Returning Citizens Video

Ed Gaskin is an author and businessman celebrated for his work in academia, industry, and nonprofit. Ed holds advanced degrees from both Western Michigan University, MIT, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ed for the Boston Flourish Conference and discussing his research on Returning Citizens (formerly incarcerated individuals). Ed’s candor and charm made our 45 minute conversation fly by— in fact, the hardest part in the edit was slimming it down to the 3 to 4 minute deliverable that was requested!

Behind the scenes, I was supported by my friend, former classmate, and colleague, Conor Fagan. We filmed at the Emmanuel Gospel Center/Second Church in Dorchester, MA. The promenade on the ground floor next to the sanctuary provided a great location for our scene. The large, diffused windows combined with the dark wood made for a stately, reverential setting with plenty of natural contrast. Ed wearing dressed in a suit and seated in a leather chair were both matters of serendipity.

I used my own 2 camera kit for the video. My Sony FS5 with the Sony FE 35mm f1.8 as the A Camera and Sony A7Rii with the Sony G 24-105 f4 for the B Camera. Both were set to Cine 4, filmed in 4K, and supported by Benro products. For audio, I boomed the Sennheiser MKE600 above Ed and ran directly into the A cam. The scene was lit with a few Neewer 660 LED light panels. The key light was push through a 43in oval reflector/diffuser which provided a very dramatic look. We lowered the contrast ratio by filling in the shadows with another light panel resulting in the final image.

It’s rare to get creative license for commissioned videos like this one and I leveraged the opportunity to challenge my documentary skills— minimal gear, filming in a new space, and interviewing being at the top of the list. If you have a documentary idea or have a story you want to tell, please get in touch so we can make something memorable!