Olympic National Park, Wilderness Coast

After a minor hiccup missing our ferry, we’re back on track and speeding down the highway of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. We’re on our way to meet our shuttle bus that will take us to the beginning of our thru-hike along a portion of Olympic National Park’s rugged wilderness coast – the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in the lower 48 states.

We’re dropped off at the trailhead with our packs, and set out on foot for what will be 5 days traveling along the coast. We start out along a beautiful sandy beach, but before long we’re into the difficult rocky terrain this section of the route is known for. It’s a tough slog navigating the seaweed covered boulders, ubiquitous tidal pools, and gigantic driftwood logs. Each step requires total concentration, but after a while, we begin to find the rhythm. 

Our schedule is dictated entirely by the tide, as the route takes us almost exclusively through the intertidal zone. We must pass certain headlands before the water gets too high each day, or risk getting trapped by the tide in treacherous rocky terrain. In some cases headlands are only passable via steep overland trails with weathered and often questionably rigged fixed ropes. 

Along this stretch of remote coast there are zero amenities. We camp near water sources where possible, but drought conditions force us to ration our water when there are no streams to be found. As with many other wilderness beaches on the open ocean, there is an abundance of human garbage, washed in from far and wide. In some cases, beachcombers before us have put the trash to good use, fashioning some pretty functional setups.  

While it’s a lot of work to travel to these remote areas, nothing compares to the regeneration you get from being in the wilderness. Watching the sun dip into the Pacific Ocean every night is a welcome reward for our efforts. 

On Location: 19 Crimes Wine

The opera music echoes around the wood paneled walls of the billiard room. Over by the fireplace someone is tweaking the position of a century old rolling ashtray. I regain focus and return to our current task of lighting the suit of armour in the corner. Minutes away from our first shot, I leave the set and stroll past the bowling alley and down the hall of the largest mansion I’ve ever set foot in. I find our hero talent in the servant’s kitchen –er… holding area. We’re ready to shoot.

“What started out as a three shot campaign has somehow ballooned into seven shots and seven different setups.”

We scream through our shots in the billiard room, and move on to the dining room. Followed by the grand stairway. Then the sun room. And on, and on. What started out as a three shot campaign has somehow ballooned into seven shots and seven different setups. To top it all off, we have to delicately dance around all the priceless artifacts and décor in the hundred year old mansion that is our location.

15 long hours later, the last of our gear is packed into the truck. A minor emergency ensues when we realize the wheel of cheese prop has been locked inside the mansion. I am not leaving without the cheese. The crew surrounds the house, tracks down the security guard, and the cheese is recovered. Crisis averted.

Projects this good don’t come along very often: a shoot day in a fantastic location, a great concept, a crew and creative team that push the limit to make every shot the best it can be, and above all a client that is open to such a unique campaign. My only regret is not banging out a tune on the built-in pipe organ.

Thanks to Dan Bache, Geoff Morgan and the crew at Giants & Gentlemen for such a great project. A huge thanks to our crew for making this happen: Stephen Connor at Pinpoint Locations for finding the perfect location, Anita Cane and Kirsten Reader for making the guys look their best, and to the tireless assistants Abe Roberto, Ian Patterson, Mike MacMurchy, and Spencer Robertson for all their hard work.

Oh, and I highly recommend getting your hands on a bottle of the fine wine that is 19 Crimes.

On location: Strongco

“When we’re not dodging flying trees while trying to light and shoot, we’re punching through waist deep snow.”

Aaron Hoskins sporting snowshoes while traipsing through the forest with our battery lighting kit.

It's 5 am and we're speeding down a dark snowy road, deep in the backwoods of Maine. Another sip of sludge hotel coffee, and somehow my sleep deprived body doesn't have enough energy to recoil from the revolting taste. I'm lucky enough to be riding shotgun for this leg of the trip, which gives me a few sparing chances to catch some shut eye on the way to our location. Unfortunately the festering pre-shoot adrenaline has another agenda. Then it occurs to me: we are blindly following two people we just met into remote New England forest to shoot a massive, tree-eating logging machine, with no clue how to get back. Fargo meets Deliverence. Oh, and did I mention we're in Steven King's hometown? We're on day nine of a 16 day production that takes us to 11 locations, three provinces, two states, and far too many complimentary continental breakfasts. Our assignment is to shoot massive machines and the technicians that work on them. We just finished our leg through Montreal, which had to be some of the coldest conditions I've ever shot in. A plate of poutine and a pint later, and the cold was a distant memory. We managed to squeeze in a whopping two hours of sleep before being stung with a 3am wakeup call for our flight down to Bangor, Maine.

After braving the cold in Montreal, a little snow in the backwoods of Maine seems like child's play. Then we decide to do a follow shot of the monstrous logging machine. We'll be moving on foot through a tangled mess of downed trees and four feet of snow. When we're not dodging flying trees while trying to light and shoot the machine, we're punching through waist deep snow. It's slow going. Before long, the ever resourceful photo assistant, Aaron Hoskins, manages to track down a pair of snowshoes to keep him afloat.

This behemoth and futuristic logging machine makes quick work of the forest, and can drive over the most unruly terrain.

“The abnormally high static electricity was threatening to fry the camera...”

