When the Circus comes to town . . . the impossible can happen!
Longtime friend and SYNC client, Adam Olszewski, was the ring leader behind these fabulous images from TV GUIDE MAGAZINE’s Fall Preview and we’re here to give you the behind the scenes scoop on what it took to make this shoot happen!
First and foremost, the thing that makes these images even more remarkable is the fact that they were all taken on five overlapping sets in a 20’x20′ shooting space inside a tent in the parking lot of the Beverly Hilton Hotel!
Hosted by TV GUIDE MAGAZINE, this idea of shooting everything in the Big Top media tent was started in 2009. For those of you who might not know, TV GUIDE MAGAZINE is the only magazine devoted exclusively to television—the shows, the stars, the industry. With programming now available anytime and anywhere, they tell consumers what’s worth watching.
The challenge was to build a virtual headquarters for all the major networks to showcase their talent and create a mountain of promotional content for their upcoming shows, but who would they choose to handle a shoot of this complexity?
Enter Adam Olszewski . . . while certain shooters can finesse light, others may be masters at pre-visualization, some are organized and still others can work quickly, Adam Olszewski does it all extremely well and TV GUIDE MAGAZINE knew they had the perfect photographer for this massive shoot.
Organized over a 10 day period in late July, Adam focused his attention on creating an equipment order with SYNC that would enable him to shoot on any of his 5 sets at a moments notice.
“Everything in the tent is a trick”, says Adam. “There is no real formula for shooting like this – every step you take to adjust a light affects not only the set you’re working on but also a 2nd and 3rd. It’s a trick to embellish each set with different props, colors, and textures without interfering with the neighboring sets.”
“If you put it down on paper, it wouldn’t work . . . it’s almost like the lighting is no longer a physical thing, it’s a mental thing.” Adam goes on to say, “Because things are moving so fast and space is so limited you really have to rely upon the unorthodox – and simply get a feeling for the light you’re after and then you begin to see things from within that space . . . you need to get into the zone to make it work.”
“What appears to be organized chaos during the shoot, is actually a very well thought out production. A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes regarding how the talent will be dressed and what environments they will be photographed in and what they should be doing. It’s only when the shutter starts clicking and the talent and I begin to interact, that it all finally comes together.”
SYNC would like to thank Adam for providing his time, insights and images for us to talk about. We are very fortunate to work with such a talented and creative artist . . . we look forward to the next shoot, Adam!
