I’ve learned a few things in the last 20 years that I’ve been working as a photographer, filmmaker and storyteller. But these two realizations rank among the most important:
One: There’s great value in knowing how to put together a “small-footprint production.” In other words, how to create something with a high-production feel, on a budget, using a tight, talented crew.
Two: You have to be flexible with your time and capable of assembling a team quickly whenever work knocks at your door.
Even if it’s the Fourth of July.
These were the circumstances I found myself facing one Independence Day. A London-based ad agency contacted Tectonic Media Group, the agency representing me, exactly one week before America’s birthday. They were wondering if I was available to shoot a project for Mazda next week.
Did these Londoners forget that next week all Americans would be spending the day with our family and friends, drinking beer, eating hotdogs and watching fireworks?
I quickly forgot about hotdogs, however, when I heard the idea behind the project. The logistics involved going to British Columbia, to a location a few hours outside of Vancouver, and shoot three kayakers on the Canadian National whitewater kayaking team. The concept was that two of the kayakers would be poised at the head of some fast whitewater rapids, while the third kayaker would be in a Mazda on a dirt road beside the river. After a proper “On Your Mark. Set. Go!” the kayakers on the river would race the Mazda vehicle. It would be fast-paced and fun. I thought it was a cool concept and a great way to profile the vehicle in use, all while tying it to some authentic talent in the adventure realm. This project was one I couldn’t turn down.
The agency needed material for a two- to three-minute spot, as well as a series of images they could publish in their own custom magazine. The deadlines were incredibly tight. But this is where we came in.
In reality, we could’ve spend a lot of money doing it Hollywood style: a helicopter with a Cineflex (of course), safety boaters, a craft-service truck to cook gourmet crepes for lunch, and even a dozen random assistants to stand around and lean on C-stands and smoke cigarettes.
Instead it ended up being three of us, our camera gear, and a box of Clif Bars.
We were on a tight budget and an even tighter deadline. I reached out to my friend and fellow Novus Select photographer Celin Serbo, who lives in Boulder, Colorado. Celin has a strong background in the adventure world, and he’s been recently making strong strides in the world of motion. It has been exciting to watch his career evolve over the last few years, so I brought him in as the DP (director of photography) for the video.
I also brought my wife, Marina Rich. This wasn’t her first rodeo, and she has accompanied me on many shoots and worn many hats, from stylist to make-up and hair; assistant; craft service; stand-in model; and field producer. And, as I jokingly say, she is always my boss.
When operating a small-footprint production, the first step is to build a solid schedule that is realistic. We had just two days, so we planned accordingly, employing my standard methodology, which strictly states that days begin before sunrise and end after sunset.
In terms of gear, we brought a 16-foot jib arm and multiple Nikon cameras: D800s for video, while I would be using the high-speed D4 to shoot action stills.
Since we had only two days to do everything, we were forced to shoot throughout the harsh mid-day light. This was a huge photographic challenge, as we were located in a deep canyon, shooting in the shadows but working beneath a very bright sky. We heavily relied on multiple graduated neutral-density filters—often stacked on top of each other—to create the evenly exposed images that you see here.
These images aren’t manipulated. In fact, they’re basically straight out of the camera, with no more than just basic toning work done. The video, on the other hand, received a rather heavy color grade.
It was a whirlwind trip, but we got it done. And you know what? I’ve realized that I’m an American. And if I want to, I can probably eat hotdogs, drink beer and light fireworks any day. Just so long as there’s no work knocking on my door. Special thanks to the entire team that made this possible: Marcel Ashby, Celin Serbo, Marina Rich, Paul Manning-Hunter, John Hastings, and Jessica Groenveld.
If you want to learn more about how to create your own “small-footprint production” and successfully capture great still and motion content during a single dynamic shoot, please check out my creativeLIVE course “Still + Motion: Storytelling on Location.” This three-day course streams live on creativeLIVE August 26—28 and is FREE to watch: http://cr8.lv/coreyrichsm
1 comment
creativeLIVE course, I am very much looking forward
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