SanoVit | Migdoel “Dio” Miranda
June 19, 2024
Concept
Launching a brand is a first impression that never gets a second chance. With SanoVit poised to step into the health & wellness world, every frame we delivered had to earn consumer trust before a single product hit the shelf. Our answer: human-first storytelling.
We built the entire film series around one heartbeat—Migdoel “Dio” Miranda, a former pro ballplayer turned wellness advocate whose life’s work is serving others. Born in Puerto Rico and now partnering with San Juan–based SanoVit, Dio became the lens through which Latin American audiences could see themselves in the brand’s promise. By anchoring SanoVit’s debut narrative in his journey, we tried to make the science behind it all feel personal, the product feel proven, and the launch feel inevitable.
Tone & Feel
We wanted images that felt lived‑in but sculpted—natural light with intention. Shot in 1.44:1, we held Dio center-frame so the world could breathe around him. Our DP and gaffer didn’t just light faces; they lit context—shaping practicals, negative fill, and soft edges to make every space feel authentic but elevated.
Alexa 35 + ARRI Signature Primes, paired with Impression filters, gave us creamy separation and characterful bokeh. The glass let backgrounds melt just enough for Dio to pop, while the lighting kept the environment emotionally legible.
Production
Given this was a doc-series, most of the heavy lifting happened before we ever rolled—weeks of pre-pro, research, and pre-interviews to map the emotional beats instead of scripting them. We built our boards around the chapters that actually shaped him—growing up in Puerto Rico, the grind of pro baseball, the pivot to service—and then designed questions and locations that could unlock those beats naturally. The conversational format let us work lean and fast: one nimble crew, a dedicated translator, and a single shoot day to cover locations, casting, and everything in between.
Our shot list stayed fluid, but our team never missed a cue. Dio was a true professional, and his ease on camera gave us room to pivot, chase unexpected moments, and still make our day. The result: a production that felt spontaneous to the viewer, but was engineered with intention behind the scenes.
Post-Production
Documentaries often reveal themselves in the edit—but they don’t happen by accident. Spending a full day with him wasn’t just coverage; it was immersion. Laughter over old stories, quiet moments in familiar neighborhoods, memories that surfaced only when someone who “gets it” is listening—those became our raw materials. We left with a hard drive full of possibilities and a map of emotional tentpoles, so when it came time to “find it in the edit,” we weren’t searching blind—we were shaping the one we’d already found on the day.
Multiple bilingual editors shaped the narrative in both Spanish and English, catching nuance that would’ve vanished in a straight translation. Once picture locked, our colorist brought it home. The result feels effortless on screen because the hard work happened in the timeline.
For any inquiries on this production or general reach out, please email addiescott@saladopictures.com
- The Salado Team