5 Cities, 5 DPs, 1 Brand Campaign — How Sara Kissane Pulled It Off

The brief was deceptively simple: "We need the same interview setup in five cities, all shooting the same week, all looking like they were shot in the same room." New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles. Five cities, five DPs, five audio techs, five identical lighting setups. One week.

This is my favorite kind of challenge.

The Standardization Problem

The hardest part of multi-city production is not finding crew — it is making sure the output looks consistent. Five different DPs with five different gear packages will produce five different-looking interviews unless you standardize everything upfront.

I built a shoot spec document that locked down every variable: camera model (Sony FX9), lens (24-70mm f/2.8), lighting setup (two Forza 300Bs at specific power and angle), background treatment (solid gray, 8 feet behind talent), and framing (medium close-up, rule of thirds, eyes on the upper third line).

Crew Selection

For a shoot like this, I go to staff crew first. Our W2 DPs have shot this exact setup hundreds of times. They know the standard. Karl in New York, Nate Silverman in Atlanta, Nate Galluppi in Dallas, EJ in Chicago, and Zach Reed in LA. Five cities, five DPs I have worked with personally, all carrying matching gear.

Audio techs came from our freelance network — all rated 4.5+ with verified wireless lav kits.

Execution Week

Monday: New York wraps clean. Karl sends me frame grabs — they look exactly like the spec. Tuesday: Atlanta and Dallas shoot simultaneously. Both match. Wednesday: Chicago and LA close it out.

Five cities, five days, ten crew members, zero reshoots. The client's editor told us it was the most consistent multi-city footage they had ever received.

That is what happens when you have a platform full of vetted crew, standardized specs, and coordinators who have done this before. Let us coordinate your next multi-city production.