We couldn’t have been more excited for our first shoot. It was both nerve-wracking and thrilling. From South Florida to Montana, the crew met face-to-face in the small town of Des Moines, Iowa.
It was -4ºF. The Floridian director was not prepared for how the Iowan cold bit her fingers. Opting for dexterity, she left her gloves at home, but a stop at Target for winter wear was necessary because no one can operate a camera with frostbitten fingers. Oh, the joys of on-location shooting!
We flew in on January 21st and rented a car that was far too small. We loaded up the mid-sized SUV, and to fit 4 crew members, luggage and camera equipment, the petite director had to be scrunched as far forward in the passenger seat as possible. The crew hit it off from the first game of baggage-Tetris — a great start to a great week!
When we arrived at the clinic the next morning, the director had another reason besides her chair’s acute recline to hold her breath. The facility she had researched for months was standing before her — Mid Iowa Fertility.
We filmed an interview with Dr. Cooper, Mid-Iowa Fertility’s reproductive endocrinologist, and then donned scrubs, caps, and boots to enter the laboratory where we filmed an actual embryo biopsy.
The biopsy was one of those events that even months of research could not fully equip one to witness. Few experiences are as striking as the insertion of a needle into the membrane of an embryo or the extraction of cells from its delicate structure.
Our director of photography revealed in the car on the way back to the hotel that unplanned things like that are the reason he chose to create documentaries.
On our second film day, we made the two-hour trek from Clive, Iowa to Gretna, Nebraska where we met the Yoder family.
This couple told their fertility journey through laughter and tears. They rode an emotional roller-coaster trying to have children, and their embryo adoption story is powerful. But you’ll need to watch the series for the details.
The crew, having only meet virtually until this trip, fell into a smooth and effortless workflow. We captured cinema gold.
Our next shoot will be in sunny South Orange County, California where we will be speaking to another couple and multiple experts in the field. Stay tuned.
“The City of Newport Beach” July 2014 photo by Don Ramey Logan
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For truth,
The Lucidity Pictures Crew