‘Rosen 4 Mayor’ Campaign Film
Launching a dark horse candidate’s mayoral campaign through a message of unity and love of place.
The Ask: Develop a campaign film to launch Mike Rosen’s candidacy for Mayor of Edmonds, Washington in a way that taps into residents’ love of their city and communicates his platform through feeling instead of fact.
The Idea: Anchor with a vision of what Edmonds could be like every day, and capture the city’s essence through an exploration of its many neighborhoods and postcard-worthy views.
My Role: Narrative development, producer, director, cinematographer, editor and colorist.
Mike Rosen has been many things throughout his career, and serving as the Mayor of Edmonds is the goal for his next chapter. When he asked if I would develop and direct his campaign film, it was easy to say yes.
As a longtime mentor of mine, I know Rosen would thrive in the responsibilities of the role, and I wanted to do everything possible to help him win it. Even if that meant getting involved in politics for the first time. Neither of us brings years of political campaign experience to the table. We both believe in the power of a good story, though, so that’s where we started.
Multiple discovery sessions created a foundation for our narrative and refined the communication of Rosen’s platform, and we took a documentary approach to production to capture it in a genuine way. The result is a campaign film that shares Rosen’s vision for Edmonds and his embrace of the city’s residents as neighbors, not numbers.
Credits:
Produced by Mike Rosen and Nate Kalaf
Director, Cinematographer, Editor and Colorist: Nate Kalaf
Drone Operator, G&E: Peter Harvey
Location Consultant, PA: Ralph Sanders
Special thanks to Peter Harvey of Reef Combers Studios for providing camera, lighting and grip packages.
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Track: "Before Dawn" by On Earth