About

Project Overview Tender Heart Crusades seeks a talented documentary filmmaker to shoot, record audio, and edit a 5–15 minute short film for our Gospel & Soul Music and History Workshop at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. This short will be festival-ready and PBS-digital friendly, celebrating how Cleveland’s gospel tradition ignited soul, influenced rock & roll, and echoes in modern hip-hop and R&B. Story & Scope The film will trace the musical lineage of Cleveland: Early 20th Century: Great Migration spirituals, the Cleveland Coloured Quintet, the Shields Brothers Quartet, and the world-famous Wings Over Jordan Choir whose CBS broadcasts reached millions. Mid-Century: Gospel fueling rock pioneers like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose performance with Cleveland’s Olivet Institutional Baptist Church Choir helped shape rock guitar. Late 20th Century: Gospel’s DNA alive in the city’s soul and R&B boom (e.g., the Levert family) and the rapid-fire cadences of hip-hop (i.e., Bone Thugs-N-Harmony). Today: A thriving, cross-genre legacy, showcased through our workshop’s performances and commentary. The narrative unfolds through four facilitators: Dr. Obadiah Baker – Emmy-winning composer & Fulbright Scholar Alonzo Harris – Grammy-winning music director Vencott Palmer – music technologist & educator Rodney Hubbard – choir director & gospel historian Responsibilities Pre-production: Collaborate on a concise treatment & shot list that balances live workshop footage with historical context. Production: Film the workshop at the Rock Hall (interviews, live music, audience reactions). Capture Cleveland b-roll and key city landmarks. Post-production: Edit into a 5–15 min short with titles, color correction, sound mix, and music integration that meets festival and PBS Digital specifications. Archival Integration: Incorporate public-domain or licensed images/footage from the Rock Hall, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland Public Library, etc. Budget & Deliverables Flat project fee: $1,000 (all-inclusive) Covers shooting, audio, editing, and light archival integration (with our assistance on permissions). Final delivery: 4K or high-quality HD master + caption file + social media cut. Ideal Candidate Experience creating music or cultural documentaries, preferably short-form festival or PBS content. Skilled at single-camera production and high-quality audio capture. Strong storytelling instincts and ability to weave historical material into a lively, contemporary narrative. Comfortable working independently and meeting tight timelines. How to Apply Please send: A short proposal describing your creative approach. Links to relevant work (music docs, cultural shorts, or PBS-style pieces). Confirmation you can meet the $1,000 budget and project timeline.