The most challenging TVC production in all my years as a director. And it went like clockwork.
A two day shoot, cast and crew of 15 in a residential display home in a Melbourne suburb, with me directing alongside my Producer Troy Zafer from Production Company Zac Creative and the writer Andrew Tinning, in my lounge-room in Perth.
Correct, we were in the middle of the Covid 19 Pandemic.
Working via a thing called Qtake; a streaming platform that captures the image coming from the camera, then streams to anywhere, in this case my desktop computer. I also had Zoom set up into my laptop, so I could see and talk to the DoP and Art Department. The talent was a family of four from the same family of four, once again forced on us by the pandemic.
Then the challenge really kicks in.
The night after day one wraps the Victorian Government decides that TV commercial production is non-essential industry and day two of the shoot can’t go ahead inside the Melbourne CBD area.
So in order to shoot day two, we had to go find a complete new location (in Geelong, an hour south) and a completely new crew, who live outside the quarantine area. The talent luckily were all from Geelong, so had special dispensation to return to their hometown. A week later we shot day 2.
The shoot worked like a wheel…..but the Boy Scout motto of BE PREPARED played a major role in its success. Thanks to all crew (both), talent who I never met in person (we cast via Zoom as well), my Producer Troy for the wonderful support and the creative genius in Andrew Tinning. The client was absolutely the best and a total joy to work with.
