April 16, 2010

commercial shoot

Last night, I had my first night-shoot assignment to cover the production of my company's new commercial. The shoot involved capturing the behind-the-scenes action, as well as a few photos of the finished set and filming. I was a bit nervous as I'm really a neophyte when it comes to photography, especially the more elaborate tasks, such as shooting at dusk and dark. However, I was pretty happy with the results and learned quite a bit about the inner workings of producing a commercial. It's truly impressive to witness the extreme thought that goes into each minute detail and how many individuals are involved in one small, 30-second commercial.

A portion of the commercial involves a shot of a cafe, located on a corner in a small, rural community. As is the case with most instances in films and commercial, we "faked" it, utilizing a restaurant in a Denver suburb. The one thing I do regret about last night's shoot was the fact that I didn't document better the transformation of the restaurant. With the exception of the actual building structure, the end-result really did not resemble the original restaurant -- it's amazing the difference a few signs, backdrops and props can make.

The commercial will be airing beginning in May. But, for now, a few teaser shots from last night.

The director setting up the camera while other members of the production crew work to transform the restaurant into a small-town cafe. Below, the end result -- a homey cafe in a rural American town (served by an electric co-op, obviously). The middle photo pictures the talent, who will be the spokesperson for the commercial. 

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