A Message From the Producer:

Three Reasons Why You Need an
Experienced Correctional Production Company
To Produce Your Videos

1) YOU NEED A GOOD REPRESENTATIVE In my experience working with 
administrative staff, correctional officers and correctional educators from Texas, New 
York and Florida; you have a real opportunity when you send a production crew to work 
with them. If you handle the situation correctly, they are glad you came, feel appreciated, 
and feel like they have been fairly represented - and they have even more of a personal 
investment in your programs.  

However, I have also learned that some personnel, especially correctional officers and 
security, have good reason to be cautious of unknown visitors.  And if they feel people 
who don't respect procedures might threaten security, they can be on the defensive and 
choose not to cooperate. This is also due to the "60 Minutes Factor" - they see a camera 
crew and sometimes wonder if they are being investigated or maligned in some way. 
Therefore, it is crucial to deal with these issues well in advance of showing up at the 
facility. I do that by prior communication with the Warden or Administrator, then ask 
that person to make first contact with whoever heads their security. I follow up by 
contacting security and providing crew background information, equipment checklists 
and production schedule details in advance and assuring them that our crew understands 
security issues and will not cause them any problems. What this all boils down to is 
making sure that the people at the facility realize that I and my crew are "on their side," 
and that we are there to make them look good, not cause any problems. In that way, by 
the time we actually show up we have a fair chance of proving ourselves.

Of course, that is when the rubber hits the road - when we show up at the gate, we have 
to demonstrate that we are, in fact, patient, cooperative, friendly and trustworthy. In my 
experience working with correctional facilities, once you gain at least a little trust from 
the people who work there, they will really open up and be extremely cooperative and 
helpful. I have met some very fine and likeable professionals and made some good friends 
when doing field production in correctional institutions. 



2) YOU NEED A PROFESSIONAL CREW Field production in a correctional facility 
takes some special skills. The crew needs to be flexible, adaptable and creative. 

You need to be able to get your crew and gear through security checks and searches in a 
cooperative manner. That means timing your production so as not to conflict with shift 
change traffic, and planning your schedule in advance around count times and meal 
times.  We also provide security with a detailed equipment checklist, which they always 
appreciate because it makes everyone's job easier.

And once inside the gate, it means being able quickly set up, light and dress what are 
often stark environments to provide a visually pleasant interview environment. It means 
being able to document classroom, vocational training and counseling activities with a 
minimum of intrusive activity. It means being sensitive to security issues and not 
videotaping gates, fences or anything else that might cause a problem. And possibly most 
important, it means helping those persons on-camera feel relaxed and comfortable about 
being videotaped so that your footage has a natural, believable quality. 

3) YOU NEED A CREW WHO UNDERSTANDS CORRECTIONS And it is 
especially in interviews when our experience pays off. I have interviewed, on-camera, 
hundreds of administrative staff, correctional officers, correctional educators and inmates. 
One of the compliments that is most often paid to me is how relaxed and comfortable our 
interview subjects feel - how they felt it was easy talking to us and that they really enjoyed 
the experience, often after substantial reluctance. I talk with staff and inmates in a way 
that helps them realize that we truly understand their issues and empathize with their 
situation. When a person opens up on-camera and speaks from the heart, it is obvious to 
anyone who sees the results, and makes the value of your training programs credible and 
differentiated.

Please call me to discuss any projects that you are considering - I will be happy to offer my 
thoughts and suggestions regardless of whether we do business.

Lex Mathews