Episode 4

COMING SOON

  • "The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, has a life as complex as one's own, which they are constantly living despite one's personal lack of awareness of it."

    SONDER

Episode 4: Coming Soon

EIGHT OF US

One of the core principles of Sonder is to keep our experiences to an intimate size. We want our time spent together to be meaningful and for the learning experiences to feel personalized.

This is more than just a place to grow as a filmmaker. It’s the trip to fill your cup, to recharge your passions, to give yourself permission to buy that plane ticket, to leave with a few more friends than you started with.

We will focus our energy on mindset and shooting with intent. Learning how to work effortlessly by leaning into our art. From our lodging, to the culinary experience, and adventure days, we are going full throttle. We hope you join us on this exclusive intimate destination filmmaker retreat.

MINDSET

THE EXPERIENCE

We’ve never been ones to repeat ourselves— and this retreat is no exception. This time, we’re bringing together the contrasts that define Oregon: the pulse of Portland’s creative food scene and the quiet magic of its forests, waterfalls, and coastal views. It’s a place I’ve always called home, and now, it feels like the perfect setting for a Sonder Retreat.

  • We’ll be staying in the heart of Portland, in a beautiful urban home surrounded by some of the city’s best restaurants, bars, and cafes. It’s the perfect place to call home for the week—centrally located between our two shoot locations. One will take us to the rugged Oregon coast, and the other will lead us through the waterfall-filled landscapes of the Columbia River Gorge.

  • Sonder was created for the pursuit of community. A place where like-minded people can gather to share meaningful conversations and meals together. The connections we make may be just as important as the filmmaking content. For the rest of our lives we are connected with these shared experiences. That to me is SO cool.

  • With a small group of filmmakers, everyone will be able to get their content with ease. This also allows for more teaching opportunities during the shoot. We will be able to slow things down and explain our creative thought processes.

  • After all, this is a retreat. We want you to recharge—mind, body, and soul—while still sparking your creative energy. Just like in Episode One, we’ll carve out time for some well-deserved R&R at the spa. It’s our way of resetting—physically, emotionally, and mentally—before diving deeper into the experience.

ITINERARY OVERVIEW

While the days have a general structure, downtime will be an important part of our experience together. We want you to be able to slowdown, relax, take in the scenery, and to get to know your neighbor. Here is our working timeline, some small details are subject to change, but this is the main plan.

Day 1:

  • Welcoming ceremonies 

  • Wellness reset at a spa experience

  • A Communal Korean‑PNW Feast

  • Fireside hang

Day 2:

  • Lighting and composition demo

  • Adventure day - The Coast

  • Late nights bites with vibrant Mexican food and tequila bar

Day 3: 

  • Southern comfort brunch

  • Adventure day - The Gorge

  • Shared plates & bright Mediterranean flavors

  • Fireside hang

Day 4: 

  • Morning recap

  • Goodbyes

  • Airport drop offs

THE DIGS

SONDER SEASON  RECAP
PHOTOS + VIDEO FROM EPISODE ONE

Episode 2: Switzerland

Episode 3: New Zealand

Bianca and Raffi 3.jpg

“From just the shoots, the locations, the intentionality, the pacing. Not only do you learn the way Chris shoots from the explicit education, you just feel his Zen and his pacing and how he creates that environment for his clients. That’s how I imagine it at least. It’s not just learn by seeing, it’s learn by experience. I feel like I’m experiencing what it’s like to spend a few days with Chris and to be filmed.”

Stephanie Copp

“I love how intentional it is. How community is the foundation of this trip. I’m just so happy to have been here. If anyone ever wanted to do Sonder, this is the place to be.”

Taylor Howie

“I’m an extremely busy person. I have two kids at home. I have multiple businesses. This is the type of thing where, if it wasn’t real, if it wasn’t amazing, within 20 minutes I’d say I don’t have time for this, I would want to go home… I can say after 4 days, not a single minute was wasted, everything was a gain.”

