Behind the Scenes on Shoot Day
When NBC said they wanted to feature our Tribeca Loft project on their "Open House" TV series, Daniel was super excited and also a bit nervous. He does not consider himself a natural at public speaking, and the idea of being on TV sounded like a lot of pressure. However, excitement won out, and the kind folks at Andrew Joseph PR were extremely encouraging.
Getting ready for the shoot was months in the making, but here is a look behind the scenes the week of the shoot starting with Daniel (and Roxy) flying to NYC...
As gorgeous as our project space is in person, it takes a lot of work to show it off on film. Early on we arranged to work with our fave stylist, Karin Lidbeck-Brent. After sending her scouting shots, Karin devised a plan with sketches and detailed notes about how to best showcase our design.
Arriving on site, the first thing we do is document exactly how the homeowner has left things so that we can restore it all post-shoot. We make notes to remind ourselves where we stashed things, because we move everything! Sometimes we are too good at hiding stuff, so we draw red circles on our pics (like to show where we tucked items away in the cabinets). For an extra challenge, NBC warned us that all spaces would be on camera simlutaneously, so we had to be very creative. Alex got an extra workout moving the free weights!
Casey sets up, and we get right to shooting the still photography ahead of the video session the following day. This is a good way to start out, since Day One we have the luxury of working in one space while setting up in another. We take time to gather around the laptop or tablet which are both tethered to the camera so that we have a live feed to what things look like through the camera lens. There are so many subtle adjustments!
Then it was time for Daniel and Hannah to head out to the Flower District in Chelsea for potted plants and cut flowers.
We stage as much as we can before our still photographer Casey shows up. This includes a bounty of fresh produce from Whole Foods down the street and place settings for imaginary guests.
The tethering works beautifully—especially when Daniel and Alex have to hide out in the closet to avoid being in the shot.
It feels crowded even with 4 of us in the large loft space in part because of all the equipment and hastily rearranged furniture. This also makes the loft rife with tripping hazards. And, ugh, it's so hot and humid on this summer shoot in NYC. Hannah is wise and experienced enough to bring a portable fan!
While Casey shoots the Main Bedroom, Daniel, Alex, and Hannah style the endless built-in shelving across the Living Room and Office. Some of these items aren't in the shots on Day One, but they'll definitely be in the shots on Day Two.
All the plants went directly to the shower, and the dozens of flowers to the (thankfully very large) Kitchen/Jungle, where you can see Alex remembers to stop and smell the peonies.
After an extremely long day, Casey announces we have all the shots, and we get to work setting everything up for tomorrow's video shoot. Just as we're getting ready to leave, the lone peonie on the Entry shelf spontaneously (and dramatically) expires, but we're all too tired to do anything about it.
Bright and early the next morning, Daniel arrives on site with a few outfit changes and ready to go over the rough script he worked on with everyone's help in the weeks leading up to Shoot Day. This is not some TV studio, so there's no "green room" or director's chair or teleprompter. Thankfully there's also no studio audience, though a laugh track might be nice.
The main producer of the show, David, arrives along with two other videographers, and the first thing they do is confirm the bathroom is not in any of the shots. So, while we did spend time cleaning and staging that room, it's a relief to know there's a space that's off-camera for stashing bags and extra equipment—and for catching one's breath! The NBC crew works at a much faster pace than yesterday's still photography shoot, and before he knows it, Daniel is fitted with a mic and ready for his close-up.
Daniel spends most of the shoot with David who films Daniel talking about the project and all the work that went into creating it. Meanwhile, two others capture the entire home with scanning shots that give the viewer a good overall sense of the space and how all the rooms are connected. Being a typical Downtown loft, it's tough staying out of everyone else's shots—both visually and acoustically!
Daniel refers to his notes from time to time, but the bulk of the dialogue is beautifully finessed by David who has clearly done this innumerable times and is mercifully patient with a first-timer. For every sentence, Daniel explains what he wants to convey, and then he and David figure out the best words and cadence to ensure clarity, succinctness, and—most challenging—that the words flow comfortably. It's amazing how easy it is to get tripped up by common phrases when speaking on camera. Thanks to David, awkward alliteration is eliminated, and Daniel's mellifluous commentary shines.
There are some especially difficult moments when several takes are needed to capture a "natural" delivery with both dialogue and motion. Interestingly, though, the crew explains that much of the Daniel footage will actually run as voiceovers to video featuring just the home. Hopefully this means no one notices that Daniel never quite figures out what to do with his hands while on camera.
There's no break for lunch (though Daniel was forewarned and sips his favorite all-natural Naked-brand smoothie), so when the "A-roll" is concluded, the crew explains that Daniel is done with his speaking role, and that the "B-roll" will be quick and painless. Daniel loses count of how many times his feet and hands are recorded as he walks over lush wool and silk area rugs or caresses leather, velvet, boucle, paint, marble, wood, and any number of other surfaces. It's a sweet reminder of how much work went into designing this home and how much the homeowner loves and appreciates living in it. (She's the client who, a couple years after completion, announced that she still can't wait to arrive home each day to enjoy the transformed spaces.)
And just as quickly as they arrived and fanned out across the loft, the crew packs up and disappears as Alex and Hannah show up, so that we can put everything back as we found it. There's just enough time to take some fun pics of our own as we take in our handiwork for the last time. Roxy shows up at the very end to congratulate us on a job well done!
