We shot everything with two cameras, one getting a wider shot, the other closer. On these monitors you can see what they captured, first before the piano dropping, and then once it had landed:
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B.P. (Before Piano)
A.P. (After Piano)
In the commercial, the spokesman will be seen walking past the pedestal as the piano falls from the sky, but because anything like this is done with great consideration for the safety of the crew and cast, the actor/spokesman shot his dialogue separately on the same set, and then the editor will combine the two different pieces of footage so it appears that he was there as the piano smashed to the ground behind him.
Even on a small shoot like this was, there are always lots of people and equipment (in the background on the right you can get a glimpse of the ninja and the strongman):
A few days later I worked on what will be an internet spot for Jell-O. This was another fun project with some good examples of "the magic of the movies". The action takes place in the jungles of Mexico...which we shot in a local botanical garden, both among the foliage and in a large parking area with blue screens and platforms that will be cinematically transformed into the top of an Aztec pyramid.
Traipsing through the "jungle" (the blue screen in the background is where the visual effects editor will make it look like there's an Aztec pyramid in the distance):
Our trekkers are hauling a crate with them, and at one point get stuck at a waterfall. In the photo below, the two guys in the water won't be in the final shot, they're rigging the crate so the local "guides" can appear to be hauling it up out of the water; the picture of the monitor shows what the camera would shoot once the riggers were out of the way:
Later in the day, in a large, open, paved area, we filmed our trekkers climbing to the top of the pyramid, pulling the crate up with them:
This is what it looked like in real life:
In order to make sure that everything we shot would properly integrate with the image that will replace the blue screen, they had the capability of adding the background to the image on the monitor -- this is basically what it will look like once the visual effects wizard has finished his work:
While we were working on this sequence, it started to rain...and it kept raining until after we finished...at 9 PM. So the grips (they move equipment around, put together things like the platform, generally make sure we have everything we need in the way of a physical foundation) built a couple of large canopies to cover the "set" and to protect the camera, and we continued to shoot into the dark of night what will eventually look like a bright sunrise morning on top of an Aztec pyramid.
Like I said, the magic of the movies....
Because of the weather Coccinelle stayed tucked away safe and dry. Even before the downpour, when we were out among the greenery, there really wasn't time to do anything but move from one shooting location to another, so Coccinelle and I will return one day soon and spend some quality time exploring beautiful Descanso Gardens.
And I was told that the spots we filmed that day will be on the Jell-O Facebook page, so if you're an FB-er, be sure to be on the lookout for them!
