• A long-overdue update

    The excuse for not updating the Synergist Media portfolio here on the interwebs for more than two years? There is no good excuse, really, but mine is just that . . . I was too busy making videos.

    More
  • Best In Show? Yes.

    This month, two of our videos and several photos and photo essays by Luke Christopher garnered honors from the Virginia Press Association for the weekly Rappahannock News.

    More
  • Weston: The Motion Picture

    It was supposed to be just three to five minutes long. It turned out to be 23 minutes long, and it made everyone happy.

    More

all our work

The Art of Cranky

In May 2024, Rappahannock County musicians/artists John Hallberg and Linda Heimstra asked Luke to get cranky — four times, in fact. Crankies — moving panoramas with hand-painted, backlit artwork, music, narration and, often, shadow puppets — are a form of folk art that brings to life folk tales, some of them ancient.

Weston: A Place Apart

The story of Weston, the historic Casanova farmstead in Fauquier County, Va., and the women of the Warrenton Antiquarian Society who inherited it, restored it and continue to lovingly preserve its place in Virginia history.

Testing 1, 2 . . . 8

Switched to a new video editing software (it's Davinci Resolve, and I love it, and good riddance to the ultra-unstable Premiere Pro). Just for practice, I made a little music video.

When Smaller Is Better

A switch this year to eight-man football by Rappahannock County High School — Northern Virginia’s smallest school division, and one of the smallest in the state — turned out to be a big win for the team, the school and the community at large.

Amissville Carnival and Parade

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, one of the community's most popular long-standing traditions – the Amissville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Carnival and Parade – returns. Produced for Foothills Forum and Rappahannock News.

NPCF: A View to What We Do

Our first animation! Conceived by Jane Bowling-Wilson, executive director of the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation, with wonderful illustrations by Lucas Wilson and top-notch voiceover by Tish Iceton.

RLEP: Celebrating 50 Years

Edited and provided footage, stills and music for a video initially meant to be released for the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection's 50th anniversary in 2020 — but delayed for a year, like many celebrations, by the pandemic.

Lykksalighet (Bliss)

A dog-centric music video for some new orchestral/choral soundtrack music meant for celebrating life. (The title is the Norwegian word for "bliss.")

Woolf Lavender Farm

Shot, edited and produced video on Woolf Lavender Farm, a beautifully renovated home with a peerless view of the Blue Ridge that can be easily adapted for agricultural or agri-tourism use — for use on YouTube, Facebook and in online real estate listings.

Amissville Community Christmas

Shot, edited and scored our first official news-oriented documentary short, a five-minute video for the Rappahannock County-based Foothills Forum on one of Rappahannock’s longest-running, all-hands-on-deck volunteer traditions: the Amissville Christmas holiday gift basket project.

Fall Art Tour

Shot, edited and produced video on the Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community's annual Fall Art Tour, for use on YouTube, Facebook and as a featurette at Little Washington Theatre events.

Middleton

Short promotional YouTube video to assist in the sale of Middleton, the historic property in the town of Washington, Va., nowadays an award-winning bed and breakfast inn.

Artists of Rappahannock

We produced a half dozen five- to seven-minute video profiles of artists in Rappahannock County, Va., exploring the relationship between art and nature amid the county's scenic Blue Ridge foothills.

Rappahannock Media

From 2009 to 2018, designed, built and maintained five websites for Rappahannock Media, including the local news-oriented RappNews.com in Rappahannock County, Va., and the Fauquier County, Va.-based news and features site PiedmontLifestyle.com.