Notes from the field: How we told the story of “Morgan’s Wonderland”

By the Jynx Productions Team · 3 min read

Morgan’s Wonderland is the world’s first ultra-inclusive theme park - a place where disabled and able-bodied kids and adults have fun side-by-side. The idea was conceived 12 years ago by Gordon Hartman - a regular Dad of an autistic daughter. Through sheer determination and grit, he created the park that now attracts over 100,000 people annually to its San Antonio, TX location

We pitched the story to one of our clients, and they very quickly commissioned a 12 minute mini documentary about  Gordon and the park. We were thrilled but also a little nervous. We wanted to make sure we would capture the vision behind the park, the character of its dedicated employees and the loyalty of its guests; the essence of this magical place.

This is how we approached this very special project:

As always, we began our work with a thorough phase of research and discovery. The team dug in and began gathering as much information as possible so we could to identify all the key individuals at Morgan’s; they would inform the direction that we’d follow to chase the most compelling storylines.

This crucial step allowed us to develop a deep understanding of the subject matter, and made sure the final film would be as authentic, engaging, and thought-provoking as possible. Of course, real life situations that you can’t predict happen on  shoots, but the discovery phase allows us to build a nearly solid production wish list.

As always, we began our work with a thorough phase of research and discovery.

The team dug in and began gathering as much information as possible so we could identify all the key individuals at Morgan’s; they would inform the direction that we’d follow to chase the most compelling storylines. This crucial step allowed us to develop a deep understanding of the subject matter, and made sure the final film would be as authentic, engaging, and thought-provoking as possible. Of course, real life situations that you can’t predict happen on  shoots, but the discovery phase allows us to build a nearly solid production wish list.

Following the discovery phase, we moved on to pre-production! At this point, all relevant team members, including the producer, director of photography and post-production supervisor. We assessed the scope of the project (based on our discovery notes) and started to map out everything we’d need to bring the story to life; which gear we’d need to pull from our own gear closet, and what (if anything) we’d need to rent. In order to decide which cameras, lenses and lighting kits we’d need, we discussed the number of locations, the times of day we’d be filming and how many setups we could achieve within our time constraints. We talked about likely audio scenarios and made decisions about the equipment we’d need. The Post Supervisor began to make a plan around the editing resources we’d need to commit for the project. To illustrate the historical elements of the story, we decided to bring on our trusted motion graphics artist to start working on some animations.

With all of our resources in place, it was time to liaise again with our contacts at Morgan’s Wonderland to find the best dates to film, we set the calendar, booked travel and hotels, secured locations. Then, BOOM! We moved into Production and the crew set off to San Antonio. ✈️ 

Right away, our trip brought an unexpected touch of excitement with a celebrity sighting at the San Antonio airport 😳 (Chandler couldn’t stop glowing). And of course our crew dove into the city's delicious local cuisine upon arrival- bonus.  

Trinity the Tuck with Chander at the San Antonio Airport

Dinner is served at Pinkerton’s BBQ.

On location, our team scouted the perfect location within the park for what is often the first step in our production process:  Conducting the primary interview. We set up two cameras and a slider and prepared to interview park founder Gordon Hartman.

Given that we had a limited 60-minute window, our producer had to make sure to elicit the most engaging and informative responses during the interview - these answers would form the basis for our story.  Good thing our team has extensive experience, having conducted hundreds of interviews over the years, and knowing how to get people to open up and tell that anecdote that will make the film so much better.

The rest of the day played out as usual, Chander had some fun flying the drone. She captured some lovely aerials. Our producer, by nature) loves to ask LOADS of questions, and took every opportunity to talk to guests throughout the park to get snippets from happy theme park goers for the cut. Finding random people and eeking out emotional comments on the fly happens on every shoot, intentionally so. It’s a news technique we employ to bring spontaneity and authenticity to our documentaries. If you approach people the right way, they tend to be very happy to share their story!

Following the interview, we captured b-roll footage as Gordon and his daughter Morgan explored the park and conducted some meet and greets with visitors. Our team is particularly fond of impromptu moment and situational interviews, so our producer seized the opportunity to ask Gordon a few questions while they strolled through the park. Despite the time constraints, this candid footage gave us some of the best content in the final documentary. We were able to provide viewers with a few truly authentic, off the cuff moments.

We realized that the park was much busier than the day before. Busy always looks better! So we filmed more b-roll and talked to a few more guests. The ferris wheel at night time seems like a great potential ending shot! 

On shoot day 2, we arranged interviews with some employees. Sometimes, in this line of work, you just get lucky, as we did with Ashley, who was just an absolute joy to work with and very talented in front of the camera.

Back home, magic began to happen in the edit suites! More about that in a later blog post! If you’re interested in seeing how it all turned out, here’s the segment we produced for the magazine show Galileo on the ProSieben network:

🎬 🎥 🎞️

For almost 20 years of award winning production, Jynx Productions has specialized in presenting life as it unfolds to viewers across the globe. Our team of experienced production professionals is passionate about telling the kinds of authentic stories that leave a lasting impression on audiences. And, we’re proud to know our our work has sparked curiosity and joy, and has entertained millions of people. 

Our clients cover a spectrum of industry sectors. We're always interested in building new relationships, showcasing our services, and we welcome opportunities to talk about collaborations