On the Road with Red

Archive article, originally written September 2, 2009A quick update: worked again with Evolution Image Group’s Red package shooting a spec ad for Old Spice’s commercial contest. Michael Nie and I worked together to shoot the spot over a single day after director Malachi Rempen and I planned the show over a couple hours’ phone conversation. Google Maps was an integral part of the impromptu pre-production: even hours away from each other I could mark map points & routes for him to see, and pull up photos of locations through Google Maps’ Panoramio plugin. I suggested pulling up Open Canvas to share storyboards, but we understood each other’s language enough that Malachi was confident with the frames Michael & I would photograph.On a very limited schedule and even more limited crew, Michael & I set ourselves on carrying a Cooke 10:1 for all of our daytime photography. Gaffer & Key Grip Kyle Bjordahl strapped and secured a Fisher dolly inside the back of our cube truck, and with a safety line on each Michael and myself hauled the truck through the winding mountain roads near Ramona for photography of a racing convertible. Of course the picture car couldn’t peak above 50 and stay behind our rig, but kinetic camera movement and a thin shutter angle heightened the sense of motion; Michael and I traded off operating and whip pulling, with one whip for focus another snapping the zoom. By the time we got into Los Angeles it was dark and we switched to faster primes; riding through areas which might have been more permit sensitive we had a few scares snapping the cube truck closed around ourselves and our rig.Once we rendezvoused with Malachi we picked up our story bookend; unfortunately restricted by uncompassionate locals we shot available augmented only by a 575w HMI. We had more control over the product shot we closed the night with, and I even improvised a diffusion filter with a dab of the Old Spice spread over an optical flat!Dan McClellan cut the spot together two days later, and I polished it that night in Apple Color; composer Brian Andrews sent in a score (while on vacation in Oregon!) and the whole spot was together from concept to delivery within five days. Nothing to win an Addy, but maybe enough to win Old Spice’s contest!1:1.76RED ONEZeiss Standard Speed Primes4K Acquisition, Redcode 36Rentals from Evolution Image Group, Otto Nemenz InternationalDir Malachi RempenCo – Director of Photography Michael NieGaffer Kyle BjordahlPhotos courtesy of Kyle BjordahlPosted by Administrator