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How to Assemble a Team

Lesson 19 from: FAST CLASS: Business of Commercial Food Photography

Andrew Scrivani

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Lesson Info

19. How to Assemble a Team

Next Lesson: The Production Team

Lesson Info

How to Assemble a Team

today. What we're going to talk about is the flip side of that, and it's what is our team look like? What is assembling that team look like? And what of those relationships, Um, how do they grow? How do you find those relationships? And what is it that that team is expected to do once we get on set? So the first thing is, one of the things you have to understand as a non artist in these venues is that you are a collaborator now you may be in charge of that collaboration, but the partnership is what really makes it great. Food photography is basically three dimensional art, but also the idea that it takes 3 to 5 separate artists working collaboratively to make it work. A prop stylist, the food stylist, possibly a chef. You as the photographer, a re toucher. All these people have their own art and are going to be in need off a collaborative leader in a project. So when we're talking about being the leader of that project, you have to also kind of be the coach in a way. And I speak a lot ...

in sports speak because that was my background, but, um, I'm a firm believer, and few, if you in charge of a team as a coach or a manager or whatever it might be in a sport, and the weakest link on your team isn't getting the attention that they need. The person who has the most needs or the object or the subject that requires the most need. Well, then the entire team kind of fails around it. So the idea of rallying people around a common theme or a common goal is the way I approach my sets. So it's important, and it's also important when you are the most experienced person on your set. To be a teacher and having a teaching background and having a component to my career that has to do with teaching makes me more willing. And it's more of a natural kind of engagement for me to be a teacher on set. So it requires patience and again we'll go back to communication a lot, A lot of communication, because if you shut down, people don't know what to do. This would be the full blown team will go through everybody who you might end up having on your set or in your on your team When you're making a um, when you're putting together a photo shoot on, then sometimes you may not have all of these people, but you definitely will have some of them. So the first person on a big shoot for you now on your team is your producer. And we talked about the producer being somebody that has a a counterpart on the other side. So we're gonna talk about the differences between those people. Then we have an art director, quite possibly an art director on your team. So for me to have my my creative partner who is not handling camera on set and doesn't necessarily have, ah distinct um, role, I would consider her my art director pretty much throughout my career. You know, having Sir John as my creative director and my compatriot in doing all these things, is it? We've come collaboratively set the tone for our photo shoots for a very long time. Um, now, when you have your cooks on set now, those to those people might very well be responsible to the food stylist. So sometimes the food stylist comes in with their own people, there's their assistance. I'll call them cooks for just for clarity. But they are people you still have to interact with, and they appreciate the interaction. Your stylist clearly are people that you need to communicate with before, during, and maybe even after the shoot to kind of have a recap. And that's another concept that I want to talk about a little bit. Is the idea off doing a recap at the end of a shoot to discuss what went well, What didn't your tech support? And that could be both the Earth camera assistant and your digital tech and your assistance. And those assistance can range from camera and all the other people who are assisting the production from the person who is running out for the American knows.

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