YOU BOTH WORE MANY HATS FOR THIS SHOOT – ADAM AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ONSET DIRECTOR, POST-PRODUCTION EDITOR… KARI AS WRITER AND PRODUCER, IS THAT RIGHT?
Kari: Yes! When budgets are tight, we have to stretch ourselves. It’s a great skillset, to be adaptable like that. Adam and I jumped in early - from concepts, to strategy and pitching, casting, writing, directing.
Adam: Being that involved, as early as possible, makes all the difference for us.
WHY IS THAT?
Adam: The earlier we are in, the more shaping we can do.
Kari: You can build a relationship with the story, with the client. Try to strengthen it before you hit the floor.
Adam: I can always feel the outcomes of a project will be good (or at least fun) if there is some excitement building around the idea. And I love when the concept itself depends on some creative production work - and this one really did.
WHAT WAS THAT CREATIVE TWIST THAT PULLED YOU IN, ADAM?
Adam: With this DE&I shoot for RBC, we knew going into pre-production that the concept itself would depend on some creative transitions to bring our characters from their home life to their work life (or vice versa).
I knew immediately that I wanted to shoot these transitions in-camera, and that it would be a fun process figuring out how these transitions would work.
WHAT’S YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS LIKE? HOW DOES IT INFORM THE FINAL PRODUCT?
Kari: When it comes to scriptwriting, I like to write multiple versions of one piece. The farther you push yourself to do something less expected, the more nuggets of gold you can unearth. The client often chooses their favourite and you tweak from there!
Adam: I’m a visual person, so my creative process involves a lot of research. Finding reference images with lighting, composition, and lens choices is super important. It provides a foundation to build from, especially as a new director.
Another big one for me is creative collaboration. We had a brilliant DP on this shoot, Luke McCutcheon, and he’s a great person to meet up with for coffee and bounce ideas around. I can come to the table with some ideas about how I want the camera to move, but in the end, it was Luke who determined how we can practically achieve the shots.
DO YOU EMBED ANY SIGNATURE ‘YOU’ MOVES OR MOMENTS INTO YOUR SHOOTS?
Kari: As a writer, my signature move is to try to open or close on a punchy line. Something memorable, something emotional, even something strange - to grab attention. My signature move as a producer is trying to make the talent feel relaxed - whether it’s a voiceover artist, an actor, or an employee in a doc spot, I want people to laugh and loosen up. To have a good experience.
Adam: I love experimentation and generally challenge myself to incorporate some sort of new (to me) camera movement technique into each shoot. On this shoot, we rigged up the camera to rotate 360 degrees to follow the movement of a book opening and closing as a transition device. I experimented at home with my iPhone, and eventually Luke figured out how we could actually achieve the movement. We think it ended up looking pretty cool.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE CHALLENGES ON SHOOTS LIKE THESE?
Adam: You can prepare all you like, but sometimes, a shot just isn’t working. It’s important to be able to improvise - being nimble and being able to think on the spot about how to reset and “save the shot” is paramount. If the crew is game to improvise with you, these improvised moments can sometimes turn out to be ‘the best of the day’ - looser, and more authentic.
Kari: You deal with one thing at a time, and take it how it is. As a producer, it’s really about ‘being what is needed’. You’re a problem solver, that’s your role, and it isn’t always going to go perfectly - but nothing is unsalvageable and nothing will explode.
IS THAT THE TOUGHEST PART?
Adam: Typically, it’s the race against time - making sure we achieve all the shots planned within the shoot day(s), with enough coverage to help in the edit. Things can get a little frantic during the final shots on the final shoot day and that kind of energy can make it difficult to focus, but the adrenaline rush of it is still fun.
Kari: I agree. The time crunch, and juggling all the moving pieces are the hardest. I am A-type as hell under my bubbly persona and sometimes you need to remind yourself, it isn’t life or death–it’s art.
AND WHAT ARE THE BEST PARTS?
Kari: Going home. I love when a shoot day is done, after all the anticipation. I get a sense of accomplishment from turning my brain off and shedding all the tension from being ‘go-go-go’ for the last twelve hours. We did it, you know? It was crazy, but we did it!
Adam: I really appreciate the in-between moments on shoot days bonding and shooting the breeze with the members of the crew - it takes a special kind of person to work in production, and I have so much respect and admiration for people who work in any department. I love to see and feel the entire crew working well holistically - it makes those “we got the shot” moments so much more rewarding.
