My First Ad Shooting Experience

Last wednesday and thursday I was off shooting 2 different ads for the same product. I was extremely excited about it! My first ads! Yay! All that excitement died down once I realized that those 2 days were going to be extremely hot days; temperatures reached 40 and 41 degrees! Both ads were to be shot in open areas and we'd be in them from 7am till 8-9pm so will definately catch all the sun and the heat. That ended up being the major issue we had in those shoot days...I would literally have to take 2 minute naps in my seat whenever I could afford them to be able to stay conscious. But other than that it was an extremely interesting experience to see the director at work, to see how the shots were being set up, to mingle with the actors (who were mostly kids to my delight!), and to share with the client my insights. I saw the whole "ACTION!" and "1st take, clap" thing which gave me a few "where am I?!" moments. The most impressive thing I found was the amount of effort the production house put in to make everyone comfortable! They would literally move our seating area many times during the day depending on where the shots were being taken. So can you imagine people setting up a shelter-like area with chairs, tables, food, the monitor, and fans with all their electrical wiring in one place then have to move that whole arrangement about 20 feet away an hour or two later just to make us comfortable and close to where the shots were being taken?! We had people asking us every 30 mins if we wanted something to drink and snacks were always available everywhere. It really makes a difference when you have a production house that puts a lot of effort into these small details that can really make a difference with the client and everyone else on the set. Generally speaking, shoots are not the glamourous places you see on TV; they involve alot of concentration and hard work in places and temperatures that are far from comfortable but nonetheless shoots are time spent away from your desk, outdoors, and in places you would have never visited otherwise. Plus they are where you see all your collaborative efforts with creative directors, the client, and others coming to life! I look forward to attending more of these shoots, and look forward even more to seeing the final product aired on TV!