This week on Get in the Van, we sat down with director Dana Romanoff to talk about one of the most ambitious documentary shoots you can imagine: 17 days floating through the Grand Canyon, no generators, no drones, no battery recharging—and no second chances.
Dana is a Colorado-based documentary and commercial director whose work spans intimate, human-centered nonfiction and large-scale commercial campaigns for brands like Google, UPS, and Budweiser. Before any of that, she was an outdoor guide and a photojournalist, shooting for outlets like National Geographic and The New York Times. That background shows up in everything she does.
Her latest film, About Damn Time, tells the story of women dory guides in the Grand Canyon—specifically Cindel Dale, one of the last from the first generation of female dory boat guides—while also quietly advocating for Colorado River conservation. It’s visually stunning, deeply human, and logistically bonkers.
“You’re looking for the decisive moment” – Dana Romanoff
Early in the conversation, Dana talks about photography and the idea of the decisive moment—the split second where everything aligns and the image tells the story.
Her photojournalism background trained her to anticipate moments before they happen, whether she’s shooting a documentary scene or directing a 12-second commercial spot. Even on big brand sets, she’s thinking in still frames: Where’s the hero angle? What’s the one image that sells the story?
That instinct becomes essential when you’re shooting verité in an environment where you can’t ask for another take.
Pitching a documentary like a commercial—without losing its soul
One of the most valuable parts of the episode is Dana’s breakdown of how About Damn Time came together in the first place.
OARS, the whitewater rafting company, approached her with the idea of telling the story of women guides. The working title came straight from Cindel herself: “It’s about damn time.” Dana knew immediately that was the film.
But the project didn’t start as a traditional documentary production. There was a lump-sum budget. A limited crew. An assumption that Dana would be the shooter, editor, and producer—all while embedded on a commercial rafting trip with paying guests.
Dana made a key decision early: the story needed more resources. She partnered with Stept Studios and pitched the project with a simple Google Slides deck—visual references, personal motivation, and a clear explanation of how the team would elevate the film without interfering with the guest experience.
It’s a great example of how documentary directors increasingly need to think like producers and collaborators, especially when working with brands.
Seventeen days. No charging. No drones.
The logistics alone sound like a nightmare—in the best possible way.
No generators are allowed in the Grand Canyon. No drones. No downloading footage. No reviewing dailies. Dana and her team calculated their entire shoot in advance, estimating how much they could film per day and packing every single battery they’d need for 17 days into a single utility case ominously nicknamed “the beast.” haha
Every morning started with a huddle with the trip leader: What’s the water doing today? What’s the risk of tipping? What’s the likelihood we lose everything on this raft?
The filmmaking approach had to be pure verité. No staging. No interference. No slowing the trip down for the camera.
When the story changes—and you let it
One of the film’s emotional pivots comes when a younger guide Dana hoped to develop as a secondary character is medically evacuated from the canyon. It wasn’t the plan—but it became part of the truth of the trip.
Dana talks candidly about the ethical and emotional complexity of that moment. The guide didn’t want to be filmed. She was embarrassed. The relationship Dana imagined didn’t unfold the way she expected.
This is where experience—and restraint—matter. The story adjusted. The edit evolved. Other voices came forward. The film became more expansive, not smaller.
As Dana puts it, this is the magic of editing: shaping reality without betraying it.
Trust is the real currency
Late in the conversation, Darren asks Dana a deceptively simple question: How do you build trust?
Her answer is even simpler. You do what you say you’re going to do.
Dana did extensive pre-interviews with the guides before the trip—not just to gather information, but to prove she wasn’t going to jeopardize their safety or experience. She wanted them to know she understood the river, the culture, and the responsibility of being there.
That trust carries all the way through the film—and it’s something every documentary filmmaker can take to heart.
From the river to Budweiser
The conversation also digs into Dana’s transition into commercial directing—how her documentary instincts helped her survive early commercial jobs when she didn’t even know what an AD or script supervisor was.
Her path wasn’t strategic in the way people often want it to be. She didn’t “crack the system.” She put her head down, made strong work, showed it publicly, and got seen by the right people at the right time.
It’s not a shortcut—but it’s honest.
Watch the film, listen to the episode
About Damn Time premiered at Wild & Scenic Film Festival nearly a year after it was shot, following months of post-production, logging, rewriting, and shaping hundreds of hours of footage and audio.
You can watch the film now, and if you’re a documentary filmmaker, photographer, or director navigating the space between personal work and commercial opportunities, this episode is packed with hard-earned insight.
And remember: sometimes the job is just to get in the van, follow the river, and be ready when the moment arrives.
What Comes Next
Knowing what to shoot is only half the battle.
The next step is learning:
I’ve got deeper videos on all of that, and I’ll link them below.
If this kind of clear, practical filmmaking guidance is useful to you, consider subscribing to our youtube channel.
Make docs.
Move hearts.
Peace.
Darren – Showrunner, Director, Coach
👉 Watch the episode and explore our filmmaking playlist for practical lessons on story, shooting, and editing.
