Camera Operator, Producer & Editor

In 2018, I filmed David Crosby & Snarky Puppy at the Granada Theater. On paper it was a live performance capture. What made it more interesting was figuring out how to make the footage feel as atmospheric as the room actually did.
I started experimenting with freelensing during the shoot, pulling the lens off the camera body to introduce blur, focus falloff, and a slight tilt-shift feel in camera. It gave parts of the performance a dreamier edge without losing the energy on stage.
I also spent time on the audience. Not just coverage, but reaction shots that could carry some of the emotional weight between performance moments. That mix of stage detail and crowd response helped the final piece feel less like straight documentation and more like being in the room.

• Filmed the performance at the Granada Theater with a mix of standard coverage and more experimental in-camera passes.
• Used freelensing, or lens whacking, to create blur and tilt-shift artifacts in camera instead of adding that feeling later in post.
• Captured audience reactions to give the piece emotional context and let the room itself become part of the story.

Granada Theater

Camera Operator, Producer & Editor - Patrick Flaherty