I shot a commercial today that took place in a pseudo 50’s environment. After some discussion of whether the spot should be in black and white or some kind of “other” look, the director and I decided the spot should ultimately be in black and white. Typically, especially in the video realm, the B&W effect is something you do in post—you shoot your video in color and drop the saturation completely in the color correction process. This leaves the options open for other possible looks; should you or the producers decide to change their minds. “Baking in” a look can be risky, but in this case we decided to throw caution to the wind and commit to it.
Shooting With What You’ve Got
About a week and a half ago, my friend Ron Adair told me about an ad contest Doritos was having for the Super Bowl. I had never heard of it and wasn’t aware that it was done last year as well. He told me that he was entering the contest and to take a look at his submission for feedback. I was a bit saddened that I hadn’t heard about it yet, being that the deadline was four days away! I told my wife, Wendy, about it and she said we should do it. She came up with an idea that day and we shot it the following night. We wrangled two of our friends (who were not actors) to act and then edited it well into that same night. Wendy wrote and directed it and I shot and edited it.
Starting a New Blog
I’m starting this blog for a couple of reasons. Mainly, to record things I’ve done on shoots—details that I always think I’m going to remember, but always seem to forget; and also, for the benefit of those of you who might find my notes interesting or educational.