The Brief / Skoda / Key Parker / Julian Calverley
The Brief is a quarterly feature on the LPA blog which takes a behind the scenes look at a photoshoot. THE BRIEF
Photographer: Julian Calverley
Client: Skoda
Agency: Key Parker
Senior Account Manager: André Stewart
Creative Director: Al Delgado
Production: LPA Production
Stylist: Charlie Cave (LPA Style)
HMU: Claire Portman & Victoria Poland (LPA Style)
Shoot dates: June 2014
Usage: Skoda brochure, 1 year, UK
For this month’s edition of The Brief we chose a shoot Julian Calverley has recently worked on for the Skoda accessories brochure, through Key Parker. Julian had shot the images for the previous brochure, so the client knew his distinctively stylised, cinematic aesthetic would work perfectly a second time around. It’s always great when we get briefs through from repeat clients; so we were excited to get cracking on this production from the word go!
Below are some of Julian’s final shots from back in 2012:
© Julian Calverley / Key Parker / Skoda
© Julian Calverley / Key Parker / Skoda
The Brief:
The original brief was for a 3-day shoot to update the photography in the Skoda accessories brochure, which is used to promote the “thoughtful extras designed for the way you live your life and drive your Skoda”. The brief called for one set up per day, each depicting a different scenario in which the Skoda accessories range can make life that little bit easier.
The client called on Julian’s powerful, enhanced style of photography to ensure that the brochure would be far from your run of the mill automotive advertising. His intensely detailed approach lends itself perfectly to this brief, which required the car to sit in the background of each lifestyle set up whilst still ultimately being the focal point the shoot.
The client had provided us with some scamps, detailing each planned scenario:
Day 1:
Subject: A young boy, aged 9 or 10
Scenario: A family day out to the seaside. Mum and dad are relaxing on deck chairs on a quintessentially British beach, whilst their son and daughter enjoy an ice cream/lolly which they have managed to smear around their mouths and drip down their hands. The son is in the foreground, looking to camera, whilst his younger sister, being camera shy and a bit cheeky, is possibly peeking out from behind a large sand castle they have built.
Vehicle: The family’s Rapid Spaceback is parked incidentally in the scene along a raised promenade in the background.
Day 2:
Subject – Male business executive, aged 40-55
Scenario - Our subject is grabbing a bite to eat for lunch in an organic sandwich bar/deli. He is seated at a table in the foreground, drinking a cup of coffee, and is catching up with a bit of remote working, surrounded by his iPad, smartphone and newspaper. The food and produce on sale in the shop, (eg artisan breads, jars of olives, chutneys, etc), is displayed behind him on tables and shelves. We are looking back through the deli, out to the street.
Vehicle: The businessman’s Octavia vRS is parked over the road.
Day 3:
Subject: A group of 3 young friends, aged 20-25
Scenario: Our fashionable friends are seen leaving a trendy, Art Deco-type cinema in the heart of London. The photograph is shot at night to capture the buzz and atmosphere of the street scene, with a queue of people milling around the entrance. The subject is in the foreground, standing next to her car, whilst her friends are chatting and laughing crossing the road towards her to get their lift home or to move on to their next venue.
Vehicle: the girl’s Citigo is parked on the nearside kerb.
Upon receiving the brief LPA Production set about preparing the costs and production schedule, and sorting the logistics. In this case the client organised the talent, locations and permits, shoot vehicles and catering themselves.
The Estimate:
We included:
Photographer’s fees and expenses:
- Shoot fees to reflect the usage and for 3x shoot days
- Recce fee
- Photographic expenses – digi-capture, post production and equipment & lighting
Crew:
- 1st Assistant
- Stylist/ Prop Buyer, (including prep, shoot and returns days plus expenses for wardrobe)
- Stylist Assistant
- Hair & make-up Artist
Misc:
- Transport expenses for all crew
- Insurance, telephone, couriers etc.
The Preproduction
Once we had received a PO approving the costs, we began on the production. Our ‘to do’ list looked something like this…
1) Get advance of shoot expenses 2) Confirm dates with Julian and the client. 3) Confirm and brief crew. 4) Confirm wardrobe and props brief plus sizes of ‘models’ from Key Parker for the stylist
5) Prepare call sheets and send to everyone.
Styling:
Wardrobe and prop styling was paramount on this shoot to make each shot clear, convincing and relatable. LPA Style’s talented Charlie Cave did an amazing job – we particularly love her use of bold clothing and props to compliment the details in each scenario.
We also brought in LPA Style’s Claire Portman and Victoria Poland to provide hair and make-up, with Claire working on scenarios 1 and 3 and Victoria working on scenario 2.
Claire said:
“We had a sunny afternoon shooting by the seaside and then an evening shoot at the Rio cinema. Both days required a very natural hair and makeup look from me as the brief called for ‘real’ people. It was a pleasure to work with Julian for the first time and great to work with Charlie as always.”
The Shoot
“My first thought when I got this brief was that it was a really bold thing for a car company to do. I have worked with cars a lot throughout my career so I found it incredibly interesting that they wanted to focus more on the characters than the car itself. This, I thought, was a great concept because it engages the viewer on a personal level and also stands out simply because it’s not your typical car shoot. In this sense it was great for both Skoda and Key Parker to have faith in me to do something a little different.
With this kind of shoot you really have to be able to think on your feet because you have no idea what could happen on the day! We were lucky to have a great team on board - from Al and Steve at Key Parker to Charlie, Victoria and Claire from LPA Style – ensuring everything ran smoothly on set. The set up with the young boy at the beach was quite tricky to achieve but he was a star and very patient – it probably helped that there was a constant supply of ice cream though!"
Julian Calverley
Here are the final shots for the brochure:
© Julian Calverley / Key Parker / Skoda
© Julian Calverley / Key Parker / Skoda
© Julian Calverley / Key Parker / Skoda
Photoshoot Glossary
Advance: It is wise to obtain an advance of funds to pay for crew and expenses of shoot that you may need to hire.
Call Sheet: A document detailing all the important details on a shoot: where, when, who, plus contact numbers.
Digi-capture: The process of taking the photos on a photoshoot, capturing the images with a digital camera.
PO: A Purchase Order. A legally binding document from client to supplier detailing the exact services required, authorising costs and detailing all terms and conditions.
Post–production: Digital manipulation of the images after they have been taken.
Prep: (in this case with regards to the styling) Initial preparation for a shoot, e.g preparing moodboards, online research.
Pre-production: The production which takes place before a shoot happens, to make sure everything runs smoothly on the day.
Recce: Visiting potential locations before the shoot to choose the most appropriate.
Returns: When a stylist returns the options of clothes and props which are not used on a photoshoot.