Rehoboth man reflects on co-producing ‘Hamilton’ movie

Rehoboth Beach producer Chris Rouchard, who also spends professional time in New York City, has been working as co-producer on “Hamilton” the movie since June 2016, and it is now available for everyone who has Disney Plus.

The movie hit the streaming service July 3, just in time for 4th of July weekend. Although the movie was originally supposed to hit theaters Oct. 15, 2021, the pandemic caused the executive team to make the decision to present it over the Disney platform instead.

“Hamilton” is a multi-camera capture of several live performances, filmed in a “best seat in the house” format, says Rouchard. Back in June 2016, he and others on the crew strategically placed 12 cameras in the theater, and then filmed two live performances with an audience, from top to bottom.

Special coverage was also done for 19 of the numbers. The crew would get on the stage with a steady-cam and a crane to do close-up work for the numbers that needed it. Afterward they spent the next nine months editing it and putting it all back together.

“It’s an exact representation of the show, from the first note to the last,” Rouchard said. 

Rouchard said they hired a great director of photography and some of the best operators for the movie. They put a lot of talent into the technical and photographic quality of it, he said.

One of Rouchard’s favorite memories was when he was sitting without an audience in the theater where they filmed “Hamilton,” watching some of the specialty coverage with the cast. The cast in turn got to watch their co-cast members do a performance.

Rouchard said this was a special moment because often actors in Broadway shows are backstage, and don’t get to see a lot of rehearsals and tech runs. This time they got to watch the producers and tech people do their work, which Rouchard called an exciting coming together of both of the disciplines used to create the film.

“The real joy I’m looking forward to is the day, hopefully, when the cast and the crew are all sitting in a movie theater together, watching it,” Rouchard said.

Rouchard spent the 4th of July weekend having a watch party for the movie with his family. He says he was proud to be a part of it, and that it has a great message and story.

“I think the world needs some good vibes and a reminder of where we all came from in this country. And that’s what this movie is.”