Set up is done. Meaning, pre-production is done. I have finally carried my last piece of clothing and prop into what will be our location, and base camp. That finalizes the prep stage- and tomorrow we are shooting and in full production. Fun!
Props with options
Coffee table props
Different candle holders
Wardrobe
Couple of more wardrobe options
Shoes
Snacks and drinks for the crew. That sums it up! Behind the scenes will follow.. Stay tuned!
I just got debriefed on a new exciting assignment!
We will shoot 3 days (two images one day, one the day after and one fall back day) for an upscale resort’s real estate team. Every images tells a story, and there are 3 images in total:
1. A woman is just arriving to her second home. As she arrives the stressful world is left behind and she lays down on the couch in total peace knowing that for the next month, nothing will disturb or stress her.
2. A man is sitting with his son in his lap, looking out over the ocean. The boy is peacefully reading a book, and dad is completely relaxed. It is time to spend time together. Have the time for one another.
3. A dinner party has just ended. 3 couples are laughing and relaxing at the table, keeping on sipping their wine, sharing stories. The waiter has come up from the resort, cleaning up the dinner and are preparing dessert in the background. For the couples, there is no time for dishes or cleaning when you live here…
As soon as I got the image direction and FPO, I scanned them and realized two things that stood out as challenges more than other. For one, I need to have a thorough casting for the first shot, that woman needs to carry herself and her expression is making that image. The direction showed Amber Herd. I have reached out to BRAND and NEXT modeling agencies and will follow up with our finalized selection and have auditions next week.
The dress Amber is wearing as from Alexander McQueen and costs over $6,000. I will find a similar strapless dress and might go through rent the runway where I can get access to phenomenal designer dresses for less than the studio fee!! (check them out, totally worth the money if you are going to a gala or even just being a little extra nice for a dinner with friends, bridal shower etc).
The biggest cost here is the hard sided Louis Vuitton suitcase along with the hatbox. After exhausting all options (even searching for illegal fake bags, I found them but the sites are so unreliable and it isn’t a business i would want to support, so I opted out of that option). I finally located them at a prop house in LA, the price for hire is $700. One of my friends has a good collection of LV purses, so I have a great back-up!
Here is the image direction, leaning nicely on my desk to indicate that this will be my world for the next 3 weeks…
Here are the two bags that I need
Hard case luggage Blisten 60 from
Louis Vuitton
Hat box
And here is my back-up. It is nice to have great friends! 
When I wrote earlier regarding seasonal wardrobe etc, I learned something important. And that is to always have back-ups. Things happen, and even during low budget shoots when I ask talent to bring their own wardrobe, colors might not match with each other, with the background, or with the feeling of the shoot.
Also, department stores like TJMAXX or Marshall’s offers a wider selection of brands than other department stores, and also carry out of season items. So I always grab a few things. I can return what has not been worn, or worn just for the shoot as long as the tag is on. Better safe than sorry.
Here is the result of the ad (sorry for bad resolution – blaming the camera on my iPad 2)
