Meet Wray Ward’s Movie Maker

  • Categories:

    Agency Life, Creative, Inspiration

  • Date:

    November 21, 2024

Meet Wray Ward’s Movie Maker



Agency Life Creative Inspiration

We have an incredibly talented team here at Wray Ward, and Motion Editor and Animator Kyra Arendt is no exception. While many people have hobbies, Kyra lives out her passions in a truly remarkable way.

In 2023, Kyra completed her first feature film, “Lexicon.” Witty and bittersweet, “Lexicon” takes viewers on a journey through one young woman’s reflections on a tumultuous relationship. In addition to writing the film, Kyra also directed it, shooting at locations around Charlotte, including her own home and the Wray Ward office.

The film finds the main character — Lexi — interviewing for her dream job at Merrim-Webster, where she is given five minutes to define five words. With this setup, we then learn more about Lexi, as each word is brought to life through a vignette of her past.

As I watched, I felt a mix of frustration and empathy for Lexi’s experience, realizing that each character was deeply human and complex. I was also blown away by the quality and production of the film, along with Kyra’s unique approach to storytelling.

I recently caught up with Kyra to learn more about her creative process and how her experiences with making “Lexicon” continue to influence her work with clients here at Wray Ward.

What inspired the initial idea for this film, and how did that evolve as you developed the story?

Kyra: When I was writing the script, I was thinking about how dynamics between people change over time. I had recently gone through an experience where someone I’d known for a couple of years showed a different side of themselves and it completely changed who I thought they were and how I saw them.

Looking back, I could see red flags I hadn’t noticed before — I viewed that friendship in a new light with the knowledge I have now.

The dynamic of evolving words and definitions in the film became a representation of that shift. It shows how the same actions or memories can take on entirely new meanings when seen in a different context.

Was there a particular challenge or breakthrough you had while making your film that directly informs how you approach client projects now?

Kyra: This experience has definitely made me more adaptable. I learned sometimes you just don’t have the budget or time to execute your vision exactly as you imagined.

It taught me to make the most of the resources available and to be realistic, thinking, “Here’s what we can do, and here’s how far we can take it with what we have.”

You filmed part of the movie at Wray Ward’s office. What was it like to bring your project into that space, and how did it feel to have the company support your creative work?

Kyra: Yes, we filmed the main character’s interview scene at the agency’s office. It’s such a beautiful location and to have it for free was a blessing. And, my roommates were probably glad we weren’t taking over the house for another day.

It felt really good to be surrounded by supportive co-workers who were interested in the process and wanted to learn more. It meant a lot to see people genuinely care about me and my interests beyond the usual workday.

Has making this film influenced or changed your perspective in other areas of your life or work?

Kyra: In having to do so much prep for this film, it made me realize how much of a blessing it is that we have people at Wray Ward dedicated to producing and handling logistics.

For this project, I was handling all the production myself, so I didn’t have as much time to think creatively while shooting. When all you’re thinking about is lunch orders and negotiating locations, you don’t have time to hone in as much on the creative side.

Thankfully, my team rose to the occasion, and we did enough prep work that we understood what our goals were and were able to run with it. But, I’m thankful we have dedicated project managers and producers at Wray Ward who ensure the creatives are set up for success.


What was the most memorable scene from a creative or technical standpoint?

Kyra: From a technical standpoint, I learned that night exteriors are really difficult to shoot. Luckily, I only shot two of them.

Even though it’s obviously dark outside, you have to light the scene, which takes a lot of equipment. But when I was making the schedule, I didn’t allocate enough time because I didn’t know how much setup would go into that.

From an emotional standpoint, I would say the midpoint of the film was the most memorable to film. In that scene, our two leads get into a heated argument, and it ends with one of them slamming a pie into the other’s face.

We even brought in a fight choreographer to help us plan the sequence, knowing we only had one take to get it right. Once the pie got in her hair, there wouldn’t be time for a full reset for our actress.

There was a lot of buildup going into it, so when we actually recorded it, everyone was stoked that we hit our marks. The actors handled that pressure very gracefully and performed really well.

How has the audience reacted to the film, and did any responses surprise you?

Kyra: The most common reaction I hear from people is that the movie turned out to be very different from what they expected, which doesn’t surprise me. I’m actually glad to hear that — it’s exactly what I was going for.

I wanted a genre twist, starting with a quirky college romance that gradually grows darker and more complex as it goes on without ending on a dismal note either.

My hope was for the audience to experience the same shift as the main character, where things become deeper and more layered as the story develops.

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