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The 45 Minute Editorial...
I'm writing this while sitting with tunnel vision and brain damage. I just drove 22 hours straight. I was working with agencies up north... and now I'm home and dizzy. While we were up North, I had the pleasure to work with one of the most sought after models in North America... but the clincher was, we had less than an hour and a half ( including make-up ) before we lost the location. Our goal was to shoot a 6 page editorial. The location was soooooo cool. It was the attic of a glass shop. Totally raw and exposed insulation, huge frames of glass everywhere, dirty and unfinished floor, cool old windows allowing the setting sun to come in as backlight.... and for some reason, there was a manaquin up there. We were popping like crazy up there. Create the new set ( yeah... had to change the lighting along with it ). Change ( the model's outfit ), polaroid, h/m-up fix, film, new set, change, polaroid, fix, film, new set, change.... whew... and it had to be 110 degrees up there. I love that feeling you get when everyone involved is just so ON! The purpose of this thread is this: Do you find confining and high-stress work brings out the best in you... or the worst? christian ps. Hello everyone  Jun 26 05 12:30 am Link Great post. As a musician I got used to working in the moment, and I can relate to your experience of the feeling you get when working with a team and eveyone is "on" and up to the challenge. Jun 26 05 12:34 am Link I love a frantic work environment. Time crunch during production gets me juiced. As long as there is a plan and I don't get dehydrated it's great. If I get dehydrated, show's over, I'm out of it for hours. Happened to me once when I was working in the projection booth at a film festival, really hot and humid day plus the film projectionist was testing both the 35mm and the 16mm projetors and there was really no circulation back there at all. The volunteers out in the lobby took all the water in the venue over to a sponsor party. I normally drink a bottle of water every hour or so, but I didn't think about it because I was really busy trying to get the video system online and all the tapes loaded into the video server for that night and a student screening early the next morning while at the same time running clips for a cinematography workshop. I had gone out to the lobby looking for a drink, couldn't find one, so I went back to work. Before I knew it I was snapping at people, grouchy as hell, couldn't think straight, not myself at all. Finally finished loading the server and went to the sponsor party, got something to drink and crashed on a couch, fell asleep sitting up in the middle of the party and a friend woke me up to go back to the venue and start the show two hours later. It was forunate I only had 20 minutes of video to project that night before the 35mm feature kicked in and I could go lay down. So, water is good, orange Gatorade too. Without it I'm pretty useless, even dangerous. Jun 26 05 01:35 am Link Posted by ChristianBehr: It brings out the hyperventilating in a corner me. Jun 26 05 02:03 am Link Posted by theda: Posted by ChristianBehr: It brings out the hyperventilating in a corner me. hmmmm, Jack takes notes. Jun 26 05 07:50 am Link Wow. A great shooter makes a great post, and gets 3.5 replies. Maybe if we start insulting each other, the peanut gallery and wannabes will give us their 2 cents... Jun 26 05 08:00 am Link ..i hate working under pressure..i still get good work done..but i like a more relaxed atmosphere.. Jun 26 05 08:44 am Link I like the crunch and I like the laid back shoot and I think I've gotten a mix of images (great, good, crap) out of all shoots, and I hear ya on the fluid intake. I can go all day without eating but i have to keep the liquids coming. Jun 26 05 09:22 am Link you mean the best or worst in you work-wise or personality-wise? i like to think it makes no difference in me in either case... i can still maintain regular work and personality levels while under the influence of an adrenaline overdose and with all that furious kinetic energy flying all around the set but i would rather not... i just don't have that *A* type personality... anyways continuous and prolonged exposure to that kind of work environment can lead to early burnout... which is why i'm not a fulltime shooter... i prefer more laid back shoots (especially in between setups) but i also like to shoot fast and continuous while on set... tho not usually possible when clients or ad's are around... also good point about fluid intake... on long shoots i almost always forget to eat and have to consciously remind myself over and over to keep drinking something... Jun 26 05 09:35 am Link I don't mind the shorter/higher stress shoots, as I tend to get a bit bored if it gets drawn out to long. Jun 26 05 09:40 am Link I personally love the high stress. I think it gets you to the root of creativity.... rather than allowing the left brain to question everything. I've overcorrected things in the past... and then seen the first polaroid and thought, " I should have done it like this." christian Jun 26 05 02:13 pm Link best. but i may suffer afterwards!! Jun 26 05 03:18 pm Link Posted by ChristianBehr: I wish I had the Photographer's experience in this situation to give you my feedback, but I don't. (Well, actually I do, as a Photojournalist. Not as a fashion/casual/nude photographer). However, I've had many of these experiences in the Financial, Manufacturing, Information and Military industry and I too enjoy it when everybody is "ON", self coordinated and taking the initiative. I don't like it being frantic because they think it's fun that way, when in fact sometimes it is fun with people you click with. I personally don't like things too predictable either, because I welcome unpredictable dynamics as a way to challenge my flexibility and my ability to be a thinker and doer on my feet. ...but I prefer a good vantage point where I can sit down too and if necessary, take a cat nap. I can't function properly without resting my mind and body. Jun 26 05 03:46 pm Link I believe that in my OWN work, the high pressure situation brings out the best of my creativity. I am more capable of fine tuning my work or in the case of something more dramatic, I am more willing to take a risk and push myself. Jun 26 05 06:03 pm Link Posted by ChristianBehr: GREAT question! I apologize in advance if this is "heavy." Jun 26 05 06:12 pm Link |
