Manufacturing Legacy is a passion project at Ivor Andrew. Our business runs thanks to clients who make tangible, world-shaping things, and the video series is a way we can give back in some small way. Now that we’re 8 episodes in, it seemed like a good time to publish a start-to-finish guide on how a Manufacturing Legacy video is made. Whether you want to begin a similar project, learn more about the creative process or simply watch some videos of cool stuff being made, keep scrolling.

STEP 1: FINDING THE NEXT STORY

The beginning of the process is completely organic. No matter what the episode will become, it all starts because one of us at Ivor Andrew really likes what someone is putting out into the world. In the case of Ryan Thomas Monahan, it started with an Instagram DM.

Dan Katayama, our technical content director, had followed Ryan on Instagram for years. And as it turned out, Ryan fit the Manufacturing Legacy criteria perfectly. He was creating something unique and he had an obvious hunger to be doing what he was doing. And as a bonus, he was in the Chicago area. We’ll go anywhere for the right story (including Japan), but it always helps when it’s nearby.

Here is Ryan talking about his transition as a career graphic designer toward making his passion a reality:

STEP 2: REACHING OUT

When Dan contacted Ryan, he included samples of past Manufacturing Legacy episodes to let him know we were serious. He also let him know that the project is 100% devoted to telling a cool story. After that, Dan ran through the process and let Ryan know how we plan to use the video. Finally, he set up a time to meet. He and Lawrence Matusiak, Ivor Andrew videographer, were onto step 3.

STEP 3: LOCATION SCOUT

The location scout is a crucial part of the process. This is where murky plans become crystal clear and a lot of different ideas come together to form a cohesive vision. The scout gives us an idea for lighting, framing, the type of equipment we’ll bring, how much room we have to work and whether or not certain areas or pieces of work are off limits. Most of all, it gives us an opportunity to clearly craft the story.

At the end of the scout, a shoot date is set. The next episode is officially a go.

STEP 4: PLANNING THE SHOOT

With Ryan on board and the date set, the video team plans the two to three days of shooting. “There are a few things we look to cement in our planning,” Lawrence said. “First, the overall goal of the piece is most important. For this shoot, we wanted to capture Ryan’s creation process and show his attention to detail. Next, we talk equipment. What gear do we need to bring? What do we already have, and what do we need to rent? Finally, we talk through cameras and movement. Which ones are we bringing, and what specific shots do we want to capture?”

STEP 5: THE SHOOT

After loading up the van with gear and making sure everything is charged, Dan and Lawrence drive to Ryan’s shop and get to work.

Camera gear and lighting are set up first. In this video, the guys decided on an orange look to give the shots a rustic feel. It added more character than typical LED or fluorescent lighting would have.
Lawrence also didn’t fret too much over lighting, and instead let Ryan inhabit his space naturally. This added to the overall authenticity of the video.
For camera angles, close-ups were essential to show the detail. Cantored angles established a darker, more atmospheric mood, and handheld shots made viewers feel like they were right there in the studio with Ryan.
On the lenses and lens filter side, this shoot needed macro lenses for fine detail shots and black pro mist filters to add some haze. This helps take away some of the digital edge that can be an eyesore when viewing online. And we can’t forget the vintage lenses, of course. There’s something beautiful about them, and that beauty translates in the overall language of the piece.
Other essential gear: full RGB spectrum tube lights to fine tune the lighting, Dana Dolly for push-ins and camera slides on Ryan’s intricate movements, and a Gimbal for quick, steady handheld shots.
Frame rates: 24 FPS, which is typical of cinematic film, and 120 FPS for the ultra-fine detail shot.
The guys also captured audio of Ryan talking about the process and about life, but this was used as a backup plan. And indeed, the final result had music and sound effects for audio; Ryan’s audio, as planned, turned out not to be needed.
At the end of the shoot, typically around 3 or 4 p.m. each day, Dan and Lawrence discussed what they got and what they still need to get. That night, footage is dumped and gear gets juiced up for another full day. Back at the office, Lawrence uploads the footage to the Ivor Andrew servers, organizes the footage, clears the memory cards, charges batteries and lights and checks the footage to make sure the shots are what he wants.

STEP 6: THE EDIT

With all footage in hand, it’s time to put the story together. With editing, the right pacing, mood, color, sound, aspect ratio and music all fall into place.

The initial cut lays the best footage out in a logical sequence. There’s also a rough run time set for the video (for this project, it was around 3 minutes). For the aspect ratio, we use a 2.35:1 to contain the frame, and we used a dirty film frame on this project to gel with Ryan’s grit and detail. Overall, the cinemascope aspect ratio gives the feeling that you’re watching a film. It’s just a much more compelling way to tell the visual story.

When it’s time to color, an initial color correction and color grade is made. This matches all the shots to each other, making it feel like they’re all supposed to be together. In deciding on the color of the video, Lawrence went with an orange, green and gold palette. The orange plays well with the rustic workspace, green added to the grime and helped establish an underground tone and gold revealed a hidden beauty beneath all the grit and grime.

Finally, the music. We worked with a freelance producer to score an original track that looks and feels like it belongs in Ryan’s world. The producer didn’t just create the music; there were also some subtle sound effects built into the track, disguised as musical notes. Lawrence shared multiple samples of sound he was looking for, and the producer implemented them from there.

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Thanks for taking a deep dive with us into the creation of a Manufacturing Legacy video. If you’ve read this far, you’re likely a filmmaker or someone with a real passion for creating unique and lasting things. For the filmmakers, hopefully you got one or two nuggets to add to your repertoire next time you’re on location. Keep shooting.

And for the other group, let us know if you know of a person or a company who’s ideal for the Manufacturing Legacy treatment. We’re always looking for interesting projects, and we’re excited to hear what you have in mind.

CONCEPT TO REALITY: THE MAKING OF A MANUFACTURING LEGACY VIDEO