Full Implant Choice | Short Case Study Documentary

Dr. Hogan was looking for a video that, in his words, “Didn’t suck.” He had mentioned that crews who had shot with doctors he admired had sent him samples of videos that he thought were “Corny”, and he didn’t see the value in spending what they were asking for something he didn’t like.

He saw my documentary on Logan Lee and told me that he loved the style and how it was more real than the more traditional commercials he’d seen. He spoke of a patient he was going to be seeing in the near future, James, who had an incredible story.

At a homecoming party, an older man assaulted him, breaking most of the bones in his upper body and separating his jaw from his skull by throwing him off of a second story balcony to get to a young girl in the room. With the help of his friends, he was able to stop a sexual assault, but lost his ability to eat correctly, speak, smile, and much more.

Dr. Hogan and I created a plan for me to fly out to Virginia Beach and shoot an interview with James as well as some relevant b-roll and his surgery, then interview Dr. Hogan and document the technology in his office. A few months later, I’d return and film a post-operation interview with James in which he’d tell me about his new life since the operation and a dinner party that Dr. Hogan hosted so that James could eat an expensive steak with his new teeth.

The shots I took in Virginia were inspired by the cold climate, emotionally vulnerable people I met, and large, stagnant ships in the distance. I try to put effort into making the b-roll more than just establishing shots, it should make the location a character in itself, a metaphor for the patient’s progress. I find it more fun to shoot that way and it keeps each video unique and chock-full of detail.

I shot this film alone with my producer assisting with budget and lodging. I operated a Blackmagic Pocket 4k and used Sennheiser G3 lav microphones for sound. Our lighting was a Dracast LED 3-light kit as well as an Astra 4x on second trip. I colored and edited the film in DaVinci Resolve and worked on the audio in Izotope RX as well as Fairlight.