Crafted to Last is a cinema verite style film. No script, no staging beyond a couple of chairs where a pair of people from the brewery sat and talked about beer, brewing, state law, and city ordinance. In only 3 cases did someone from the MN Craft Beer Project have to sit in to complete the pair. I talked with Joe Pond (Olvalde Farm and Brewery) and Juan Nazario with Ted Marti (Schell’s Brewery) and Dustin Brau (Brau Bros Brewing Co.).  The background sounds are those of breweries and pubs. The bird song at Olvalde Farm stands out from the fans and compressors more typical of the other breweries. The video was also unstaged. This is how breweries, beer festivals and tap rooms operate, move and grow in real time. Even if the time has been compressed with time lapse and progression techniques, all of this really happened as it happens when the cameras are not there to capture the everyday action. 

The use of a conversational format rather than interviewers let us tap into some of the personal and professional chemistry between the people from each brewery. Ultimately it gave SpitBall what he needed to weave an audio track that is essentially a wide ranging discussion about the state of craft beer in Minnesota, the nation and the world expressed in 36 distinct voices from across the state and around the corner. These are your neighbors that brew the beer you enjoy.