A Buzz in the Desert: The Palm Springs Shoot
6.58pm. Friday, January 27th, 2017. From the moment we arrived, and the doors were opened for us to view this incredible property, the shoot really began. Every corner turned was lit, the overhead fans in motion—the stage was set, the house showcased for its audience—Us. And later that night, although at the time we couldn’t see the stunning views of the valley below, we scouted the property for ideal locations to shoot our subjects, taking into account the sunlight that would probably change them the next day. Near the pool? By the fire pit? In front of the entrance? Where would we choose? Those with the most production value to capture the look that we want featured in our film…
Although there were beautiful areas encompassing the house and ravishing rooms within providing stunning backdrops, the kitchen revealed itself to be the heart of the action off-camera. We also later found a space dark enough to shoot little promotional spots you’ll see as we edit and post them on our various social media platforms.
How Did We Do This?
We gathered funds raised from our Indiegogo campaign as well as our, Support DRAFT page to finance the first shoot. In addition to the landscape which lent itself to our vision, we chose Palm Springs and this particular property as a location because we found a cluster of ex-Charivari employees living here or near, and felt it was in keeping with the high-end subject matter of our documentary. It was a tremendously pleasurable, if not arduous exercise adding another visual texture to our interviews.
We had a very small and highly capable crew and as a result we wore many hats to keep costs at a minimum. We checked out the hotel chosen to accommodate some of our crew and made sure they’d be comfortable; ordered and collected the food that would be readily available throughout the shoot. Along the way, we had to make a few (nerve racking!) interviewee changes and finally met a few of the fine people of Palm Springs; the vendors we worked with, whom up till then had only “spoken” to by email or actually by phone to make it all possible.
Over the shoot, we endured the constant interruptions of aircraft flying overhead challenging the crew. It continually stopped us from shooting like a never-ending game of red light, green light, one, two, three… constant breaks in the flow of filming, allowing hair & makeup touch-ups just to keep things picture perfect. But we persevered and shot interesting, visually arresting interviews we hope you’ll enjoy watching after we edit the footage and present to you in our film.
Saturday & Sunday
Along the steady hum of our working hive, overall we achieved a laid-back shoot while our lens caught the honey desert light. Both days were incredibly productive and although we shot actual footage for the film, we’ll “pull” some of it and make a sizzle reel, a little promotional teaser for you to taste!... Things really came together. Everyone we commissioned was present and worked waxed lyrical throughout the weekend. And Ric, Yabee and I are more than happy with not only the footage we shot, but also most impressed with the work ethic and professionalism of our crew.
The interviews were eye opening, and each and every one took us back to a time when Charivari was a destination one visited when traveling to New York. Some of the memories and stories we captured really highlighted an era in time and revealed an inside perspective on the retailer—a side rarely visible to the general public.
4.00pm. Sunday, January 29th, 2017. On our way out of the property, we took one last look around, turned off the lights and fans, left the keys, shut the door and thought, our first shoot was a Great Experience…
DRAFT productions would like to reach out and thank our crew and interview subjects for participating in the Palm Springs shoot. [*And we look forward to welcoming more of you over the coming months that would do us the honor of being a part of our project]
We thank you,
with warm regards,
Ric, Cheyenne & Yaa Boaa
Special thanks goes out to Our Crew:
David (DK) Kagen – Cinematographer
Blake Heron – Assistant Camera
Sean Byrnes – Sound
Roseanne McIlvane - Hair/Make-up
Amanda Stockham- Hair/Make-up 2
And Thanks to our Interview Subjects: For sharing your time and participating—candidly in our film. For all of your anecdotes & all sorts!
Neil Cohen, Antone Romano, Caroline Marx, Melissa Mars Dench and Susan Stein.
Photo by izayah ramos on Unsplash
*Save the date!
The Los Angeles Shoot—Saturday April 15th & Sunday April 16th
Thanks to your support, we are now more able to plan our next shoot.
If you will be in the Los Angeles area and would like to be part of our production, please contact us via this website. Provide your full name, email address and telephone number.
D-Source Note: The 2-day shoot will only be comprised of 6 interview subjects.
If you are not selected as a participant for the Los Angeles shoot, we will be sure to keep your details on file. And as we continue to raise funds and set dates for subsequent shoots, we’ll contact you with the pertinent information.
Join the UPROAR.... CHARIVARI a fashion UPROAR