> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thelibrary.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Documenting Transformation for the San Diego Rescue Mission
- URL: https://www.thelibrary.studio/san-diego-rescue-mission/
- Published: 2021-10-02T22:42:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T23:26:21.000Z
- Author: Matthew Q. Nelson

### Using Storytelling to Hit Nonprofit Fundraising Goals

  
The **San Diego Rescue Mission** reached out to me to create a documentary series focusing on three alumni of the mission. Our approach was to film each graduate at three to four locations relevant to their story, ranging from where they experienced hardship, to their recovery at the mission, and finally, to where they are now. The goal was to highlight the incredible success stories of those whose lives were transformed by the rescue mission.   
  
With the help of these films, the rescue mission successfully met its annual fundraising goals. They distributed the documentary series across social media platforms, showcased them at in-person donor viewings, and shared them via donor email campaigns.

**Behind the Scenes: Lamont's Story**  
I started rolling the camera and simply followed Lamont onto the bridge, purposely trying not to interrupt his moment of reflection. What resulted was a genuinely honest moment that felt incredibly special in the final edit.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0e/de/0edec9ed-b7b4-4e72-8b9d-5055f05719d2/content/images/2026/10/6457faa4a9194fcf6676c03a_SDRM_Almuni-Series.jpg)

**Workflow**  
The videos were shot using a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K paired primarily with two Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lenses: the Panasonic Leica 15mm f/1.7 and the Panasonic Leica 50mm . The Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2 and 8-18mm f/2.8 were also used for a few select shots.All audio was recorded using a RødeLink Wireless Kit and a Zoom F6 32-bit float recorder, with a Sennheiser ME64 mounted on the camera for ambient sound.We captured most of the footage in a single day. Starting at 9:00 AM, we traveled to three or four different locations. For the scene with Lamont on the bridge, we took an afternoon break and waited until evening to capture that final segment.  
  
**Post-Production**  
Everything was shot in 12:1 Blackmagic RAW (BRAW), imported into DaVinci Resolve to fix exposure and color temperature issues, and then exported as Apple ProRes 422 files for editing in Final Cut Pro. If I noticed any color discrepancies during editing, I would simply adjust the original BRAW file and export a new ProRes file.