7 Cylinders Studio is your creative engine for videos that move people. We create customized video projects for clients to share their stories, strengthen their outreach strategies and communicate more effectively. 7CS also produces independent documentaries.
Donald Harrison – Lead Producer | Director
Donald started 7 Cylinders Studio in 2012 and serves as lead producer & director, working on client projects in all aspects of production, strategy and outreach. As an independent filmmaker he’s produced and directed the feature documentary—Welcome to Commie High—which was nominated for a regional Emmy award and broadcast over 1,500 times nationally on PBS. Since launching 7CS, Donald has produced over 500 client videos and short films, including There Went The Neighborhood, which kicked-off the Ann Arbor District Library’s “Ann Arbor 200” bicentennial project. He’s taught film & video courses at the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University and lectured at many universities in the U.S and England. Donald served as Executive Director of the Ann Arbor Film Festival from 2008 – 2012, expanding the organization’s audience, outreach, donors, sponsors and staff through its historic 50th season. He worked and studied at Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco (2001-2006) and received a bachelor of arts in social psychology from the University of Michigan (1995). Donald is also a co-founder & co-chair of independent Film Festival Ypsilanti (iFFY).
Toko Shiiki – Director of Photography
Toko’s strong cinematography and video production skills guide most projects for 7 Cylinders Studio. Born and raised in Japan, Toko Shiiki spent most of her life in Tokyo before moving to Michigan in 2005. Toko’s pursuit of using photography as a narrative medium inspired her to explore documentary filmmaking, where she delights in meeting fascinating people and sharing their stories with the world. She exhibits her work nationally and internationally, and has earned multiple awards like The International Photography Awards. Toko’s feature-length debut Threshold: Whispers of Fukushima and the sequel film “Over The Sky”, chronicled how Fukushima residents weathered the 2011 nuclear power plant disaster. Her short documentary A Thousand Pebbles on the Ground was nominated for a regional Emmy award and broadcast over 900 times nationally on PBS. She is a programmer and board member of independent Film Festival Ypsilanti (iFFY) and lead singer of the band October Babies.
David Camlin – Editor
David started working with 7 Cylinders Studio in 2014 as a freelance editor and field producer in Michigan. Now David leads editing for 7CS from his home base in Portland, Maine. From the smallest client videos to 7 Cylinders Studios’ feature documentaries, he has literally seen it all and ensured each project’s success. As an independent filmmaker he co-produced and edited El Lobo y La Paloma, an hour-long performance video exploring loss, connection and ancestry. His current feature documentary, We Are The Warriors, has screened at numerous film festivals and won multiple awards. After graduating from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine (2007), David produced and edited independent documentaries that were screened in regional theaters and on the television stations of Maine Public Broadcasting Network.
Isabel Ratner – Associate Producer
Isabel helps move all 7CS projects forward, which involves project management, producing, administrative and sometimes production support. Raised in Ann Arbor, Isabel studied documentary film at Oberlin College, and worked as an assistant producer for StoryLens Pictures, where she produced films to promote social change and equity. She is currently working on a short documentary about the relationship between liberal arts colleges and their working-class union employees.
Studio Collaborators
7 Cylinders Studio regularly works with a motivated network of
skilled freelance professionals in the greater Ann Arbor area and beyond, including:
David Meiklejohn (editor) – portfolio on Vimeo
Shannon Kohlitz (animation, videographer) – kohlitz.com
Nelson Gast (audio recording) – nelsontgast.com
Sharad Patel (filmmaker, videographer, motion graphics/FX) – krop.com/sharad
David Fienup (audio recording, sound mixing) – soundopolis.net
Invisible Engines (graphic design for print/web, branding/strategy) – invisibleengines.com
Steve Rich – Attorney at Law with specialties in non-profit and arts/entertainment
Advisory Board
Professionals who provide support, consulting and advice to 7 Cylinders Studio, include:
Tom Bray – Converging Technologies Consultant at University of Michigan
Jeremy Lopatin – Professional EOS Implementer
Amy Nesbitt – Performing Arts Consulant
Martin Thoburn – independent Multimedia Artist
Recent Comments