As a small business we have to be creative in the way we operate - both in who we employ and in the projects we choose to take. This blog post is a convergence of those two things - we allowed our intern Danny McCarthy to oversee a project for the “Locavore” movement and he writes about his experience below. The final video is at the bottom of this blog post.

Last month I worked on a project for a friend of Big Teeth Productions - a video about the Locavore Movement focusing on a dinner held at the Hopleaf bar and restaurant that was put on by food scientist Jim Javenkoski, Michael Roper (owner of the Hopleaf) and Ben Sheagren (Executive chef of the Hopleaf).  

As a small business we have to be creative in the way we operate - both in who we employ and in the projects we choose to take. This blog post is a convergence of those two things - we allowed our intern Danny McCarthy to oversee a project for the “Locavore” movement and he writes about his experience below. The final video is at the bottom of this blog post.

Last month I worked on a project for a friend of Big Teeth Productions - a video about the Locavore Movement focusing on a dinner held at the Hopleaf bar and restaurant that was put on by food scientist Jim Javenkoski, Michael Roper (owner of the Hopleaf) and Ben Sheagren (Executive chef of the Hopleaf).  

This project was brought to the Teeth by Jim with no money but a good heart so it was embraced. Because of the lack of budget and more relaxed schedule I was given the chance to produce  it on my own, under Elise and Gregg’s guidance. Initially, I took this opportunity as a way to gain more experience working on different aspects of projects from start to end; but through the experience I gained a greater appreciation for the local food movement. One of the things that really helped with the production of the video was all of the participants passion for the cause.

(See Video)

PRODUCTION
One thing that I enjoyed was actually shooting the event. I didn't have much experience shooting and this gave me a chance (especially because it was an event) to experiment and get more comfortable with operating a camera. The Hopleaf was a good setting and everyone seemed relaxed,  so I was able to get some great interviews with guests.  However, one thing that I had been taught but really became ingrained in me by this experience is that as much as you want it to, a camera cannot capture anywhere near what the human eye can. The lighting at the event was very dim as it was an intimate candlelit setting – great for ambiance, not ideal for shooting. While not what I would have preferred, it gave me a lesson on planning ahead and troubleshooting.

POST-PRODUCTION
After loading the footage from the event it was clear that something was needed to shed some light on the project, literally and figuratively. So, I returned to the Hopleaf and sat down with Jim, Michael, and Ben. I found a location away from where most of the customers were - the only issue being that they were doing some noisy prep work on the floor below. While not ideal, it was okay because it captured the ambiance of a restaurant and was only an issue when they started aggressively banging what I assume were iron pots together (or at least that's what it sounded like).

Earlier, I mentioned how passionate my subjects were and this was clearly evident while filming the interviews. They had a lot to say. A lot. This was another learning experience for me. If this was a documentary about sustainable agriculture and the benefits of being part of a local food system, this wouldn't have been an issue, but with the video being geared for the web, the target length was around two minutes. At a certain point I had to direct the interviewees to give shorter, to-the-point responses. This helped a bit... so did editing. This second day of shooting completely changed the video. Besides the interviews, I got B-roll of the interior and exterior of the Hopleaf and its kitchen which filled in some blanks. With this second day of shooting, doing some color correction and laying B-roll and some graphics over the darker of the shots, I was able to make it work.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Though I’ve mainly discussed the production aspects of this experience, I have to say something about the food.  During the event I had a plate and glass on the side and got to sample the various courses.  With Jim and Michael’s beer knowledge combined with Ben’s culinary skills, the dinner was great.  I am a beer fan and an amateur foodie and the pairings were on point and delicious.

Overall, I have to say that while I’ve worked on many projects with various levels of involvement, I’ve come out of this experience with a higher level of gratification gained through being the sole creator of the project from beginning to end.

The final video is here so let me know what you think about my first independent project at Big Teeth Productions.
Note: Learn more at http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/ or Jim’s blog at http://www.localfoodwisdom.blogspot.com/