Filming an Episode of Body Cam - Investigation Discovery

A few years ago, I was hired to film an entire episode of the TV show Body Cam. The show features real police incidents, combining actual body camera footage with interviews and reenactments. The episode I worked on covered a police chase that took place just north of Atlanta.

The shoot took place over two days. The first day was spent filming interviews, and the second day was for the reenactment. The car chase reenactment was by far the most fun part. We recreated every moment of the pursuit and filmed it handheld in a documentary style. I was in the cars with the officers, capturing footage as they acted out chasing down a suspect. You could tell the officers were really into it. I think being part of a TV production was a highlight for them, and their energy made the day even more enjoyable. At the end of the sequence, I filmed a shot where both officers drew their guns on me and walked toward the camera. It was a really fun day.

Here’s a sample of the reenactment I put together:

Here I am in the back seat of a cop car with my camera.

One thing I learned during the interview day was the importance of a good backlight. The show's interviews are shot against a black backdrop, which can be a problem when your subject is wearing a dark uniform. In this case, the officers were in dark blue, so they nearly blended into the background. I used a backlight to help separate them from the backdrop, but I realized I really needed something more powerful. Ideally, the production should have avoided a black background entirely, or at least made sure stronger backlighting was emphasized. But since this is a long-running show, maybe it’s just part of their established look.

Overall, it was a unique and enjoyable experience, and I learned a lot from it—both in terms of technical lighting and working on fast-paced reenactment shoots.