for generations more. Thank you for being such an essential part of reaching that goal.

Larry Bristow