Wrapping up our shoot days in Maine, we head off for the obligatory east coast lobster feast. Word on the street is that the best lobster in town is on the permanently moored boat-restaurant down in the port. Yes, a suspicious old boat that's been converted into a restaurant. Against our better judgment, we trust local advice and climb aboard. In true American fashion, we each got a plate with two lobsters for cheaper than the price of one. Makes perfect sense. So, with full bellies and our New England shoot days under our belt, it's off to Portland's aptly named Jetport to head home and regroup in Toronto.

Two weeks later, we're back on the move, this time to Edmonton. One of the challenges with shooting large machines on location is often the environment they work in. Over the course of this shoot, we've had to brave different obstacles at every location. If it's not the flying debris and strong winds we had in Massachusetts, it's the abnormally high static electricity threatening to fry the camera we were trying to rig to a crane in Oakville. In Edmonton, it is the seemingly innocuous clay soil. While setting up and shooting one of the first shots, I'm standing behind the camera for a few minutes getting things sorted. As soon as I try to move, lo and behold my feet are completely locked in the mud. I don't know whether to laugh or panic. After a few deep breaths, some calm and collected jiggling of my feet, minutes later I break free. But not without six inches of mud stuck to the bottom of my boots. Welcome to Edmonton. It's not long before all our gear is also covered in thick, greasy clay. Fantastic.

With a filthy truck towering over Aaron and I, you can get a sense of the scale of these massive machines.

Don’t be fooled by the pretty mud. This sticky clay will stop you in your tracks.

Our final shoot day of the whole project takes us to a worksite full of nothing but massive pipes. I'm not sure whether I should be more afraid of the deadly piles of pipes we have to set up beside while shooting, or the salty workers who have no patience for us taking over their work area. With the efficiency of a team on our tenth shoot day, we blast off our three shots and officially wrap what is one of the longest shoots I've ever done. 

Shooting on location is always an adventure, and this project did not disappoint. Thanks to Art, Michael and the team at Atlanta Visual Communications for the inspiring creative collaboration. Thanks also to Steve Wallace at Barnes Communications, and of course to Bob Dryburgh, Charlene Kelly and the entire team over at Strongco.

With high voltage power lines flanking this worksite, extreme static electricity prevents us from rigging the camera to the top of the crane.

Working around these giant pipe stacks makes for a tense shot. If even one pipe shifts and lands on you, it’s certain death.

On Location: Montreal Side Show

The car lurches suddenly to the left. Again. We're speeding down the highway to Montreal with 1200 pounds of gear and people packed into the vehicle. While this is a normal amount of gear for this size of production, it just happens to be in, and on, my tiny Honda Fit hatch back. You see, this is a creative shoot, and saving a bit of cash on a rental van seemed like a good idea at the time. So with grip and props strapped precariously to the roof, and a retaining wall of lighting, wardrobe and luggage stacked carefully around the passengers, we trundle forwards. By this time tomorrow, we'll be shooting Cirque du Soleil acrobats.

Sipping the last few gulps of road trip coffee, we pull up to our hotel. Jumping out of the car into the chilly mid-march evening air, we pause to discuss how to deal with all the gear. A raindrop splashes beside me, no big deal, but somehow it seems too cold to be raining. Then another splash, followed by stifled laughter from above. Yes, we are being spit bombed by a bunch of giggling jackasses a few floors up. Welcome to March break in Montreal, where 18 year olds come from far and wide to try some legal drinking on for size.

A few matrix-like spit dodging maneuvers and we're checking in at the front desk. With our awkward French salutations out of the way, the front desk lady is explaining in broken English how they have made a mistake with our reservation. There's only room for two, and we are three, including myself and the crew. Chalk up another point for March break in Montreal. All part of the adventure though, so I leave my crew to stay at the hotel, and I head off with the hope of staying with the cast at the Cirque du Soleil residence.

“It’s our first look at the wardrobe in context, and it’s clear that tomorrow’s shoot is going to look amazing.”

A few phone calls later, and I'm good to go with a place to sleep and some unexpected time to spend with the cast before the shoot. After a warm welcome, a few drinks, and a broken conversation confirming call times with the Russian contortionists, it's not long before the performers are breaking out the wardrobe for a few late night tests. We head down to the main room in the residence where Kelsey jumps up on Preston's shoulders, standing two high - they're trying on the long coat for the giant man character in the shot. It's our first look at the wardrobe in context, and right away, it's clear that tomorrow's shoot is going to look amazing.

The morning of the shoot arrives, and we repack the car and squeeze off to location. We're shooting in an amazing old bar in the Plateau district of Montreal. Arriving early, we stage all our gear at the main entrance, ready to go as soon as the door opens. With 17 cast and crew soon arriving, we can only hope that the bar owner comes through on his promise to have his manager arrive at 10am on a Sunday morning to let us in. A few nervous minutes go by, needlessly rearranging stacks of props and gear, and the manager shows. We're in.

What follows is one of the biggest, most complicated, and most rewarding shoots I've ever done. We push the cast and crew to the limits. Not a person in the room is being paid. Everyone is here on good faith and to be a part of an amazing creative collaboration. The day screams past in a blur, everyone is excited to see our creation come to life. With post shoot buzz running high after we wrap, we head off to celebrate over late night dinner and drinks.

Now if only we can figure out how we packed all that gear in the car for our return trip!

Check back for a behind the scenes look at how we got the shot. Thanks to the spit dodging crew of Nick Wong and Dan Tobias for, among other things, dodging spit.