Sam Washington: The Face of Advertising

UK TV show The Face is a programme which pitches aspiring models against each other in a series of challenges. One of these challenges involved making a TV commercial and Another Film Company director, Sam Washington, was approached to work with the models to shoot the spots.

Below he reveals the process of working with the likes of Naomi Campbell and why episode five of The Face should start with a caption ‘do not try this at home’.

The Face is just like Britain’s Next Top Model but with two differences; firstly, the wannabe models are in teams, each mentored by an expert supermodel – Naomi Campbell, Erin O’Connor and Caroline Winberg. Secondly, the ‘challenges’ in each episode are ‘real world’ challenges. For example, they did a lingerie shoot for Marks & Spencer and the winning team’s photos will actually be used in an M&S campaign.

Fast cars and faster schedules

So, midway through production, Princess Productions, the guys making The Face, get to the episode that is ‘being in a TV ad’. They had partnered with Maserati to make three car commercials with each of the three teams of wannabe models… in a single day… without any pre-light… on a limited budget… with only four days prep.

As the show was mid-season and there had been a variety of evictions from each team, the number of girls in each team was different. There was a team of two, a team of three and a team of four. So, in addition to the obvious challenges, they were looking for an idea that would work for a cast of two, three and four.

Two days before the shoot, they added the final couple of hurdles; the show's executives wanted this episode to have a couture element to it, so the ad had to feature predetermined, outlandish catwalk outfits crafted from spiky Perspex and polished metal. And I could only have one hour to film with each team. Well, at least we’d have more time to light…

Simplicity is key

Each week, Princess Productions produce a 60-minute TV show, so, they must have thought, how hard could it be to produce 60 seconds? Obviously, making a commercial isn’t quite as simple as that, let alone a car commercial. But they started to get the idea when they saw the lighting list.

In order to get all this done, simplicity would be key. I came up with the idea of catwalk models strutting in catwalk outfits, so we think it’s some kind of high fashion piece, then we see that the models are tottering faster and faster, competing with each other, before breaking into a flat-out run, in six-inch heels, as we finally reveal that they are racing each other for the ultimate prize, the new Maserati Quattroporte.

Fitting in with fashion

Together with the amazing Sam Goldie (DP) and Isusko Garcia (AD) we planned our hour-long blocks with each of the three teams of girls down to the second. Once we were up and running, we hardly even noticed the 10-camera TV-shoot that was surrounding our car commercial… hardly.

Before we could get going however, a ‘briefing’ needed to be filmed, where I explained to Naomi Campbell, Erin O’Connor and Caroline Winberg what we would be doing that day. “Are you going to get changed?” the producer asked me as we got ready to film. I guess the jeans, trainers and check shirts that make up my entire wardrobe didn’t fit in with their fashion sensibilities.

During the filming of each team’s hour-long block, the relevant supermodel mentor would sit next to me at my monitor, giving notes and encouragement to their girls and making me look even scruffier. They really are otherworldly in their beauty and I am sure, had I not been distracted by the task at hand, I would have been a little flustered to spend an hour in such company.

A supermodel magnet  

As a director, especially when there is a lot of time pressure, I like to run on and off set between takes, giving notes to cast and crew. This was the one area where the TV production interfered with my running of the shoot, insisting I stay by my monitor and give notes from there, as it suited their cameras and lighting better and kept me close to my co-directors, the supermodel mentors.

I kept forgetting though and would charge on set, give some notes or encouragement to the girls, then spin around to sprint back to my monitor, only to come face to face with a flock of Steadicam rigs and a looming crane arm that had had to charge up the studio after me. More than once, the supermodel mentors also joined the chase to follow me on set. This was all very strange, leaving me feeling like some kind of magnet, attracting burly Steadicam operators and supermodels wherever I roamed.

During each of their filming blocks all the girls worked very hard, smiling sweetly, eager to do the best possible job, desperate to please their supermodel mentors, to be the team that won the challenge and not face eviction. I only found out afterwards that the Perspex and metal couture outfits were causing some seriously nasty flesh wounds and all the running around in six-inch heels was resulting in some epic blisters. But not one of them complained even a little bit.

The inner Simon Cowell

Editor Rebecca Luff from Ten Three was with us on set and did an amazing job of cutting a comp reel for each team as we were filming so that, at the end of the crazy shoot day, I could sit there on camera, review the rushes and, under the gaze of three of the most intimidatingly beautiful women in the world, advise the marketing manager for Maserati, Giulio Pastore, as to which of their teams should win and loose. I must confess, I struggled to find my inner Simon Cowell and was a little over-diplomatic.

Using the magic of editing, they make it look as though we sat on set at the end of the shoot day and watched the three finished films. Obviously, the edit, grade (Smoke & Mirrors) and sound mix (Grand Central) was done in the weeks following the shoot and then edited into the episode afterwards. I think this is a shame in a way, as it somewhat detracts from the very real achievement that was shooting three car commercials in three hours.

With hindsight, I probably wouldn’t advise trying to light and shoot one car commercial in a day, let alone three.

The Face is shown on Sky Living HD, Mondays at 9pm.