Capturing the Creative Process—Without Interruption
This project started with a conversation between me and director Tommy Beal, who was originally planning to shoot a standard behind-the-scenes video for a dance film. But after talking through the footage they were hoping to get, I pitched something different: ditch the interviews, skip the B-roll inserts—just follow the action as it happens. Verité style. To his credit, Tommy leaned into it completely.
The team assembled quickly: Tommy as DP, Subei Kyle running B-cam, Yuki Asahina on sound. The main production, led by director Nathan Carlson and eDirector of Photography Alex Lopez, was already a huge undertaking—featuring dancer Sasha Mukhamedov in a cinematic dance piece. Our goal was to observe the machine behind the machine, especially focusing on the gaffer, Andy Haney, whose deep attention to light and movement made him a compelling subject.
We wired up two crew members each day and rolled for nearly 16 hours across a two-day shoot. What we ended up with was something that felt surprisingly intimate—crew joking, trading ideas, resetting lighting setups, and navigating the controlled chaos of a full-scale music video set. Watching Andy improvise lighting setups with the director, or seeing the Steadicam op and dancer trading feedback on movement—those were the unscripted moments we were chasing.
Finding the Story Without a Script
In the edit, I was staring down 32 hours of dual-system audio and a mountain of footage with no interviews, no narration, and no formal plan—just a few hundred spontaneous moments waiting to be shaped into something cohesive.
The biggest challenge was figuring out how to carry a narrative without traditional structure. We weren’t just documenting process; we were trying to find rhythm and arc in the way people interacted, how decisions were made, how moods shifted over the course of the day. It wasn’t just a film about lighting or dance—it was about how a large, collaborative team works toward a shared creative vision.
The final piece is about eight minutes, and I think it captures the energy of that set better than any talking head could. You feel the stakes, the fun, the trust among crew.
This kind of filmmaking—letting the camera follow the energy rather than imposing it—is something I hope to do more of. It’s raw, it’s a little messy, and it’s real. And when you get it right, it sings.
BTS Video Director / Director of Photography
BTS Director & Editor
BTS A Camera Operator
BTS Sound Recordist
BTS Photographer
Director
Executive Producer / Director of Photography
Associate Producers / Choreographers
Dancer
1st Assistant Director
2nd Assistant Director
Set Production Assistant
Steadicam / A Camera Operator
Steadicam / B Camera Operator
1st Assistant Camera – Focus Pullers
2nd Assistant Camera
Gaffer
Key Grip
Best Boy Electric
Best Boy Grip
G&E Swing
Key Makeup Artist
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