Proposal for Arena Stage Video Assets
2025-2026 Season
Bio
Jacob McCoy is a filmmaker and multimedia artist specializing in cinematic video production for live performance, branded storytelling, and creative projects across all kinds of artistic disciplines. With a portfolio spanning documentaries, music videos, and large-scale events, Jacob has a good nose for the magic that brings stories to life and a knack for creating spaces where subjects can unfold organically. He is experienced in directing multi-camera shoots, crafting dynamic trailers, and delivering polished edits on tight timelines. He thrives on finding smart, resourceful ways to elevate a project—and is not afraid to climb under the table to find the missing puzzle piece that completes a vision.
Between taming complicated post-production workflows to deliver video for broadcast and solving highly technical audio challenges on the road with international touring acts, Jacob has built a career on technical mastery and adaptability. These foundations set the stage for producing commercial and branded content, as well as short independent documentaries, for clients like the Sydney Opera House, National Sawdust, Bard College, and a growing roster of performance ensembles. Ultimately, for Jacob, it’s all about turning challenges and uncertainties into really cool stuff—delivering work that surprises, connects, and reminds you that magic exists.
Approach
Your marketing team’s analytics insights, past successes, and strategic goals for each production form the foundation of my approach. My goal is to translate these objectives into authentic visual storytelling that reflects Arena Stage’s brand and resonates with your audiences.
I’m always eager to get involved early in the production process to discover what meaningful content we can create to build anticipation for a show. This can mean capturing stylized video during the official photoshoot to create advance promos, documenting process moments in rehearsals, workshops, and technical runs, or gathering behind-the-scenes footage that reveals the creative journey.
The goal is to weave these elements together in a way that both informs and intrigues audiences—showing not just what’s coming, but how it’s being made and why it matters.
Pre-Production:
Production:
Video & Audio Production Spec Overview
Primary Cameras: Three 10-bit Sony bodies with a wide selection of lenses for various stage and lighting needs.
Supplemental Cameras: Three 8-bit camera bodies for additional coverage and creative angles.
Preview Shoot Setup
Center-Wide Angle: One 10-bit Sony camera at the back of house for a comprehensive stage view.
Telephoto Tracking: A second 10-bit Sony camera with a telephoto lens to follow main action and highlight key moments.
Third Angle (Flexible Use):
Audience Reaction: Static wide to capture the front row and side angle, focusing on crowd engagement.
Stage Line Operator: Dynamic operation for close-ups of performers and tighter audience shots.
Additional Coverage: Three 8-bit cameras for unique perspectives, creative cutaways, and supplemental audience shots.
No-Audience Shoot: Creative Opportunities & Workflow
A no-audience shoot offers a unique chance to capture the performance in ways that aren’t possible during a live preview. By returning to the stage the next day, we can focus on specific scenes or moments that deserve extra attention, and approach them with a more cinematic eye.
Audio Capture
Board Feed/Multitrack: Audio is captured directly from the sound engineer’s board feed or as a multitrack recording, ensuring clarity and fidelity for the main performance audio.
Room Microphones: Supplemented with strategically placed room mics to capture stage action, crowd response, and to infuse the board feed with natural, authentic ambience.
Result: This approach blends the precision of direct feeds with the immersive quality of live room sound, delivering a balanced and engaging audio experience that matches the visual storytelling.
Editing & Deliverables:
Official Trailer:
Editing for me starts with a close listen—I build every trailer or promo as a sound-first piece (maintaining video sync in my workflow), letting dialogue, lyric, or underscored moments sketch the emotional arc. This “radio cut” gets to the heart of the material, pacing out questions, tension, and surprise. I then layer in the visuals that amplify those ideas: striking performance shots, details from design, glimpses of the space, and flashes of audience reaction.
From the base-cut, I’ll adapt further edits to fit whatever platforms we need to target:
60- and 30-second trailers, both horizontal (widescreen) and vertical (for Instagram & TikTok)
Bite-sized 8- and 15-second ads or teasers (with or without sound)
I will account in the schedule to have finalized cuts of the official trailer ready within 24 to 48 hours of capture. If the team wants to test, tweak, or iterate during the run, I’m flexible; I can adjust edits or generate new versions on short notice as feedback or analytics come in.
Supplemental Material:
Supplemental content is where we can loosen the format and get creative. These pieces can be produced at nearly any point—before the run, during rehearsals, or alongside performances—and are designed to keep the show in the audience’s feeds and on their radar.
This category could include:
Short, social-native edits for stories, reels, or quick-share posts designed to cross-promote on various platforms
Behind-the-scenes featurettes that offer a peek at the rehearsal process, design builds, or the camaraderie backstage
Documentary-style glimpses or mini-profiles on cast, crew, or creative team members
Quick-turn mini-docs or process videos following the development of a particular element or theme in the production
These pieces can respond to what’s happening in real time—if something in tech, rehearsal, or even in the community is relevant, we can quickly turn it around and get it out there. There’s no fixed playbook here; the supplemental track is about staying nimble, responding to the evolving story of the production, and giving audiences more ways to connect with the work before, during, and after the run.