Orlando Cano

Investment starts at $2900

Hello, I’m Chris!

Some people call me Goodco, which is fine… lol. I’ve been filming weddings since the end of 2016 and full time since 2019. It has completely changed/ruined my life forever. One day I’m shooting a wedding with a crop sensor, barely knowing how to focus, sweating through my clothes for almost no pay. The next thing I know, someone is paying me a lot of money to heavily breathe up a mountain to capture their elopement. LOL. In all seriousness though, the journey has been more than I ever expected and I am so grateful for it all. Even with all the hours poured in and the late night editing I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

This all started with a little idea I couldn’t stop thinking about. Over the years I’ve offered virtual mentorships and one on one workshops. They’ve been incredibly rewarding, but I wanted to scale the personalized experience.

In the fall of 2023, I launched Episode 1 of Sonder Retreat. We celebrated the 8 filmmakers in Iceland. Everyday we shared our insights, laughs, and heartfelt emotions with one another. We got deep. Then we did it all over again in Switzerland in 2024 for Episode 2, sharing some unforgettable life experiences. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and will continue paving this path through worldly adventures.

Thanks for being here. Looking forward to getting to know all of you!

 FAQs

  • Filmmakers in the middle of their creative journey, who are ready to elevate their work. Those who can proficiently capture weddings and elopements, but want to improve their creative instincts. Filmmakers who appreciate raw, authentic, and emotive films.

    Sonder Retreat is also for the explorers and world travelers. Our goal is to give you an excuse to use your passport, to do it in style, and to share memorable meals with a few like-minded people.

    This retreat is not for filmmakers who are just starting out that may need to focus on finessing the beginner technical aspects of filmmaking. If you are interested in more general learning, consider checking out @goodcostudios Instagram subscription. You would have access to ask questions on any level, join in on live editing sessions, and many other things, in case you wanted something more than YouTube.

  • First and foremost, we hope that people are excited about Sonder Retreat as much as we are and that the application process can serve its purpose. With that said, our main goal is to make sure that everyone is generally in the same place in their business. We want our content and curriculum to resonate equally with all of the attendees. After these pre-requisites are met, we will be going through applications in the order they come in. So if you are highly interested, make sure you are applying right away.

  • With only eight total seats, we are asking filmmakers to submit an application. If accepted, you will receive an email from hello@sonderretreat.com and will have 48 hours to complete the retainer of $2000 to hold your seat. Applications open on October 7th, 2024.

  • Yes of course! For the first time, we will be offering a special rates for companies that are full-time with their significant other. For more information, please inquire directly with me at hello@sonderretreat.com.

  • We chose the word retreat because we felt it represented a more balanced experience. While there will be some structured education, Sonder will be a place that embraces organic learning through casual conversations and unexpected a-ha moments that appear when you least expect it. There is an intangible beauty that comes when you gather a small group of like-minded people. We want the experience to feel less like a classroom and more like a group of old friends sharing stories. There will be content, there will be learning, but we also want you to immerse in the destinations we travel to.

  • While our HQ for the week is in the heart of Portland with restaurants, bars, and cafes all around us, our adventure locations are only a bus ride away. We are right in the middle between the beautiful Oregon coast and the Gorge. We’ll have two different backdrops to inspire us creatively! It’s also a chance to understand why Oregon is so special. With the smaller group sizes, you will be able to get all the shots you want without compromise.

  • During your stay, all transportation will be provided. At the end of the retreat, there will be a shuttle back to the airport on the final day. We don’t recommend renting a car for the duration of the retreat. However, plan on doing more exploring outside of the scope of our time together, please do as you please!

  • The cost of the retreat does not cover your flight. Since this is our first domestic Sonder Retreat, the cost of flights should be cheaper than our abroad episodes.

  • We are offering dynamic pricing for the retreat. $2900 for a shared room or $3500 for your own solo room.

  • If you have any questions that aren’t addressed here, please email hello@sonderretreat.com. Thank you so much!