About the Project: The Marriage of Figaro: Behind the Scenes was a documentary created about what went on behind the scenes during the production of Kansas Wesleyan University’s 2010 opera performance of The Marriage of Figaro. This was one of the first documentaries I created during my media production career, and it required me being involved in a number of different activities and planning meetings–not only with the creation of the documentary itself, but with the filming of the actual performance as well.
The documentary is twenty-five minutes long, and includes interviews with the actors, musicians, coaches, set designers, and directors of the opera. They reflect on the challenging aspects of the opera, most memorable moments, the roles that were required from students and those organizing it, and so on. Footage comes from the regular and dress rehearsals of the opera, creation of the set, dressing rooms before opening night, live set changes during the actual production, studio interviews, and photos submitted by Kansas Wesleyan University’s art professor.
My Roles: For this project, I did all the pre-production planning, filming, interviews, and editing of the documentary. I was also involved in filming the actual stage performances during the two nights that the show was put on for the public.
Equipment Used: Canon GL-2 Camcorder (Mini DV Tape), Canon XL-1 Camcorder (Mini DV-Tape), JVC Everio HD Palmcorder, lavalier mics, Final Cut Pro 5, iDVD.
The following video includes short clips from the full length documentary.