MCCALL

With the production of each of these videos, we had to think about some of the essential components that make them, them. McCall has interest for so many different things, but creative expression through dance is at the very top of the list. She currently goes to school in NYC studying dance, and was able to come out to film on a break. At FŌRMA, one of our fundamental loves is the community, and want to collaborate with like minded artists, at all times. EVQ, a local dance studio in Denver, off Broadway was gracious enough to let us use their space for filming. The incredible energy of the space is mind blowing. There are fascinating little details- inspirational quotes on the walls and hand crafted benches that make EVQ truly unique and special. Its an honor to have a relationship with the EVQ team, and they were beyond helpful and allowed us to arrange and use anything we needed to accomplish the mission. Upon arriving the morning of the shoot, the plan became clear that one of the first shots would be of McCall opening the beautiful garage door.

So we are inside, all set up and so excited for the garage door to open…It does, and everything goes perfectly. All the way until the door reaches the top, and in the background is a place with brazen, bold red lettering ruining the shot. There are things on the journey that are unexpected, and given this is our 3rd video, it is still the beginning to learn what to look for. We also learned about the importance of B roll, angles, and again, the batteries. Quite a bit of time was spent discussing shot lists and story lines, but McCall was only in town for a few days, so all the voice recording and shots had to be completed quickly. Ultimately, it was beautiful because it kept the product so organic. In the interviews, the option of  reviewing the questions prior to was removed-  in an effort to keep things raw and vulnerable. And guess what- it worked.  Chelsea worked out the haircut on the spot. McCall had never shaved her head before, and her insecurities began to creep out. She had a nervous energy, (no pressure Chelsea) as she watched all the hair fall to the floor and her scalp was slowly revealed. “There’s literally no better feeling than when a person looks in the mirror for the first time after a transformation, because you experience all of their anxiety and the build up, and then you also get to watch them love how they look while they connect to the newest version of themselves in awe.” Chelsea says.

Next came the editing, and we really started to pull together as a creative team. It was back down to the basement to get comfortable. The process was slightly smoother than last time, Ben is truly the best. He is the definition of patient, and connected to our mission. Without that, none of this would have been possible. Upon finishing each project, there was always a concern that someone would change their mind about sharing their story. Thankfully, this hasn’t happened yet, and this part of the process makes these amazing human beings even more inspiring.

Due to all the drama with the first launch, research began on how to approach it differently and more effectively. The launch date was picked, a shorter Instagram clip was created, and we even checked out the moon in hopes of any and all help for things to go smoothly. Once again, there is so much gratitude for you supporting this journey. Nothing is fun if you have no one to share it with. Well maybe a few things are, but that’s for another blog… Thanks again!