Friday, May 29, 2009

Commercial Shoot

Yesterday morning, I headed out into North Jersey to shoot a commercial for a toothpaste company. I had auditioned for the production company earlier, and I was one of the faces that they chose for this particular commercial. So I let a few days go by without shaving, then I was down there yesterday morning ready for some '8os hair and clothing, and that was all I knew. When I arrived, I was super-impressed with everything. We were filming in a production studio, rigged up with lights and dollies and sound and monitors. After they gave me my rock star '80s hairstyle and put me in a lavender linen shirt and a tan jacket with the sleeves rolled up, they had me sit at a desk and pretend to work on an old boxy computer. Ken, the director, gave me some direction and they clients/producers had me try a few more things when it came to really selling the idea of the commercial. After I did the shot for what felt like twenty times, they released me and I could hit the road. All in all, I was there about four hours, and I had a lot of fun.

Also, in confession time, it was my first commercial shoot. Spending time on LAB has given me a sense of what it's like to be on a working professional set, but on this one I was one of the stars. The crew set everything up and did the lighting with a stand-in, so I was only called into the set when they were ready to tape. Until then, I ate some fruit at craft services and hung out with the on-set photographer. Ken gave me some great direction on how to convey the idea of the commercial. It was about the computer, so I had to make acting choices in order to show off the computer. The unique challenge was exciting, and I'm glad that I now have some on-camera commercial experience to bring to any future auditions and projects.

3 comments:

Charlie P said...

let us know when it airs!

Nick said...

Believe me, Charlie, when I know when it airs, I will be telling everyone! :)

JParis said...

Cool stuff, Nick! Wow, a stand-in - that's sweet. :) Yes, let us know when it airs. Good work!