A family's sense of mission brings desperately needed health and medical aid to Sierra Leone's poorest of the poor.

This film was shot entirely on a Sony A7s II with no lights, tripod or crew, just me as director - DP. For my day job, I work with full size crews and camera packages (Alexa, Red, etc) for TV and commercials. But this project, took place in the bush of one of the poorest countries on Earth. The entire camera / sound package had to fit in a small back back and never leave my sight. For sound I used a Rode Video Mic Pro for almost everything and a Sennheiser G3 kit for interviews. For glass, I used a Canon 24-105 and a Rokinon 20mm Cine as well as a full set of Tiffen White Water 77mm Filters and BW Polarizer.

Initially, I ran with a Movcam cage and top handle as well with Wooden Camera handgrips and an F&V Spectra 4.3" on board monitor. But after a few hours, I realized the paramilitary look of the camera attracted too much attention and undermined my subject's candidness, I stripped it down to just the camera body, metabones E mount adaptor, lens and Rode Mic and used the camera's EVF or LCD. It's amazing how a small change in gear, changes people's behavior around you. If I came in with a proper "pro" rig, I would've been mobbed at every turn.

For settings, I tried the EOS Pro Settings. Big mistake. Contrasty and red. Fail for sunny conditions and skin tones. You'll can easily see which shots used that. I then switched back to my reliable Cine 4 settings with black level pushed up, magenta down, sharpness all the way down, etc. Despite the settings mistake, it was definitely a blast and a learning experience.

Post was done on FCPX. With the latest updates, I find this to be the best doc editing software out there. Took me a while to make the switch but once I figured out the language, it saves me at least 30 % more time over Premier or Avid. Transcoded A7s II 4k footage to Pro Rez LT to cut and finish on.

Anyway, enjoy the film.