Between the crowded rows of colorful men’s shirts, an AG-AF100 large imager HD cinema camcorder pans the store, capturing the scene inside the Men’s Fashion Center in Washington, D.C.
Behind the camera stands Ben Crosbie, director of photography, on location of the documentary Fate of a Salesman. The independent documentary profiles Willie Carswell, owner of Men’s Fashion Center, as he struggles to keep his head above water and his beloved store alive. For 60 years, the store has witnessed the transformation of Washington, D.C., including the recent gentrification of its own H St. neighborhood. Now Willie’s fading clientele threatens to close the doors forever.
“This film is about capturing the transition of a neighborhood and this store’s survival within that evolution,” Ben said.
This independent documentary was shot exclusively with the AF100.
Ben and his wife Tessa Moran own Eidolon Films, a full-service documentary film production company based in Washington, D.C. Passion is what drives this husband and wife duo, as they work mostly with non-profits. The AF100 allows them to focus on projects that tug the heart strings and bring awareness to different issues.
As a small business owner, Ben treats each purchase as an investment in his company. He was excited when he heard about the AF100 and its list of features, portable size and affordable price.
“We preordered it right away,” Ben said, “and have been very happy with its performance ever since.”
Ben especially enjoys the AF100’s professional audio capabilities, shallow depth of field, high-resolution color LCD monitor and lens interchangeability. “With just one reach into my pocket I have a whole new camera,” he said.
Ben and Tessa have been producing content for about four years now and their work has been screened online, at museums, cultural centers and even before members of Congress. In the fall of 2011 their documentary, Keeping the Kubbitz was featured on over 70 PBS stations nationwide.
Recently their work with the AF100 has included promotional videos for Georgetown University and a mixture of short films such as 73 Cents, a story about one woman’s fight for patient rights after the death of her cherished husband.
The AF100 has proven to be a good investment for Eidolon Films.
“It makes shooting for clients easier and I have a lot more confidence when I shoot,” Ben said. “It’s afforded me a lot of creative freedom and produces amazing quality imagery.”
Up next he hopes to broadcast Fate of a Salesman on PBS, and he and Tess are in the early stages of making a documentary on the anti-science movement in America. They plan to use the AF100 in their future passion projects.
For more information on Ben Crosbie:
For more information on Fate of a Salesman:
http://www.eidolonfilms.com/indies/
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