TD

Remember early COVID? Like eeeaaaarrrllly: you could only go to the grocery store / couldn’t be around anyone outside your bubble, early. That’s when TD wanted to make a story showcasing their remote client services. But we couldn’t assemble a crew of technicians + actors to shoot it, as it was against health regulations. Total lockdown vibes. So the job was bid with the idea that we’d cast an actor family, and remotely teach them how to use a Black Magic, and they'd film the scenes themselves. When I came on board, that idea scared the shit out of me. So I proposed we find a DP with a kid who together could maybe deliver the acting chops required. Better to coach a film-friendly family into acting than to coach actors into the intricacies of filmmaking, it seemed to me. In the end, two local DPs were up for it - Vinit Borrison and Bob Lyte - and had daughters the right age. Bob Lyte’s kid turned out to be a natural. And with a wife who used to be an art director / wardrobe stylist, a brother who is a grip, and a steadicam op / best friend who lived next door, we were able to cobble together the most bare bones COVID bubble crew to shoot / perform in our spot, without any outside crew contact. Solitary PAs would drop props + gear on the front lawn. Bob and his wife repainted / redressed their house themselves. We did a wardrobe fitting over Zoom - live from their living room. And in the end, the spot looks legit and is maybe even a bit more charming than it would have otherwise been due to the slightly (entirely) DIY nature of the production.