Page 13 - Fujifilm Exposure_41 Happy-Go-Lucky_ok

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BLACK AND WHITE BANKING
In a series of commercials for First Direct, a man explains that the bank offers £100 to switch your account to them,
but if you’re not happy after six months they’ll help
you change accounts and give you another £100.
DP Baz Irvine tells Anwar Brett all about this revolutionary shoot.
We shot these in a pod on the London Eye last December. It was just one of those clear days with beautiful winter sunshine. I shot on ETERNA
250D, because I wanted to have as much latitude and capture as much detail as possible.
“My main fear was that the back- ground might be really sunny but that the river would be covered in cloud and I’d be dealing with a five or six- stop difference between the interior and the exterior. In the end, I think it was only two or two and a half stops.
All the detail was there in the stock, which was great. Having that latitude was tremendous because I knew it was all going to be on the neg, and it was easier to monochrome it later in telecine. The idea with these commercials is that it’s First Direct, the two characters are dressed in black and white, and it’s a very black and white deal they’re talking about.
The London Eye ones were quite amazing to do, but we had so little time to get them – I think we only had three revolutions of the Eye. As you can imagine, we had to load every- thing on as it was moving, and there were limitations placed upon us about what we could bring in and we weren’t allowed to clamp anything to any of the metalwork. I decided to simplify the camera gear into two cameras and a couple of zoom lenses to go with battery operated lights and just the one stock.
There was me and our operator Peter Robertson. He was standing next to me with a lovely bit of equipment called a monopod, which is useful when you’re doing hand-held stuff for a long time, which we were, shooting 10 minute rolls in one go. It makes it a bit more manageable, and it’s good; it’s got a nice kind of movement to it. But it was still quite a challenge.
The sun, even in December, is very high in the sky so you’re not wor- ried about it getting that horrible mid- day look. I knew that the optimum time to shoot was ten ‘til three in the afternoon and I think literal-
ly we started at ten, did two
hours in the Eye and moved,
had lunch, did two hours at
the Millennium Bridge and
wrapped by three. ■
Agency: JWT
Production Company: Independent
Director: Tim Godsall
Producer: Fergus Brown
First Direct’s Black And White Banking commercials were o”riginated
on 16mm ETERNA 250D 8663
Photo top left: DP Baz Irvine; right: shooting in progress over London in one of London Eye’s pods
Fujifilm Motion Picture • The Magazine • Exposure • 11