Marvin Baker Schaffer

A Family Documentary

A documentary on the life and times of a family patriarch.

Marvin Baker Schaffer grew up in Brooklyn, New York during the Great Depression. He served in World War II, married and raised a family, and traveled across the world. In his career at RAND Corporation, he designed the first body armor for use by the Secret Service following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and toured Vietnam during the war as a consultant.

The stories about his life, told in his own words, is preserved for his family and their future generations.

Production

The original edit files from a previously produced assembly cut was corrupted that necessitated a rebuild in Final Cut Pro X. New footage was shot and family photographs was cataloged. Historical photographs were added to accompany the narrative.

The visual elements were color corrected and cropped. In the style of Ken Burns, photographs were composited to create a moving image effect. Title cards were used to identify the subject matter. Music cues representing different eras was incorporated in the final cut.

A DVD and Blu-ray with chapter markers was produced.

Tools

Canon T3i (Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens), ZOOM H5 Digital Audio Recorder, Audio-Technica AT875R Short Condenser Shotgun Microphone, Lavalier Microphones, C-Stands (custom-built from PVC pipe), Fancier FC-270A Tripod / FC-02H Head, Final Cut Pro X (Mac), Handbrake (Mac), Photoshop (Mac).

Credits

Starring
Marvin Baker Schaffer

Directed by
Richard Tur
Jill Turek

Produced by
Jody & John Jacobs
Leslie & Girma Belay
Merri Nelson
Chandra Jacobs
Kassa & B’rouck Belay
Micah & Dane Nelson

Camera
Charles Perry
Richard Tur

Sound
Luke Fedoroff

Editor
Richard Tur

A Cinefina / Post Script Company Production