I shot this piece for Myron Steves Insurance Partners. It was a fun shoot - and although it presented some technical challenges, it was easier and faster to work with paper sculptures than to work with live actors!
The paper sculptures were drawn by LA-based artist William Kent. The setup was minimal - a Mark III camera with a Canon 70-200 lens, a slider, two blue pieces of construction paper for the background/floor, and a window with a thin sheer curtain over it, letting in a nice soft light from the side.
The most challenging aspect of the shoot was pulling focus while also operating the slider moves. Since the sculptures were literally paper-thin, the margin for error was only .05mm! That's a pretty tough move to pull off, even for the most experienced focus pullers (especially while operating). We were able to get enough good portions of takes to use, but it was a challenge.
My favorite shot is the "CPCU Class of '49" banner shot. We added some blue tinsel to the background to give it some texture, and hung a few strands of tinsel in front of the slider to add some depth with a foreground element. To keep the banner upright, we stuck the poles into potatoes cut in half - and it worked like a charm to keep things stable and balanced!
