Jul
7
Working fast comes with the territory. Moreso when working around a film crew.
I’m very used to having to work fast, in fact, a lot of preparation time is used providing ways in which the camera and lighting equipment works together to create the best results in the shortest possible time. When working around a film crew the opportunity to set up lighting in the position required and do test shots and fiddle around is often hindered by the filming, camera positioning and sound recording of the on camera action. Consequently between takes, every opportunity is exploited to get my equipment into place and ready to shoot at any suitable break intervals.
Flashing off lights, clunking around with lighting stands and bashing around on ladders is a sure way to find yourself off the christmas lists of the filmcrew and client, so you need to chose moments wisely and ready to shoot almost instantly.
The first interviewee supplied live plants. The filmcrew were using the whole of the greenhouse as a background so no movement or sound was possible for fear of interference. Not being a professional artist, the interviewee was responding to questions posed by the Film Director in order to aquire the neccesary footage.
Potted Plant supplier
Potted Plant supplier and greenhouse
The purpose of the filming was to provide supplier experience of working with the Booths Supermarket chain. Booths use local suppliers wherever possible and the suppliers being filmed and photographed today had been supplying Booths with local produce for over twenty years or more.
From a photographic perspective, the availability of the suppliers with the client on hand provides an ideal opportunity to obtain images for brochures, newsletters, internet and marketing materials, but often in the case of a filming, the photography is the secondary priority.
From one greenhouse to another.
Was that an early Bee? What a monster.. Nope, thats normal, we were in a greenhouse dedicated to tomato production, complete with Bee’s hives and the flight past of the busy workers.
Tomato production
Some places the filmcrew need to shoot are not the places which as a photographer, I would chose to shoot in. In some cases there are no alternatives and you need to make the best of whats available. The next location allowed a little more scope.
Whilst the filmcrew were busy on the packaging line I went out in the truck with one of the farm hands and discovered a location suitable for the cauliflower supplier.
It was cold and wet and it was raining. I was grateful for the suggestion to come back in the summer and shoot in the warm and dry, but deadlines can’t wait for the summer, so it was the cold and wet – or nothing. The summer would be an ideal time for this sort of thing and the subject was full of interest.
Cauliflowers in the field