Public Sector · 2020

U.S. Air Force / JBER

Operation COVID Strike

★ VEGA / Canopus

Client: U.S. Air Force / JBER
Roles: Director, Cinematographer
Year: 2020

Shane Yeager on location at JBER in Alaska during Operation COVID Strike

Challenge

When the 2020 Arctic Thunder Open House — JBER's marquee recruiting and community event — was cancelled by COVID, the base still needed to reach the public and prospective recruits. The brief: replace a live air show with something that preserved its scale and emotional pull, under military access constraints and a hard timeline.

Approach

Rather than a livestream stopgap, we proposed a full campaign: a cinematic film plus a 360°/VR experience. Across two shoot days we covered live-fire and aerial environments from 37 camera positions, integrating with Air Force, Army, and National Guard drills where access windows were measured in minutes and nothing could be staged. A three-hour show was distilled into a 7.5-minute keystone film, with an F-22 cockpit VR experience alongside it.

Outcome

The films drew a reported 2M+ views in the days after launch and praise from base leadership and outside media — turning a cancelled event into a recruiting asset with a far longer shelf life than the original.

A rapid-response operation at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson — documentary production in a live, fast-moving environment where you get one take and you stay out of the way.

The film earned a VEGA / Canopus Award. Cleared, compliant, and calm under pressure — the kind of shoot where preparation is the whole job.

Process

01
Pitch the alternative
Proposed video + 360°/VR instead of a livestream workaround, to preserve the event's recruiting and community value.
02
Two-day field capture
37 camera positions across live-fire and aerial environments, integrated with active military drills on mission-timed windows.
03
Distill + deliver
Cut a three-hour show into a 7.5-minute keystone film plus an F-22 cockpit VR experience.