Capital – spec trailer
Based on real interviews with the men and women on Capitol Hill, Capital is a new political drama about the brave congressmen that opposed the 2008 bank bailout. These congressmen stood up against the combined powers of Wall Street and Washington D.C. and risked their political careers. Heroism is not about knowing you can win a fight, it’s about fighting because you know your fight is right.
Capital tells the story that has, thus far, remained untold.
THE PROBLEM
The writer/director of the Capital show came to us, looking for a production company to partner with him to film three scenes from the pilot episodes and create a teaser trailer to be used in fundraising for the show. In reading over the script, we were fascinated with the story and genre, and agreed to join the project. We put together a budget for filming and post-production, and started the process!
The script was already written, so we discussed with the director what he was looking for in locations, cinematography, and casting. Much of the story takes place in and around the Capitol. The director chose to intentionally focus the spec trailer on a handful of scenes that took place in a home environment. These scenes exemplified the heart of the story and introduced the lead congressman. We were able to focus the locations around one home and a vehicle, which allowed us to stay within a limited budget for the spec trailer. We used other TV shows and films to build references for the look and style of the project. We were excited to get started!
THE PROCESS
For casting, the first actress we brought on board was Stephanie Parker as the wife. Her breadth of acting ability and her natural poise would be convincing as a Congressman’s wife. Her daughter Charlotte did an outstanding job in our previous film “Small Moments,” and was the right age for the role of the daughter in this project. We also needed to cast a leading man who could play the US Congressman. Stephanie helped connect us with Brooks Ryan (from the pro-life film “Unplanned”) for the role. We brought this potential cast to the director and after a Zoom call with everyone, he agreed and we locked in our cast!
For the location, we wanted a midwestern home with a large fireplace, functional kitchen, and girl’s bedroom. After looking at many locations in the Dallas area, we broadened our search to southern Oklahoma, and found a large home with rooms that matched the direction for the film. The fireplace as the main fixture in the living room, large kitchen with open walls for filming, and multiple bedroom options was a perfect fit. We were grateful to find an excited host that agreed to allow us to film!
We then moved into designing the art elements for the scenes focusing on the backstories of each character. Wardrobe included a standard suit for the Congressman, a functional and muted gray sweater for the wife, and pajamas for the daughter.
For decor in the house, we added additional bookshelves, end tables, and props to build out the rooms for each scene. We brought lamps, picture frames, and wall art to help achieve a more lived-in environment.
The daughter’s bedroom was created in the end of the master bedroom, which had beautiful bay windows, creating an elegant feel for her space. The main color we used was pink to emphasize her youthful and feminine spirit. Using a combination of a box spring, air mattresses, a tufted headboard, along with a pink gathered comforter, we created her bed. We borrowed or purchased the additional night stands, toys, stuffed animals, and bookcase to fill in the “set.”
The kitchen showed the leftovers from the daughter’s birthday party that the Congressman had missed due to business in Washington. We kept the girl-ish theme in the colors of the lemonade, dishes, party decor, and cake.
For the living room set, we leaned into the focal point of the fireplace, using blacks and warm browns in the surrounding decor of lamps, vases, and books. We chose muted reds and greens for some of the accent elements on the bookshelves. The large entertainment center was covered with framed photos, emphasizing the Congressman’s love and value of family.
THE PROject
After several days of packing props and gear, we loaded up and headed to southern Oklahoma! Our crew arrived in the afternoon, and we spent that evening doing camera tests, lighting preparations, and decorating the three sets. After working late our team hit the sack eager for the big day.
Andrew Smith was the gaffer, creating the cinematic narrative lighting for each scene. Using a variety of references, Andrew worked with John-Clay to create the warmth of a midwestern home. The bedroom was motivated by the nightstand lamp, the living room motivated by the fireplace, and the kitchen was cooler lighting, emphasizing the Congressman’s frustration of missing his daughter’s birthday party.
Hunter Starnes came on as 1st AC, and John-Clay operated the camera and was Director of Photography and AD. Benjamin Burnett was in charge of sound and Kimberlie McCutchen came as Art and Catering Assistant for Sarah, who was Producing and in charge of Art and Catering.
Since we needed it to be dark outside for filming, we had an afternoon call time, with our cast joining us for lunch. Brooks and Charlotte shared the first scene, giving emotional and heartfelt performances. John-Clay interacted with the director, making sure we were getting the takes that would work together in the edit.
We moved to the kitchen scene next, using a slow pull-back from the cake…into a wide shot establishing the scene. After the wide, we moved for close-ups. Following this scene, we had a BBQ dinner for the crew, filmed the car mini-scene, and then filmed multiple angles for the living room scene, taking time between angles to make sure the lighting and set filled in around the cast.
On the technical side, we filmed with the Canon C70, which had the dynamic range we needed for low-light scenes, and also for filming in a moving vehicle and show the passing terrain while focusing on the actor inside the vehicle. We were not able to turn on the fireplace, so we created a flickering orange light to mimic real flames.
In post-production, John-Clay brought the edit together, telling the moving story of the emotions this Congressman was facing, and the impact his stand would have on his family. John-Clay then took the edit to the director, discussing changes and adjustments to help the film meet the director’s vision. Color grading and sound helped tie it all together into a finished piece that the client loved!
Response
We were so grateful for the opportunity to work on a narrative historical piece with such a fascinating and intriguing storyline! We hope someday to see the whole series get greenlit for production!
If you have a product, service, or mission you want to share with others, let’s talk about how video could be the best investment to grow your impact.
2021 Year In Review
2021 was exciting for us to get back into production in more full-swing! From promos, to filming theater productions, to even narrative work, our production company worked on a variety of different projects. John-Clay also worked as an editor and colorist on a variety of national projects, including a theater-released documentary. Here’s a look back at some highlights from 2021!
2020 Year In Review
2020 was a challenging year for all of us. We were excited for so many projects early in the year, and then spent a lot of time postponing or rearranging those projects. Thankfully, we were still able to serve many clients, sharing their stories, and seeing changed lives. John-Clay also worked as an editor and colorist on a variety of projects, including a feature film. Here’s a look back at some highlights from 2020!