Foster Visuals “While I’m Here | The Legacy Project”
Foster Visuals is a team of storytellers founded by filmmaker Brent Foster. The team travels the globe producing work for editorial clients, companies and brands, using their past of photojournalism as inspiration for their style. In addition to these projects, they pursue their own passion projects, keeping them inspired and shedding light on stories that deserve to be told.
Currently, one of their passion projects is a web series called “While I’m Here | The Legacy Project.” The project started as a result of Brent missing out on a story he promised to film, letting time and other work get in the way. That promised story was supposed to be about a man in his hometown, sharpening hockey skates for the local families, without taking a dime. Before Brent got to tell the man’s story, he unfortunately passed away. In honor of this man, Brent started the “While I’m Here | The Legacy Project,” telling stories of elders doing great things while they’re still here.
The first one is about a man, Thomas Weller in San Diego, who got stuck in a ditch with his car at 16 and was rescued by a man who asked for him to pay it forward one day. Forty-eight years later, Thomas has rescued thousands of people who were stranded on the side of the road. When he helped and continues to help those stranded, he hands them a card that says “You don’t owe me a thing. I’ve been there too.” He explains, “Someone once helped me out, just the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here’s what you do: don’t let the chain of love end with you.”
Bluesman, Leo “Bud” Welch is the featured man of the next story. For 35 years, while Leo was making a living in the logging industry, he pursued his passion of playing guitar on the side for family, friends, and church. Last year, he proved one should never give up on their dreams by releasing his first gospel album on his 82nd birthday. He in-turn passes the legacy of blues music along to the younger generations by visiting schools to perform.
The third story spotlights Ed Nicholson who was in the Navy for 30 years and private industry for 10 years. When he was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer, he was in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where injured vets were also coming back from Iraq. Ed realized he could help them cope with their mental and physical issues, so he began Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. He started to teach people how to cast on the front lawn of the hospital, and now the project takes veterans out onto the water to fly fish as well as build new relationships. The project has grown to 178 programs in the U.S.
With many of the productions being in remote locations, the production team rarely has AC to charge battery packs, cell phones, etc. To assist with lack of AC, they rely on the Switronix XP-L90S battery packs to power Sony FS7, Sony A7RII, Zylight LED Fresnel, monitors, as well as the USB to charge phones. They find that wattage capacity is ideal to last them all day and they don’t have to frequently switch the packs out. With travel being a primary concern, the XPL90S is also air travel compliant.
As the most important, rewarding project they’ve worked on and being able to see the direct impact on others, Foster Visuals plans to continue inspiring others with three more stories. Up next, they’re headed to Philippines, and trying to coordinate with two others in Canada and Italy.
Follow Foster Visuals on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to make sure you don’t miss out on the upcoming three episodes.
