Blog

T3#3: 10 Things To Remember When Doing A Shoot

image borrowed from The Grand Palais

This is the reality for someone who’s saving up for a wedding (mine, of course): booking every available slot and saving up for that special day 15 or so months from now. So in the interest of those who are in the same condition as I am, whether it be purely to save, or for those who’s schedules are just packed against their will, here are some things I came up with that might be of help or amusement to your already over-burdened lives. (Iba na talaga ang bored at naghihintay sa mga starlet ano?)

1.) Arrive on time, because promptness yields power. You cannot believe how powerful the words “I was here early” can be, especially if you pair it off with the phrase “I need to leave at this time.”

2.) The walls have ears. And so do the chairs, and the tables. Heck, even the lampshade has one. In other words: TACT is key. Countless careers have been lost to the blurting of necessary & unnecessary commentary landing on the wrong ears.

3.) Have options. And I’m not even talking about the clothing or layout kind. This comes in handy more often when you’re doing a shoot with a star. Bring your laptop & Tweet or open your Facebook, or bring a book, or edit pictures, do your nails, or a million other things you can do, cause honey: you might be in for a long wait (read: at least an hour).

4.) Watch your weight. Shoot caterers are ruthless when it comes to packing in the fat, from fried anything to processed carbs everything! You will find your whole wheat somethings and guilt-free whatevers rare in this scenario. Better to bring in your own food if you’re counting the calories.

5.) Smile, and be pleasant, especially when things aren’t going according to plan. Anger and frustration do not yield results most of the time. Plus, stress forces your body to stock fat on your mid-area.

6.) Know who’s who and what’s what on the set. For someone who is bad with names, I know this one by heart. I almost called the Photographer by a different name, and almost ruined my career by bringing in the Client’s competing product to the set just because I forgot who I was working for.

7.) Eat the goddamn banana, melons, apples and grapes, and by God, avoid the Cheetos, Lay’s and Ruffles!

8.) Never erase text messages which indicate booking and fee arrangements. In case the producer, or the one making the booking develops selective Alzheimer’s, this is the fastest, quickest remedy to their affliction.

9.) NEVER double book. Period.

10.) When in doubt, mattify. When unsure, put on 2 coats of mascara. And when the weather is down, and you feel like everything’s going to fall apart, add a little blush. You’d be surprised how a little goes a long, long way.

Post a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.