The problem
It was COVID. Lincoln Design Co. couldn't get out to see clients or go to the things where they'd normally meet people, and a design studio that nobody visits is a quiet place. So we made a show.
What we did
The Chop Up. Fifty episodes of the team at a desk with two mics and a laptop, talking about the work: Filson, Stihl, LD Axes, whatever was on the table that week.
Two kinds of camera. They liked shooting on GoPros. I showed up with a cinema camera. Instead of arguing about it, we used both, so the show looks like a studio that makes nice things and also skateboards through the shop.
Stay out of the way. The studio had real work to do, so the rule was that the cameras were always rolling and never in anyone's path. Most of my directing was putting on music, cracking a joke, and waiting for them to forget I was there.
Ship every week. Fifty episodes teaches you that a good episode out on Tuesday beats a perfect one that never posts.
What happened
Fifty episodes, one consistent voice, and a public record of what it looks like inside a good design studio while the work is still messy. It also changed how I shoot: fast, light, and comfortable with a little chaos.