All supplemental materials are provided in formats best suited to their intended platforms
Archival / Long-term:
All the materials—full-resolution exports, project files, raw camera media, synced audio, graphics, and edit decision lists—are delivered in organized, easy-to-revise packages. No hunting for old footage or unused b-roll if your marketing needs shift down the line. My goal is to empower your team: you get the assets, the means to re-edit, and a transparent workflow built for revisit and remix long after the premiere.
Ballpark Fees
Estimated Total Per Production Range:
$3,500–$10,000 (final cost depends on project scope, number of shoot days, and deliverable complexity)
Fee Breakdown
Production Rate (with gear):
$1,500/day
This rate includes all necessary camera, sound, and lighting equipment.
For consecutive shoot days where gear can remain onsite, the rate can be prorated to reflect reduced load-in/load-out time and logistics.
Editing Rate:
$85/hour
Editing hours are estimated in advance based on the required deliverables (trailers, promos, social cuts, etc.), so costs remain predictable.
Pre-Production/Discovery Fee:
Covers site visits, rehearsals, and tech attendance to understand the production and plan the shoot.
This can be a flat fee, adjusted for the level of involvement required.
Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) Coverage:
When capturing BTS or rehearsal content, a smaller camera package can be used to minimize production costs, ensuring efficiency without sacrificing quality.
Portfolio
Video Production Reel
directed and/or captured & edited.
Teasers, Trailers, and Promos
Case Study: We Don’t Need the Sea to Drown (Swoon Clip)
in the Swoon clip, produced for We Don’t Need the Sea to Drown, I created an elegant process video that began with a movement interview—a methodology for deriving the libretto for the finished work—and then introduced footage of singers performing music that utilizes that specific libretto in a workshop setting.
The result was a highly effective short clip that:
Illustrated how the piece was built from community interviews and movement language.
Showcased the artistry and level of performance audiences could expect.
Went beyond standard marketing content to tell a deeper story about the creative process.
This kind of experimental storytelling not only promotes the production but also draws audiences into the heart of the creative journey, making them feel connected to both the process and the final performance.
directed • Captured • Edited
Case Study: Super Second Rate
For Leah Coloff’s one-woman show, Super Second Rate, I filmed a morning rehearsal in a small black-box space—creating a simple lighting plot and production design that would also be used for the preview performance that evering.
In the edit, I started with a piece of music central to the show, using it as the thread for a “radio cut.” I layered in emotional moments, comedic beats, a sampling of the show’s range—posing questions and framing the story’s stakes, but leaving enough unsaid to stir curiosity.
The result was a trailer that:
Showed key rehearsal and performance moment
Set an emotional tone while hinting at the story’s big questions
Invited audiences to see the show, rather than giving too much away
Like the Swoon piece, this process-driven trailer went beyond pure promotion—connecting viewers to both the creative journey and the heart of the work.
directed • Captured • Edited
Case Study: End of the Weak MC Challenge World Finals
I set out to create a short trailer that would speak to both long-time fans and newcomers. The MC Challenge has deep roots in New York but now draws competitors and audiences from around the world.
The trailer quickly traces the event’s 20+ year history, then brings viewers up to speed by introducing this year’s international roster of MCs. Footage captures not just the artists but the energy of the venue and the NYC backdrop. The edit moves fast—mixing archival moments and fresh faces—culminating in a direct challenge for viewers to experience the finals live.
The result:
Nods to the legacy and origins of the MC Challenge, connecting with longtime followers
Spotlights the new competitors and global community
Builds hype around the event, the venue, and New York itself
Ends with a clear invitation for audiences to be part of the experience
This trailer blends legacy, discovery, and atmosphere, giving both loyal fans and first-timers a reason to show up.
directed • Captured • Edited
Music/Performance films
Mass for the
Endangered
Phoenix Chorale invited me to capture their immersive performance of Mass for the Endangered by composer, Sarah Kirkland Snider, featuring the visual accompaniment of Deborah Johnson. This piece explores the production and presentation of these contemporary works at the Phoenix Art Museum.
Directed • Captured • Edited
The Gauntlet:
Sydney Opera House
The Gauntlet is a one-of-a-kind nonlinear choral experience that I’ve been documenting since it began in June 2016.
Directed • Captured • Edited
Goshu Ondo
In the fall of 2018 I Captured Choral Chameleon’s collaboration with jazz pianist and composer Eri Yamamoto. In this piece, Eri and choir director, Vince Peterson, shed light on the creative process behind the collaboration.
Directed • Captured • Edited
Au Movement
Visual accompaniment for Choral Chameleon’s Au Movement Series.
in late 2021 when in-person concerts were still touch and go, Choral Chameleon opted to create a visual accompaniment for their fall programming that could be enjoyed by remote audiences. I directed, captured, and edited this 5 song series.
Directed • Captured • Edited
ARchival Performance Capture
Not for Me to Say
For Alexandra Alden
Directed • Captured • edited
Amelia Found
For Sxip Shirey & Coco Karol
Directed • Captured • edited
When god Lets My Body Be
For Choral Chameleon
Directed • Captured • edited