Digital Video magazine — November 2011
‘Made by Hand’: Keith Ehrlich’s Web Series Captures American Craftsmanship

“The Distiller” features Brad Estabrooke, founder of the Breuckelen Distilling Co. and the first gin distiller in New York City since Prohibition. Frustrated with his day job, Estabrooke wanted to take his life in a new direction and decided to start his own company after reading about newly relaxed regulations for small distilleries. Accompanied by beautifully shot footage of the distilling process, Estabrooke talks about starting a business from nothing and the imperfect process of perfecting a craft.

This six-minute documentary is the first in a series called Made by Hand, which celebrates the people who make things by hand — sustainably, locally and with a love for their craft. When director Keith Ehrlich — or  keef, as he’s known in the commercial industry — first conceived of the series, he wanted it shot on film so it would continue that handmade ethos, but quickly found that going digital was the only way to make the project work. “This project came from the need to do something more personally expressive,” Ehrlich explains. “I wanted to make films about people using analog technologies, and I wanted to do it in an analog way, but ultimately we decided to go the DSLR route.  ‘The Distiller’ was the first  time I had shot in DSLR format, and while it’s obviously not the same as shooting with full, professional gear, in many ways it’s better.”

Ehrlich made his first steps into digital filmmaking almost ten years ago with the Sony VX100. “At the time, I thought it was revolutionary.  Most people now think of it as a toy. But it’s a tool, and in the right hands it can do amazing things,” he says. “When we first started talking about what this series was going to look like we asked, how do we make films that are cinemagraphic and speak to the language of storytelling? How can we make something that’s maybe a little different than what people expect documentaries to be? At the same time, when you’re dealing with people who are knife makers or gin distillers, who aren’t used to being on camera, it’s important that you come in with a small crew and minimal gear, that you aren’t crowding their space.” (Read full story…)