Chicago & Phoenix Director of Photography, Cinematographer, Drone Pilot, and Video Production
Crane Nuclear | Acquisition Communications Video Production
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Project at a Glance
Client: Crane Nuclear
Location: Reuter-Stokes facility, Ohio
Production: Direct client hire, Jamie Link Photography
Scope: Executive interviews, event b-roll, facility tour coverage, drone exterior, commercial photography
Deliverable: 5-minute acquisition communications video, full resolution photography
Production Days: 2 days
Post-Production: Full edit by Jamie Link Photography
Services: Commercial Photography · Corporate Video Production · Corporate Event Photography - Drone Cinematography
The Communications Challenge
Acquisition events carry a specific kind of tension. The Reuter-Stokes employees attending the Crane Nuclear presentation were not there voluntarily in any meaningful sense. Their company had been acquired. They were there to be told what that meant for them, by people they had never met.
The production brief reflected this reality. The video needed to document Crane leadership delivering their message credibly and directly. It also needed to capture the human moments: the luncheon where the two organizations shared a meal for the first time, the cake cutting that marked the occasion as a celebration rather than just a corporate transaction, and the facility tour where Crane executives engaged with the Reuter-Stokes team on the floor and in the lab.
That combination of formal messaging and genuine human documentation is what separates an acquisition communications video from a standard corporate event recap. The final deliverable had to accomplish both.
Production Setup: Executive Interviews
The executive interview component was designed to capture leadership messaging from both sides of the acquisition. Interviews were conducted at the Reuter-Stokes facility using a two camera configuration with professional lighting built around large softboxes. The Reuter-Stokes conference room was used as the interview location, with the company's industrial photography on the walls providing a visual connection to the work the organization does.
Having leadership from both organizations on camera gave the final video the conversational quality that acquisition communications content requires. It was not just Crane speaking to Reuter-Stokes employees. It was both sides of the organization articulating what the acquisition meant.
Event Coverage: Four Distinct Components
The day had four components that each served a different communication function and required a different approach on camera.
The formal company presentation was a structured environment with a podium, projection screens, and a full room of seated Reuter-Stokes employees. Coverage required positioning for both the presenters and the audience reaction without disrupting the event. Two cameras allowed simultaneous coverage of the stage and the room.
The luncheon and cake cutting were less structured. These were the moments where the formality of the morning gave way to something that looked more like a celebration. Documentary coverage during both sequences captured the interaction between the two organizations without the distance that comes from formal event shooting.
The facility tour brought Crane executives through the Reuter-Stokes manufacturing and laboratory spaces. Jamie covered this handheld, moving alongside the group as they walked the floor and stopped at workstations for demonstrations. The safety glasses are visible in the BTS images from this portion of the shoot.
Drone: Facility Exterior
Drone footage of the Reuter-Stokes facility exterior was produced to give the final video an establishing shot that communicated the scale and permanence of the operation. The production day fell in January, and the Ohio facility was covered in snow. The aerial footage of the complex in winter conditions gives the video an institutional quality that ground-level coverage alone cannot achieve.
The drone controller screen image from the departure day shows the facility aerial at 345 feet, with the building footprint, parking lots, and surrounding tree line visible. That shot opens or establishes the facility in the final edit and gives Crane something that communicates the weight of what they acquired.
Post-Production and Deliverable
All editing was handled by Jamie Link Photography. The 5-minute final video integrated the executive interview footage, event b-roll across all four components, facility tour coverage, and drone aerials into a single acquisition communications piece. Lower third graphics identifying interview subjects by name and title were included in the finished edit.
Commercial photography was delivered alongside the video, providing Crane Nuclear with a library of stills from the presentation, luncheon, tour, and interviews for use in internal communications, announcements, and any future documentation of the acquisition event.
What This Production Demonstrates
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Direct corporate client relationship with a nationally recognized industrial brand
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Acquisition and corporate communications video production
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Multi-format single-day coverage combining formal presentation, event documentation, executive interviews, facility tour, and drone
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Two camera executive interview production with professional lighting on location at a client facility
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Drone facility exterior coverage in winter conditions
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Full post-production including edit, lower thirds, and graphics integration
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Combined video and photography deliverable for corporate communications use
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Nationwide production availability, Chicago-based
Producing an Acquisition Event or Corporate Communications Video?
If your organization needs video and photography coverage for a corporate communications event, an acquisition announcement, a leadership presentation, or any production that requires both documentary coverage and executive interview content, contact Jamie Link Photography to discuss your production scope and timeline.
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