Posts tagged ‘director’
NBC’s Smash – On Location in Times Square
I got a call form the New York Times photo desk late in the afternoon a few months back asking if I could run down to Times Square late that same evening and photograph a new tv show called Smash being filmed on location. I was told the show was NBC’s answer to FOX’s Glee, but was more of an adult-themed drama/musical about the making of a hit Broadway play.
So I jumped on my scooter and headed south from my pad on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Times Square around 11PM for the shoot. When I arrived, I was immediately confused because the crew was apparently on a break and all I could see were tons of tourists hanging out in Times Square…the usual. Moments later as I saw the camera crews start to move around, it dawned on me that I was actually standing in the midst of hundreds of extras who were only acting like tourists for the production! Clearly they were doing a great job as they even fooled a New Yorker like myself!
I met with the show’s publicist, who pointed out all the important folks like the director, producers, and eventually led me over to the actors appearing in the scene, Megan Hilty and Katherine McPhee. I was happy to see Katherine because previously I’d taken her portrait in the dressing room of “Live! with Regis and Kelly” for the Los Angeles Times years back. This was after she had been a top contestant on American Idol. I was pleased to find out she remembered the shoot before I could even mention it. It’s always good to know that my brief encounters with portrait subjects are remembered positively.
Pretty quickly the filming began and I was roaming the “set” taking pictures of a scene where Katherine and Megan’s character are walking through Times Square and suddenly break out singing with the accompaniment or a random trio of street musicians who coincidently are playing nearby.
The mood of the set was unlike most sets I’ve been on due to the uncontrolled atmosphere of Times Square. It was hard to even tell there was a major production filming because of all the extras. I was walking with and taking pictures of Katherine and Megan as they crossed 7th Ave to begin a scene. Behind me a real tourist says to her daughter, “hey, I think something is being filmed, do you see any celebrities?”
Only in NYC can you walk down a street and never realize you’re right in the middle of a huge production!
From The Archives: Actor/Director David Schwimmer
I had a great shoot a few months back with actor David Schwimmer of FRIENDS fame for a New York Times article. These days he’s directing movies and living in Manhattan with his wife and his new baby daughter.
Anyhow, as usual I wasn’t given much information about what or where I could or couldn’t shoot because my editors are working with his publicists. In general, the more people it takes to schedule a shoot, less information makes it’s way to me. Par for the course. I was simply told to meet David at the 92Y Tribecca.
Because I didn’t know exactly where I could shoot or how much time I’d have to bang out a portrait, I enlisted the help of my friend and fellow photographer Charles Ludeke. We arrived about 20 minutes early and checked out the neighborhood around the 92Y and quickly found a nearby location with a pedestrian bridge over the West Side Highway and a street with very little foot or car traffic. I took a few test shots of Charles before we headed back to the rendezvous where we were to met up with David.
Once David arrived, he was entirely friendly, non-rushed, and talkative. We really hit it off as his wife is also a photographer and we had a nice and somewhat geeky conversation about camera gear. He’s now familiar with DSLR cameras, using them for some of his productions.
For the most part, all the portraits I took were natural light with an extremely shallow depth of field. I used the city, streets, buildings, and bridge as a backdrop. I did break out a strobe (Canon 580) for one setup, but it was very simple. In fact, my assistant Charles became a human light stand and held the light for me.
All and all, I had a nice time and productive shoot. A few weeks before David had his new baby, he kindly invited me out to lunch to a restaurant in Greenwich Village. Not surprisingly he’s a great guy and just as friendly as he seems on the big screen.
David Schwimmer – Images by Robert Caplin
From The Archives: Director Jason Reitman; Juno
Jason Reitman – Images by Robert Caplin
Another dip into the photo vault finds the hot film director, Jason Reitman, currently in the news for his latest movie, Up in the Air, starring George Clooney. Check out this cool interview with Jason Reitman I caught on my NPR podcast.
When I was commissioned by the Los Angeles Times in Feb 2008 to take his portrait, it was for a critical essay by Dennis Lim discussing the ways in which the new crop of Oscar-nominated best directors are emblematic of the direction cinema is moving. I’d link the story, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere online!
Jason’s publicist squeezed the shoot into his schedule at The London, a fancy hotel in New York. I showed up about 20 minutes early in order to find the hotel room and set up a few different poses prior to his arrival.
The highlight was when I used one of my awesome jokes to try and get a smile from the director… ”So a neutron walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender sets the beer down and says, “For you, no charge!”…
…but I only got pity.
Hey Jason, if you’re looking for a production photographer for your next flick…you know where to find me!
