1. Final Production
2. About Production
Brief Description:
A segment for the TV show behold that tells the story and history of Manresa Spiritual Renewal Centre in Pickering, Ontario.
Creative Problem:
How do I explain what Manresa Spiritual Renewal Centre is all about, but at the same time make an entertaining story?
Solution to the Problem:
One of my interviewees, Kathy Dempsey, solved this problem. She started as a retreatant looking for help and became a board member of the centre, and really *made* the story.
3. Title/Role: Producer, Camera, Editor
4. Process & Development
Picking Interviewees
The first step was picking the interviewees. My executive producer knew the director of Manresa, Fr. Henk Ban Meijel. He became my first interviewee, as he had extensive knowledge about the centre, its people, and, of course, relevant Catholic theology. My second interviewee came was Kathy Dempsey, a board member of Manresa who initially came to the centre for help with problems she had in her life.
The first step was picking the interviewees. My executive producer knew the director of Manresa, Fr. Henk Ban Meijel. He became my first interviewee, as he had extensive knowledge about the centre, its people, and, of course, relevant Catholic theology. My second interviewee came was Kathy Dempsey, a board member of Manresa who initially came to the centre for help with problems she had in her life.
Asking and Coming Up with Questions
To come up with questions, I had to strike a balance between being descriptive, but not so much so that I would overwhelm the interviewee. They are meant to be open ended, but ultimately, the goal is for them to share a personal story that is specific, but relates back to the general idea of the story. In this case, that idea was “Faithful renewal through solemn reflection.”
Filming B-Roll
To film B-roll for TV, I had to have a good eye for what would look good on screen, but also what was relevant to the story. I also had to make sure I had enough footage, but not too much, as it will overwhelm an editor. Most of my b-roll was from their 75th anniversary celebration in September 2024.
Filming Interviews
The main goal here is to be conversational. The interviewee should talk to the viewer as they are talking to you, calmly and with purpose. They may be nervous, or not know what to say, but important thing is that they are comfortable talking with you. One thing I learned was that asking “Is there anything else you would like to say” is a golden opportunity to say what they want while everything we had already talked about is fresh in their mind. This is where some of the best and most genuine answers come from.
5. Applications & Results
This was aired on Salt + Light Cable TV, as well as online on the streaming service SLPlus.
6. Credits
Gita Hosek (Executive Producer)
Dcn. Pedro Guevara-Mann (Supervising Producer)
Wally Tello (Camera)
Stephanie Blaquera (Production Coordinator)
Alessandro Adorante (Production Assistant)
Richard Valenti (Editor)
Dcn. Pedro Guevara-Mann (Supervising Producer)
Wally Tello (Camera)
Stephanie Blaquera (Production Coordinator)
Alessandro Adorante (Production Assistant)
Richard Valenti (Editor)
Images Courtesy of Manresa Spiritual Renewal Centre
