WHEN COREY HART STOLE OURS

Our interview with Canada’s Walk Of Fame inductee, rock legend Corey Hart took our crew to a studio in Florida to sit down with the Sunglasses at Night singer. Compared to New York, the travel to Florida really did feel more like a vacation, especially with the heat. It was unseasonably hot and that heat quickly became difficult to bear in the studio we were using as interview space. The studio wasn’t soundproof and the air-conditioner was working so hard and made so much noise that it had to be turned off because the boom mic was picking it up. The interview had to be stopped on a few occasions because the heat got to everyone there, one by one but what we were able to capture was far warmer than the environmental heat and has proven to be one of our most fulfilling pieces of work

We were all moved to our core and completely captivated by Corey when we got to speak with him about his career, life, wife and family. He spoke with such emotion and such a refreshing sincerity that was felt to everyone in the room so much so that the unbearable heat of the studio was a small price to pay for the magic we were witnessing and shooting. He spoke to us like we were old friends and it translated beautifully to our feature. It was a rare time when the piece seemed to edit itself. Everything flowed nicely and the extreme heat everyone was feeling didn’t read on camera like we were afraid it would. Brian was in attendance at the gala and after the feature was shown, Corey gave him a hug and told him how much he loved the piece and offered up his home should he ever be in the Bahamas. He’s so cool and down to Earth, he was a complete pleasure to work with and be around. See the finished product in our Reel to feel all of the feels.

ESCAPE FROM LAGUARDIA

Taking part in the Canada’s Walk of Fame project was a huge highlight for us at Reel Original Media. It was fast-paced, high-stakes and tight schedules but most importantly, it was extremely rewarding. One of the high lights for the crew was travelling to meet with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger for Canada’s Walk of Fame inductee Jeannie Becker.

The interview was scheduled for 1:30 pm at the Tommy Hilfiger offices in downtown New York City. On paper, theoretically, our heroes had plenty of time to get where they needed to go to get this interview done and then…the Gods of Video Production (as we invented to better rationalize the series of calamitously unfortunate setbacks that beset them) decided to test us in every. Way. Possible.

At 10:30 am the crew landed at La Guardia Airport but was delayed an hour, stuck on the runway behind a long line of aircraft waiting for open gates to deplane. As they went over the plan for their quickest possible pick up of all their luggage and equipment, they get into the airport only to find out that La Guardia airport was on lockdown! The crew later found out that it was a security breach that caused the airport to be locked down. Our director described the situation as such when they returned,

            “It was like a zombie apocalypse and everybody was at the airport trying to escape.”

The lineup for the taxis was long and nobody was moving. They bought subway passes but the lineup for the shuttle busses was just as long. The situation was becoming dire and our heroes were running out of options. The call was made to Hilfiger’s people and they told our heroes that Mr. Hilfiger had a very busy day and rescheduling wouldn’t be possible. They had to make it that day in the window they booked. The attempt to buy some more time had failed, they had to get downtown and they had to get there now, but how?

By 12:30 pm all hope seemed lost and our heroes seemed defeated and the situation was at its most dire until an airport security guard of mercy, described as looking like Erykah Badu, approached and asked our director if she could help. He said,

“Yes, can you tell me how to get out of the airport and downtown in one hour?” and that’s when our heroes got the best news they could hope for when she said,

“Yes. There’s a taxi stand at Terminal C.”

Our heroes were at Terminal A.

And just like that, new life was breathed into our heroes like Ulysses and his crew in the Odyssey. Our director was ready to lead the crew across the crowded and congested airport and make their escape. He stressed to our crew that now is the time to abandon their typical nice, kind and courteous nature to get where they have to go faster than possible. With that rally cry, they were off! Cutting through crowds of people, nudging some out of the way until they reached the taxi stand. Our director offered a driver $100 to get them downtown in less than an hour and this driver accepted the challenge and became a road warrior on the Fury Road. The driver was weaving around cars, changing lanes and jumping around curbs to get around cars and they arrived at the Tommy Hilfiger offices! They were five minutes late and Tommy Hilfiger’s people were remaining strict to their timeline and gave the crew three minutes to interview. The crew pushed past their limits and personal bests and set up camera and audio in record time to get the interview done. The photo here is the aftermath of the epic tale.

THE QUEEN'S PLATE

The first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown of horse racing, the Queen’s Plate is also the longest running Canadian Thoroughbred race and it is held at the legendary Woodbine Racetrack. Rogers Sportsnet had us on hand for coverage of the whole glamorous event from the fashion, concerts and the race itself.

We knew shoot day was going to be crazy with an event of this scale. Everything was sprawled out all over the grounds and the whole place was buzzing. The atmosphere was completely electric and even we couldn’t help but take a moment to take it all in. As luck would have it, our crew kept finding themselves at the right place at just the right time to get some beautiful shoots and great footage that made our editor and creative director very happy, which is always a good thing. The crew had a great time working with Jackie Redmond and Faizial Khamisa and our special thanks to Rogers Sportsnet and all those individuals working with the Queen’s Plate and Woodbine Raceway. It was an unforgettable experience!

GATORADE #GCAMP SERIES: MICHELLE JONES

"The Will To Win From Within"

It's in Michelle Jones.

We were on hand to shoot the #GCamp reveal for three lucky amateur hockey players who showed The Will To Win From Within. All of the invite recipients show tremendous talent, hard work and dedication and on a backdrop of the picturesque Trafalgar Castle in Whitby Ontario, we met Michelle Jones and her mother Debra.

Emotions were definitely high, even through pre-production, as the bond between Michelle and her mom is palpable. We were all deeply moved by the closeness of the Jones family. The more we learned about Michelle during our interview shoots, the more excited we were not only to witness, but capture the surprise. Everyone was a complete delight to work with; every step of the process and it very quickly became a labor of love for us. We even nearly blew our cover as we were checking out our locations. But with a bit of craftiness, preparation and help from our accomplices, we captured a very special moment and we’re very happy with the finished product. Congrats Michelle and the other #GCamp invitees Eddie Yan and Carter Robertson!