04/18/2025
April 18th marked the 250th anniversary of Paul Revereās legendary rideābringing back great memories of working on one of my favorite projects: A&Eās Biography of Paul Revere.
We filmed reenactments at iconic historic sites like the Revere House, Old North Church, the Tea Party ship, and more. We even captured b-roll of the USS Constitution in dry dock, revealing the copper Revere himself supplied for its hull.
Making those reenactments look cinematic using BetaCam was a challenge. One trick I borrowed from St. Elsewhere: taping vellum over windows for a soft, timeless lightāthat conveniently blocked out the 20th century distractions outside.
A few things we learned along the way: Revere never yelled, āThe British are coming!āāmost colonists still considered themselves British. He likely said, āThe Regulars are coming!ā And he didnāt finish the rideāhe was captured in Lincoln, while William Dawes and Samuel Prescott carried on the warning. Revereās legend didnāt take hold until Longfellowās 1861 poem "Paul Revereās Ride."
