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Ben Garvin
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Editorialfor PBS NewsHourMinneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota

Behind the lens: shooting two stories for PBS NewsHour in the Twin Cities

Two days, two national stories, one show I grew up watching.

Behind the lens: shooting two stories for PBS NewsHour in the Twin CitiesWatch on YouTube ↗
Jeffrey Brown, Lena Jackson and me with St. Paul as the backdrop. Brown recorded a video message for my mother. She has watched it more than once.

I grew up watching the NewsHour, so getting the call from producer Lena Jackson to shoot two stories with senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown was a quiet thrill. I am a Minneapolis freelance videographer, which mostly means national shows call me when the story is here and they need someone who already knows the rooms.

The first story was about how small Twin Cities arts organizations are handling financial pressure. We filmed at TaikoArts Midwest in St. Paul, at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, and sat down with Laura Zabel of the Creative Change Coalition. The second was a profile of Suzanne Jackson's retrospective at the Walker Art Center, a show of enormous acrylic paintings that hang free in the air. Capturing their scale and transparency on camera was the best kind of visual challenge: move slowly, light from behind, let the work do the talking.

My kit for both days was a Canon C70 as the A camera and an R5 C as the B camera, with an R5 as a third angle for the sit-down interviews, portable softboxes, wireless lavs, and a DJI Air 3S for a few aerials of the river. Lena edited and produced both pieces. I shot.

If you are a producer who needs a DP or a multi-camera interview crew in Minneapolis and St. Paul, this is what a typical two-day editorial booking with me looks like. I travel, too.

TaikoArts Midwest in St. Paul. Brown took a turn on the drums. The drummers were polite about it.
TaikoArts Midwest in St. Paul. Brown took a turn on the drums. The drummers were polite about it.
Suzanne Jackson: What Is Love at the Walker. Free-hanging acrylic paintings, lit from both sides. A fun problem.
Suzanne Jackson: What Is Love at the Walker. Free-hanging acrylic paintings, lit from both sides. A fun problem.

More from this project

Experimental artist Suzanne Jackson celebrates decades of work in new exhibitionWatch on YouTube ↗
Experimental artist Suzanne Jackson celebrates decades of work in new exhibition The second segment, shot at the Walker Art Center.

More work

All work →
Still from a New York Times video story shot in Minneapolis by Ben Garvin
Editorial · The New York Times

Covering the Minneapolis ICE surge for The New York Times
Ben Garvin filming NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg at the Westminster Town Hall Forum in Minneapolis
Client work · Westminster Town Hall Forum

Exploring ethics with the Westminster Town Hall Forum
An interview being filmed outdoors at the Minnesota State Fair as crowds walk past the 4-H Building
Client work · Minnesota 4-H / University of Minnesota Extension

A campaign video for Minnesota 4-H and the State Fair building everyone loves