🎬 Behind the Scenes: The Foundation Table — A Night of Friendship, Film, and Feminine Power

By Jean Gray

📸 All behind-the-scenes photography by Jean Gray

🎥 Directed by Donald Perattis

✨ Created by Melyssa McPulse

There’s a sacred hum that vibrates behind the camera — an invisible current that carries every creative heartbeat in sync. You hear it in the shuffle of cables, the clicking of tripods locking into place, the soft laughter between takes. It’s not noise; it’s rhythm — the pulse of purpose moving through a team of artists all chasing the same light.

On October 10th, I joined that rhythm, stepping into my role as a Production Assistant on The Foundation Table, a docuseries created by the visionary Melyssa McPulse and directed by Donald Perattis. Episode 7, “The Fixtures of Friendship,” filmed in the heart of Detroit, explored themes of connection, emotional restoration, and the transformative power of authentic dialogue.

This project wasn’t just a production — it was an experience in intimacy, storytelling, and womanhood.

🍷 The Vision: Turning Conversation Into Cinema

The Foundation Table is not your typical series. It’s a space where women gather around a table set like an altar — warm, golden, intentional — and engage in deep, restorative dialogue. Each episode feels like therapy and art colliding: an intimate dinner filmed with cinematic grace, where every glance, every pause, every shared story becomes a brushstroke in a larger portrait of healing.

The theme for this episode — Friendship, Connection, and Emotional Restoration — set the tone for everything: from the lighting design to the emotional flow of the conversation.

The room glowed with low amber hues. The black silk tablecloth shimmered under the lights. Framed photos of family and memories stood quietly among dishes of roasted chicken, baked macaroni, and fresh green beans. The décor told its own story — one about legacy, love, and the comfort of shared meals.

It wasn’t just a set. It was a sanctuary.

🎥 Behind the Lens: The Direction of Donald Perattis

Watching Donald Perattis work was like witnessing a sculptor carve light out of air. His direction carried both discipline and ease. He didn’t command the set with volume — he led with vision. Every detail mattered to him — not just how something looked, but how it felt.

He reminded us all that the goal wasn’t to perform, but to be.

Under Donald’s direction, the set became a sacred place of storytelling. His eye for texture, light, and emotional rhythm gave the entire project a cinematic pulse — something that felt both documentary-real and visually transcendent.

I learned so much watching his process: the quiet authority it takes to lead creatives, the way patience creates better art than pressure ever could. His directing was less about control and more about allowing — allowing the story to breathe, the women to unfold, and the crew to contribute.

✨ My Role: Holding the Pulse of Production

As Production Assistant, my job was to anticipate, adjust, and assist — to be both hands and intuition for the production team. I coordinated props, maintained flow, managed timing, and helped balance the energy in the room when things got hectic (as they always do in real film work).

But beneath the logistics was something more personal.

Working behind the scenes reminded me that every great creation depends on invisible hands. The people who tape cables, adjust plates, dim lights, and whisper cues rarely get applause — but they are the heartbeat of every frame that makes it to screen.

There were moments when I paused, mid-task, and simply looked around. The sound of quiet laughter from the table. The shimmer of camera monitors showing close-ups of women sharing truth. The smell of food warming under soft lights. It was art, alive in motion.

And I was helping make it real.

🎬 The Cast: Friendship as Foundation

The women seated at the table weren’t just participants — they were mirrors of modern sisterhood. As the conversation deepened, they peeled back layers of life, love, motherhood, and purpose.

There was laughter that filled the room like sunlight, followed by pauses heavy with truth. One moment felt especially sacred: a collective silence after someone shared something vulnerable — the kind of silence that doesn’t need to be broken because it’s full of understanding.

In those moments, I realized The Foundation Table wasn’t simply about capturing conversation. It was about restoring faith in connection itself.

It reminded me of something I’ve learned through my own work with women in art and movement — that we heal best in circles, not lines. Around tables. In shared space. In truth spoken out loud.

📸 Capturing the Story Behind the Story

I made sure to capture every behind-the-scenes detail through my own lens.

Each photo tells its own story:

The organized chaos of production equipment — laptops, SD cards, ring lights, and camera rigs. The golden glow of the table before guests arrived. The director leaning over to adjust a frame. The softness in someone’s face right before the camera rolled.

Photography, for me, has always been a form of reverence. It’s how I document the energy that can’t be described — the way intention feels in the room. My photos from that night are visual poetry: proof that what happens behind the camera is just as beautiful as what plays out in front of it.

💡 The Technical Symphony

The equipment setup was its own ecosystem. Tripods locked at precise angles. Monitors flashing live feedback. The Ulanzi lighting system bathing everything in honeyed tones. The steady hum of a MacBook and iPad tethered together, streaming real-time footage.

The air buzzed with purpose — organized, creative chaos.

Every light adjustment changed the mood. Every shift in framing redefined focus. Production is a living experiment in cause and effect, where the smallest change can transform the entire emotional temperature of a scene.

Watching it unfold reminded me of sewing — a craft I know intimately. Both demand patience, structure, and faith that small, deliberate actions will one day reveal a masterpiece.

💬 The Meaning of “The Fixtures of Friendship”

The title of the episode struck me deeply. Fixtures — things that stay, things that hold, things that light the room even when we forget to notice them.

Friendship is like that. The bonds that endure through seasons of silence, success, or struggle are the fixtures that anchor us. As I moved between camera setups and table resets, I reflected on my own friendships — the ones that became lessons, the ones that became family.

Working on this project wasn’t just about production; it was about reflection. It showed me how film mirrors life — how our creative work often forces us to confront our own truths.

💫 The Afterglow

When filming wrapped, the set fell quiet. Plates half-cleared, glasses smudged with lipstick, candles flickering low. The laughter had faded into the walls, but its energy lingered.

I sat for a moment, camera still in my hand, and exhaled. The exhaustion was real — the kind that comes after creating something meaningful. But so was the fulfillment.

That’s the paradox of creative work: it drains you and fills you in the same breath.

As the lights dimmed and we began packing up, I realized I’d experienced something sacred — not just another gig, but a gathering of souls. I wasn’t just assisting production; I was helping to build a legacy of women’s storytelling in Detroit.

🎞️ Credits

Project: The Foundation Table – Episode 7: “The Fixtures of Friendship”

Created by: Melyssa McPulse

Directed by: Donald Perattis

Production Assistant: Jean Gray

Photography: Jean Gray

Location: Rooftop Lounge, Detroit, Michigan

Theme: Friendship, Connection & Emotional Restoration

🕯️ Reflection

Every creative journey has chapters. This one reminded me that I’m not just a dancer, designer, or writer — I’m a storyteller, even behind the scenes.

Sometimes the divine asks us to play supporting roles in someone else’s vision, not as a demotion, but as preparation. Working under Donald’s direction and Melyssa’s concept expanded my understanding of production as both art and ministry — the act of turning emotion into film, and conversation into legacy.

I walked away from that night grateful, inspired, and reaffirmed in my purpose: to help women see themselves as art. Whether through movement, fabric, or film — the mission remains the same.

Creating. Healing. Witnessing.

And that’s exactly what The Foundation Table gave me — a seat, a story, and a reminder that sometimes the most powerful position isn’t in front of the camera, but behind it.

✨ Read more creative reflections, behind-the-scenes features, and upcoming projects at GraciousJean.co.