Chaffee County: The Ark River Valley - EXTENDED version

UPLOADED Jun 3, 2014: This is a demonstration piece for the Chaffee County Visitors Bureau. I believe “Chaffee County” is not a particularly strong or recognizable brand on its own, especially to Front Range travelers, while places like Salida and Buena Vista carry more familiarity. I also believe we are underrepresenting ourselves as a true four season destination.

There is clear opportunity in what is not being emphasized. A growing arts community, the river corridor(s), and the potential of off season travel all feel underrepresented. I want to explore how a film can begin to pull these elements into a more cohesive story about Place.

At its core, the project is about the tension inherent in destination marketing. Showcasing a place can invite both appreciation and overuse. “Authenticity” gets used often, but it raises a real question. Are we promoting a place, or asking people to understand it? My goal is to lean toward the latter, encouraging tourism that respects the culture, landscape, and community.

Like many of you, I want to protect the place where we raise our kids. At the same time, we live in a tourism based economy. The challenge is not whether to promote it, but how to do so responsibly. There is a natural instinct to shut the door behind us, but that is not realistic. The question is how to share this place in a way that sustains it.

Not all of these ideas are widely embraced. There are frustrations around representation, including how Monarch itself is reflected, and differing expectations about what the piece should accomplish. But the conversations that follow matter. They begin to frame tourism not just as an economic driver, but as a reflection of community values, and a way to think more intentionally about the kind of visitors we want to attract.

From a production standpoint, I shot and edited the film. Because this is a demonstration piece that never moves into final production, the voiceover is FPO. The aerial footage was captured by helicopter, helping establish the scale and tone of the landscape.

This relatively long form film, along with its companion pieces, is made possible through the support of many people and organizations. My goal was to approach it as story rather than pure advertising/commercial work. I am grateful to the Nicolls family for their trust, to those at Monarch who support the effort, and to the lodgers, many of them friends, whose work continues to shape this place. I hope this work reflects that effort with respect.