Celebrity Big Brother (2016)

Last summer (2016) I had the privilege of working for Electric Robin and filming some of the profile VT’s for Celebrity Big Brother. We filmed these at Kentish Town Studios, which was a great space for us to film all our set ups without having to re-light every time. Sadly these studios have shut down.

I was involved in the ‘get in’ where we had to hang florescent lighting strips from the lighting grid and fix all the cabling neatly . Not an easy task as you can see in the photo below. To light the subject we used one panel light directly above them, as not to spill too much light on the black background.

IMG_3140

We also had to build a ‘green screen’ area where we would filming the contestants acting out various emotions… happy sad, angry etc. There was also a couple of large boxes that we filmed contestants in  dancing and basically larking about.(the slow mo sequences)

IMG_3141

The contestants in Celebrity Big Brother were Sam Fox, Marne Simpson, Lewis Bloor, Stephen Bear, Katie Waissel, Christopher Biggins, Renee Graziano, Grant Bovey, Frankie Grande, Aubrey O’Day and Chloe Khan.

The very first person we filmed was Stephen Bear, who eventually went on to win. He actually said to us ‘stick a £100 on me to win’!! after his interview. When filming the Marne Simpsons interview, if you watch the video, when  discussing the bit about a ‘certain part of her anatomy’, she looks away from the camera and smiles cheekily at me. It did make me chuckle.

IMG_3175IMG_3184

We filmed on the Arri Amira and Arri Alexa mini with a set of Canon Prime Lenses and filmed the slow mo sequences between 200 fps and 100 fps. For the interview we had one locked off and the second on a track.

I think the final videos look really good, another great effort from the Electric Robin Team.

Doritos commercial video shoot at the world famous George Lucas Stage at Elstree Studios

With all the football fever going around this summer with this year’s Fifa World Cup in Brazil I was involved in a commercial video shoot at the world famous George Lucas Stage at Elstree Studios, to film an advert for Doritos. The shoot was based on a penalty shoot out competition by 8 teams with three players. This was a knock out competition until two teams made the final. In the final the teams had to beat England’s Joe Hart.

The Shoot was organized by Endemol using Electric Robin to produce the video. This was probably one of the biggest shoots that I have been involved in with with over 50 people in the camera crew alone including Jib operators, steadycam, sound and lighting. I filmed on the Canon C300 and my task was to focus on the goalkeeper and you will see that my shot was used a few times in the final video.

elstree photoThe World famous George Lucas Stage at Elstree Studios

The Shoot out brought teams of mates from across the country for the ultimate test of their penalty spot skills – but to make sure the pressure didn’t get too much, teams had have help from the legendary Mariachi Doritos.  Bringing their own Mexican flavour to the game, the band dished up a host of distractions t the keeper had to face as he attempts to save each shot.

Elstree photo 2Yours truly operating the Canon C300

Joe Hart, who  faced the two final teams in the ultimate Mexican style showdown, said: “I’m really excited to be working on the Doritos Penalty Shootout, it’s a great opportunity to get your mates together and throw your sombrero into the ring if you think you can put one past me. You might have the Mariachi Doritos on your side but be warned, I’ve been practising”

Elstree photo 3The Teams line up before the penalty shoot out

The two teams that reached the final  stared alongside Hart in the new Doritos TV commercial, which  aired across the UK on 24th May.  The winning team that scored the most goals  also received the ‘Ultimate Mates Football Trip’, traveling by private jet to some of Europe’s most exciting cities, receiving VIP treatment at exclusive clubs and hotels.

Vogue Dubai Fashion Week Video Shoot

My second overseas assignment of last year was Vogue Dubai Fashion Week Video Shoot, an event organised in partnership with Vogue Italia, one of the world’s leading authorities on fashion, Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience was the first event of its kind to take place in this region of the world. Over 250 brands in fashion came together to celebrate retail and the fashionable lifestyle at The Dubai Mall. I was part of a 5 man crew to make a short film of the event again for Getty Images through Electric Robin. Shooting on Canon C300

The event  also hosted a gala dinner, attended by international celebrities with the aim of raising funds for Dubai Cares, the charity initiative founded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Vogue-Fashion-Experience-Dubai-2

Among the many activities  at The Dubai Mall during Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience was a fashion show at the Fashion Catwalk in the Fashion Avenue where international designers showcased their latest collections. The various activities were also telecasted live through the mall’s multimedia displays with over 400,000 visitors attending.

The mall was  decorated to mark the event with exclusive settings while the Grand Atrium  hosted an exhibition that  featured 50 of the best Vogue magazine covers of all time.

The participating stores  exhibited merchandise for sale, created especially for the ‘Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience,’ with part of the proceeds from the sale also going towards Dubai Cares.

 

photo

The Dorchester Collection video shoot on Canon C300

Dorchester 1

My second Fashion video shoot of 2013, not as far as Dubai this time, but the grand location of London’s Dorchester hotel. Another shoot for Electric Robin and Getty Images, this time using only two Cannon C300 cameras with myself and Nick Bradbury . I used a canon prime 17-55mm, which gave me a lot of flexibility in my shot choice. All my work was all hand held.

 

 

    The grand final was an opportunity for the talented shortlisted designers – to present their designs at a catwalk show to the  audience of judges and international VIP guests and media. After much deliberation, the judges agreed that the collection displayed by Huishan Zhang was the best of the four designers who also included Barbara Casasola, Fyodor Golan and Emilia Wickstead. Huishan was presented with an endowment of £25,000, along with an engraved Baccarat crystal trophy and a stay at a Dorchester Collection property.

    Dorchester 3

    The  judges  present at the final included Frederic Aranda, fashion and portrait photographer; Lorenz Baumer, jewellery designer; Derek Blasberg, best-selling author and fashion writer; Fabia Di Drusco, features editor of L’Uomo Vogue; Jean-Pierre Greff, director of Geneva’s School of Art and Design; Daniella Helayel, founder of Issa; Stephen Jones, milliner; Nicholas Oakwell, couture designer; Margherita Perico, personal stylist, fashion consultant, writer and international speaker; Rupert Sanderson, shoe designer; and Stephen Webster, jewellery designer.

    The video captures all the event and all the backstage preparation.