the cinematographers added was as close to natural light as possible. While this took some time to accomplish – for instance, setting the lights for the performances at the NCGCC meeting took three days – it helped to enhance the realism in the film and put the subjects at ease. Evans writes that because of the lighting, the cinematographers were able to capture "some of the most brilliant colors ever in a documentary". Nierenberg furthermore insisted that each of the three cameras had a sound man and an assistant during musical performances to capture ambient sounds and conversations so nothing would be missed. While filming the performers, Nierenberg sat above the crew, directing each camera assistant to capture what he wanted. He also made sure the film had 24-track sound, so each singer can be heard clearly with the supporting shouts and calls from the audience. In addition to organizing the tribute concert for Willie Mae Ford Smith, which he did purposefully to bring all the subjects together to watch them interact as they perform, Nierenberg picked each singing act's repertoire. Each musical number was rehearsed with the performers, camera, and sound crews before filming. With so many lights on the performers, Nierenberg wanted to make sure the shadows of all the crew members would not appear in the final edit so they would not detract from the performances. Because he organized so far in advance, filming for Say Amen, Somebody took only 15 days, something Evans considers "quite remarkable for a film of this nature and magnitude". Looking back, cinematographer Don Lenzer viewed the filming sessions as a unique experience in his career. Going into the project, he was unsure Nierenberg's strategy of setting up scenes would bring results that would be both realistic and interesting to watch. He remarked that capturing the performances was as powerful as they are to see on film, bringing about an ecstasy of being "in the moment". For Lenzer, the joyous outcomes "defy explanation", and he recalled that "everything about the filming was extraordinary". Dorsey began to show signs of Alzheimer's disease in the late 1970s. His involvement in the film was limited to periods when he was able to participate. His attendance at the NCGCC conference in the film was his last. He stopped speaking almost entirely two years after filming, and died in 1993. Willie Mae Ford Smith died the next