Filming "95 Theses"
Dates
Shooting took place on November 30 thru December 2, 2007. Pickup shots and rapping sequences were shot in April 2008.
Locations
With the exception of the opening sequence, the entire shoot took place on Yale's campus, mostly in Branford College and Saybrook College. The Gutenberg printing press (which is actually not period-appropriate) exists in the basement of Davenport College. The opening sequence in Wittenburg Castle Church was shot at Christ Church New Haven, an Episcopal Church with Anglo-Catholic tradition. Built from 1895 to 1898, the building was designed by Gothic revivalist architect Henry Vaughan.
Equipment
With almost all money going to costume rentals and dry-cleaning fees, the crew had to get creative with equipment. We shot the film in color on two Panasonic HVX200 cameras, using the cameras' fixed lens for all shots. Yale's Digital Media Center for the Arts (www.yale.edu/dmca) supplied us with a wide-angle adapter, which allowed us to create a "fish eye" look for certain shots. We obtained a single field lighting kit (small enough to fit into a suitcase), to which we added several dorm lamps. Normally, this would cast a yellow light on the action, but we knew our final product would be in black and white. Chris and Xander used Final Cut Pro for editing and color correction. No dolly or Steadicam was used. All moving shots were hand-held, then stabilized using Final Cut Pro's motion stabilization features.
Costumes
Most costumes were supplied by the Yale School of Drama. Martha Lehr, who supervises the costume collection, was instrumental in identifying specific pieces for us. Costume designer Alissa Wassung then combined individual pieces with her own inventory.
University Support
"95 Theses" was the recipient of the Peter Shutack Fund for Filmmaking, granted each semester by the Master and Dean of Saybrook College.