It goes without saying that the days of Donald Trump’s term in office were some of the most controversial ever witnessed. A three-part documentary recently released on Discovery+ called Unprecedented chronicles those final months of his presidency, with footage detailing everything from the campaign trail to the crucial hours leading up to the January 6th insurrection. Along with documentarian Alex Holder (of AJH Films), Atlantic Television’s crews captured it all.
In the massive undertaking that the project called for, Atlantic was up to the challenge, handling all crewing & equipment needs as well as assisting with production logistics while AJH films managed the creative direction and secured interviews. With Atlantic’s network of crews across North America, along with state-of-the-art equipment, our built-in infrastructure made the entire shoot and its process a breeze. It was our crews that exclusively interviewed Trump and members of his family and administration, liaising with the Secret Service ahead of filming said interviews, as well as all other original footage.
Filmed over the course of a year—from 2020 to 2021—Atlantic had a dedicated production manager for day-to-day management, which proved challenging given the ever-alarming presence of the pandemic at every turn. Our crews, as always, took extra precautions to ensure safety, not only in protecting high-profile subjects but also in protecting themselves at large rallies where many others were unmasked.
Atlantic’s Director of Photography was there from the beginning, traveling to various locations across the U.S and capturing it all on the Sony Venice. Outside of usual spots like Trump Tower in New York City, the White House in Washington, D.C., and Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, we also shot in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Scranton, Omaha, Boston, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles. At every stop, we provided local crews consisting of sound operators, gaffers, swings, grips, camera assistants, production assistants, hair and make-up artists, lighting equipment, and G&E trucks. Our DP even was there to capture footage of the insurrection itself—in fact, it was this very footage that was eventually subpoenaed by the January 6th committee in their investigation of that day’s events.
Watch Unprecedented on Discovery+, and check out exclusive behind the scenes photos below.
