Robert Harris – The Creation “Gamble” and “A Thin Blue Divide”

About Me:

My name is Robert Harris, and I’m a filmmaker, editor, and sound designer studying Video Production. For the past two years, I’ve worked at BYU–Idaho Radio as a Music Producer, and more recently the Senior Music Producer, where I’ve learned the power of storytelling through sound. I’ve always had a deep love for creating content, starting all the way back in elementary school when I made LEGO stop-motion animations. I hope to continue creating, whether that’s through video, audio, or whatever form storytelling takes next.

About The Projects

For my capstone project, I worked on two films: the fictional short Gamble and the documentary Thin Blue Divide. Gamble is an intense thriller about a man forced to gamble for his life; I worked as the lead editor and gaffer for that film. Thin Blue Divide explores real perspectives between the community and local law enforcement, and I worked as the sound designer on the project. These films pushed me to grow in completely different areas of filmmaking, one focused on creating tension, and the other centered on real stories using a documentary style.

Detailed Rational For Projects

Senior Project Case Study (1)Download

Gamble

Thin Blue Divide

How It Went

Working on Gamble and Thin Blue Divide gave me two very different experiences, and both came with their own challenges. On Gamble, most of our process revolved around harnessing the tension of the film, using very specific lighting and editing techniques. Our director had a very specific vision for how the film should feel, which made the editing process tougher at times. We weren’t always on the same page, and because expectations weren’t clear from the beginning, I ended up reworking sections multiple times.

Filming Gamble brought an entirely different challenge. Our director wanted to shoot everything in strict chronological order, which made our shoot days long, slow, and far less efficient than they could’ve been. We spent a lot of time resetting equipment for scenes that could’ve been grouped together, and by the end of some days, everyone felt the strain. As the gaffer, I also struggled sometimes to interpret exactly what the director and cinematographer wanted for lighting, which led to some inconsistencies.

Thin Blue Divide came with its own complications. Since the project depended heavily on law enforcement schedules, shoot times changed constantly. I wasn’t always informed about filming days, so I missed opportunities to record audio on location and had to work with whatever was handed to me later. There was also some confusion around roles during post-production. At one point, the editor stated he could handle the audio himself, even though that was my assignment.

The timeline across both projects became another major hurdle. Production delays meant post-production got squeezed into a much shorter window than any of us expected. I didn’t receive materials for Thin Blue Divide until about a week before the deadline, and eventually the director took over editing to finish the film on time.

What I learned

These projects taught me how important it is to communicate clearly, especially when a director has a strong vision. I learned firsthand that asking questions early can prevent hours of unnecessary rework later. Staying silent only leads to more confusion.

I also learned the value of speaking up during production. When we followed a strict chronological shooting order, our workflow suffered, and I realized how important it is to voice concerns before small frustrations turn into big ones.

From Thin Blue Divide, I learned how essential it is to stay fully informed and involved throughout the entire process. Missing recording days because of communication gaps showed me that relying on others’ audio isn’t ideal — and staying connected is critical. I also learned that clearly defining roles from the beginning prevents tension later on.

The tight deadlines taught me how important accountability is in a team setting. Even though the compressed post-production window was stressful, it helped me build stronger time-management skills and taught me how to adapt quickly when plans change.

Overall, these projects helped me grow in communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. They showed me how important it is for the editor and director to stay aligned, and they taught me lessons I’ll take into every future project.