Putting Freedom in Focus
Go behind the scenes of GDP’s short film for this summer’s DNC convention.
What can you accomplish in 11 days? For a team at Godfrey Dadich Partners (GDP), it’s: agree to produce a short film on the topic of freedom and deliver it for broadcast during the 2024 Democratic National Committee (DNC) convention.
GDP’s relationship with the DNC began in 2020, when the agency first expressed interest in contributing creatively. Cut to early August of this year when Kamala Harris emerged as the presumptive nominee, reigniting the conversation. And now fast forward to August 21, the third night of the convention, which saw the premiere of American Family | A Film About Freedom, directed by renowned photographer Platon and GDP CEO, Scott Dadich.
With this achievement, Platon and Dadich join an elite roster of filmmakers: Spike Jonze (Her) made a convention film for Al Gore in 2000; Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) produced shorts on Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012; a Hillary Clinton video for the 2016 convention was produced by Shonda Rhimes (Bridgerton).
Spotlighting Everyday Americas
When GDP learned the theme of freedom had been decided for the third night of the convention, ideas around a short film began to flow. After noted photographer and longtime Dadich collaborator Platon entered the picture, it was decided that the story should focus on “everyday Americans” reflecting on freedom. The project was greenlit on Thursday afternoon, August 8, giving the team just 72 hours for pre-production, casting, and creative planning.
“In that very short piece of time, we had to organize a venue to shoot in, but, most importantly, find, vet, and cast dozens of ordinary Americans who were willing to donate their time, who would pass a background check, and be good on camera,” remembers GDP executive producer Paula Chowles about the casting checklist.
The GDP team’s editorial reflexes kicked in to meet the tight turnaround. Chowles, who had been a broadcast journalist in South Africa, relied on her news experiences to help steer from Los Angeles. Head of Editorial Marcus Wohlsen and a team of project managers and editors helped vet participants. “It was a whole-community approach,” says Dadich about tackling the accelerated time frame. Inspired by the assignment, former collaborators, friends, and family volunteered their time and talents to help.
Steve Mosier, still from the film.
A casting call posted in kyu’s New York Slack channel that Sunday caught Steve Mosier’s attention. SYPartners’s studio manager (and Michigan native) wasn’t sure he’d fit the bill — but raised his hand.
Lights, Camera, Platon
Filming commenced on Monday at Brooklyn’s Hook Studios. Efficiency and hospitality were top of mind for the busy production team, to accommodate a workflow that included arrivals, welcomes, pre-interviews, wardrobe and make-up. Dadich and Platon had decided that the interview portion of the film would be in black-and-white to hold attention “on the narrative, on the individual and their words,” so two sets operated simultaneously: one for filming, the other for color portraiture.
Given the timeline, it helped that the two co-directors already shared a 25-year partnership. “We creatively see eye-to-eye in ways that allow us to be very direct and very honest with each other,” says Dadich about Platon. This could include asking for another take, or even signaling via a nod or raised eyebrow: “We definitely have a very deep shorthand.”
Providing a happy and comfortable set was a must for Dadich, who wanted the environment to reflect the professionalism of the cast. “We really needed to be warm and welcoming but inclusive and careful,” he said. “We took very seriously the devotion and volunteerism of our subjects to come in and share their stories.”
Scott Dadich on set. Credit: Rachel Elkind.
Keeping an Eye on the Clock
The team captured 23 hours of footage; paring it down to mere minutes was another GDP feat. “Have you cut away too much here, or is there enough over here to render the shape of it?” says Dadich on working the footage as if it were a block of marble. “Will people identify with and respond to the shape of the story that you’ve found?”
It took more than 80 hours of editing and post-production (including color correction, motion graphics, and scoring) to produce five minutes of film, with little respite or second-guessing in between. With just about 24 hours to spare before airing, a cut was delivered on Tuesday, August 20, to the DNC for review. Remarkably, remember Chowles, their DNC partners “had no notes.”
The final nail-biter would be on Wednesday, the third night of the convention, when the film was scheduled to debut. With programming running long, it was not clear when or even if the film would unspool; scheduling overruns on Monday night had already pre-empted a Biden short film. GDPs gathered to watch in New York and San Francisco; Mosier was with family in Michigan.
“I got chills,” recalls Dadich when American Family aired. “I watched everybody around the table and watched their reactions. I was totally speechless.”
For Chowles, the experience was “very celebratory, but also surreal,” while Mosier found it deeply personal. Reflecting on his late mother, who “would have put effort in to make sure we were doing our part,” he says he “literally, broke down.”
THE STORY IN NUMBERS
GDPs involved in the production: 16
Total number of applicants: 315
Length of footage captured: 23 hours, 23 minutes, 33 seconds
Hours of post-production and editing: 80
Time between delivery and airing: 25.7 hrs
Total viewership of convention night 3: 20.2 million
Source: GDP, Nielsen
L-R: Co-director Scott Dadich, executive producer Allison Johnson, co-director Platon, executive producer Keith Yamashita, and first assistant director Jon Mintz. Credit: Rachel Elkind.