Production paradise !

I’ve had an incredible response to the film so far.

I first stumbled upon Loyd.  He’s got some incredibly authentic and stylish campervan company down in Faro called Siesta Campers.  Loyd used to work in advertising and film in London so we hit it straight away.  He understood my vision and agreed to contribute.  He let me pick only the most stylish and beautifully designed VW campervan I have ever set eyes on.  Unfortunately, I can’t say which one but you got to trust me on this one. (click here to have a look at all the campervans).

Withing the next few weeks I’ll be posting more information on the project.  I’m now working on the final draft of the script and will soon be doing the storyboard, which I might be sharing as well.

Thanks for reading.

It’s friday night and I don’t feel like going out, it’s the best friday in a long time.  Yesterday I bought my flight to Portugal for the 21st of May.  The reason?  I’m producing, writing and directing a surf film.  I started with the idea about a month ago, but never thought it would grow so much so fast.

I’ve never been to Portugal, so I thought a fresh and inquisitive eye would help the project, I dedicated many hours for brainstorming and research and got it touch with a couple of incredibly open and generous individuals who’ve decided to collaborate with the project.

It’s ON !

Faro, Portugal.

I’ve been doing a little testing lately, and here are the results (so far) of saturday’s shoot.  Varied styles and solid shots.  I’ll be posting the remaining shots this weekend.

Hair- Make-up Urim Roh, Yumi Noh

Photography: Tomas Hein
Digital Operation: Alessandro Berdondini
Styling: Thea Rønnebæk
Models:  Carla and Inga from Premier Model Managament
Make-up: Urim Roh
Make-up Assistant: Yumi Noh
Hair: SongEi Hong

Last week I started a minimal test:  One hour, one outfit, one model, DIY hair and makeup and a confined space.  You get the idea.

I managed to shoot two photographs that I’m satisfied with.

This time around the inspiration was “Casablanca goes Bond”

Thanks Elina !

Early morning at our living quarters.

Have you ever slept in a freezer?  I have.  Gordon and I travelled in his awesome little van all the way from London to Thurso, with the idea of comfortably sleeping in it.  Indeed it was a practical multi funcional van full of luxuries such as an extendable roof that created a tent on the top of the van with enough space for one or two people to squeeze in together. High class living quarters.  On the other hand, the lower deck, where I slept had none of that luxury or style.  The horizontal seats were barely tolerable with a couple drinks on you.  On the other hand, my deck had automatic curtains that lowered simultaneously (or separately) at the touch of a button. But the grass was greener on the other side.

On our first night, having tasted the delights of Scottish whiskey we parked the van by the sea.  It was a chilly night, but the stars warmed the soul.  With the roof up and ready, Gordon crawled into it and said goodbye for the day.  I stayed on the lower deck in my sleeping bag which is made to withstand -10°c .  It was a comfy night until I woke up at about 4am.  The zipper on the bag broken and the temperature in the van was about 0°c.  A “Class A” freezing unit.  Gordon on the other hand did not have a sleeping bag but only a mid season down and the walls of his magic roof tent were made of fabric.  The green grass soon dried out on both sides.

The tent was never used again, and several modifications were made to our living quarters after that.

I set out to keep everything to a minimum.  Space, time, lighting, clothing, hair and make-up.

The idea was to shoot three images in an hour, using only one light, one outfit, a small room, and hair and make up kept to the bare minimum (ie: a comb, a pencil and my inexperienced hand).

Model: My super-sweet beautiful girlfriend Thea.

PD.: Last picture somehow reminded me of “Ju-On”

Still from “Ju-On”.

Micah Lester

The competition in Thurso was located in a manure farm, the smell pierced to the point you could taste it.  It was also cold, muddy, wet and windy, but there was a sad beauty to it all.   I stood on a viewing tower over a cliff, probably dating back 500 years or so.  Bellow me an old rusty ship that was stranded on the rock reef and 300 meters out to see, the competition was fiercely on.  Occasionally the sun peeped through the clouds, shinning beams of light over the ocean, shining hope on the competitors at sea, but it left as fast as it came.  A hail storm followed.