Just such a scenario occurred recently when Jayah Paley approached us to help fulfill her dream of creating a training video for her start-up business Adventure Buddies. She wanted an appealing consumer video to sell in retail stores. She also wanted outdoor beauty shots in spectacular far-flung locations. But she didn’t have a big corporate budget to fund it. Here’s how we made the Hiking Poles video a win-win for everyone.

The on-camera hosts, Jayah and her partner Bob Haxo, were shot over two days at three locations using high-end equipment – Sony DXC-D35 camera, DVCam tape, and a floating jib arm. The crew comprised a director, shooter, sound technician, and make-up artist.

But then there were some pretty inaccessible locations to consider –waterfalls, stream-crossings, mountain passes. So with only a crew of one – Tom Wohlmut – we used the new Canon GL1 with a steadicam attachment that was light enough to drop into a daypack and take on the trail to where the bighorn sheep reside. Such a camera is ideal for capturing difficult outdoor shots inexpensively and quickly.

And here’s where a director’s prowess REALLY comes into play. With our good eye for framing and composition, this footage (from a "prosumer" camera) blends in seamlessly with the more expensive stuff. In addition, the camera’s small size enabled us to lay it on the ground to create unusual angles and dramatic shots in a short amount of time. The result? We were able to hike up several thousand feet and trek up mammoth sand dunes to capture gorgeous scenery in Yosemite, Death Valley, and the Canadian Rockies.

This beautifully shot video has paid off. The video has won an Award of Distinction from The Communicator Awards, an international competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field. Judges look for talent that "exceeds a high standard of excellence and … serves as a benchmark for the industry."

Equipment manufacturers Leki USA and Outdoor Research have endorsed the video, calling it "a valuable resource for hikers and committed pole users." The video also got mentioned in a San Francisco article about hiking poles and was reviewed by walking.about.com. In addition, we created a great Web site for our client using images from the video.

In short, we made our client very happy and still met our business objective.