I just like picking up trash,” explains Stan Schenher, a resident of Fishers, Indiana who covers about three miles a day running (or walking since his hip replacement) and picking up litter as he goes. “Some people play golf. Some people play tennis or softball in retirement. I just like picking up trash.”

As part of 12 Stars Media’s ongoing One-Minute Movie challenge, members of our team were inspired to document Stan’s litter removal ritual. “The idea of a normal guy giving up his own time to go out and clean up trash was really compelling,” explained Joe Frank, our Director of Photography.

From Sketch to Screen

"Even though this is essentially a short documentary," says Joe, "we approached it more like a narrative film." By storyboarding every shot and even editing those sketches into a rough version of what they wanted the video to look like (called an animatic), the team was able to shoot only what they needed during their morning with Stan. "Having that singular vision throughout the process really helped this video come together smoothly," Joe explains.

The video, at only sixty seconds in length, serves as a reminder that narrowing the focus on one specific person often provides the most compelling story. People don’t connect with programs and policies. People connect with other people. And in the end, this video wasn’t just quirky and fun, but it also shared an important lesson. “If everyone did a little, no one would have to do a lot,” Stan states plainly.