DV magazine — March 2013
Elements of Style: Producing the Popular Web Series ‘Put This On’

Billed as a web series about dressing like a grownup, Put This On is the brainchild of series creators Jesse Thorn (@JesseThorn) and Adam Lisagor (@lonelysandwich). The show offers sartorial wisdom and guidance on men’s classic style with gentle wit, genuine knowledge and passion. As the writer and host of Put This On, Thorn lends his signature dandified style to the show, whose episodes are shot in Los Angeles, New York, London and Milan. Now in its second season, the series — and blog — came to life in late 2009 and quickly gained a dedicated following on iTunes and on the web, with episodes surpassing 100,000 views.

Series editor and season two director Benjamin Ahr Harrison (@BenjaminAhr) is equally inspired by classic men’s fashion, although he insists he’s not as insightful as Thorn. Based in Brooklyn, the NYU film school graduate shot the documentary feature Kadi in Kenya last year, has directed numerous music videos and commercials, and is a contributor to the “Down and Dirty” filmmaking boot camp and book series.

Shot primarily on the Canon EOS 7D, the series maintains a light footprint during production, using only a DP, producer and sound person. “It was a very lightweight production,” Harrison comments. “We mostly used the 7D, although our second camera in Milan was a 5D. A couple of backpacks, standard Canon lenses and, even though we ended up using a 1×1-foot LED panel in London, we did our best to work with natural light. That light footprint and use of natural light is something Adam established from the first episode, and it’s definitely something we wanted to continue.” (Read full story…)