And now for my final thoughts...

Like all good things, including Jim's time at Sears, this blog, perhaps mercifully for some of you, is coming to end. But before I go, I have a some final thoughts:

• The production process is fascinating, but exhausting - watching how things transform from concept, to boards, to a full blown production is a sight to behold.  I was particularly impressed with how many adjustment take place on the fly; the little things like lighting or blocking, or even the spontaneous things that happen during filming make a huge impact on the final product.  That said, there is a LOT of down time on set and I can see how shooting spots regularly would be mentally taxing.  This was a great experience for me, top to bottom, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this project.
• I have a slight man crush on Diego Luna, but not for the reason you think - sure he's big in Mexico and a burgeoning star in the US, but that's not what impressed me.  As the director, he is the leader on set to 100 crew members, all things go through him.  What I observed was a passionate person who not only provided clear direction to his team and made things run efficiently, but someone who also was incredibly open to hearing the ideas of others and incorporating that feedback to make a better product.  I can't imagine that's easy; clowns like Paul and I have wild ideas and yet this guy, a Hollywood veteran, made us feel like we were part of the process (note: other people tell me this is not the norm with big name directors).  To me that's a valuable leadership lesson; it's good to provide direction and be an overt leader, but it's even better when you can balance that with ongoing collaboration with the people around you.  The cherry on top: Diego was super down to earth and had a great sense of humor.
• This spot could be the start of something big - we spent a lot of time talking on set about how this spot, what we are calling 'Two Worlds', is an important piece of work.  Based on real, authentic cultural insights, we created a short film that not only speaks to our target audience but also clearly demonstrates how Sears plays an important role in the lives of our members and customers.  Hopefully we'll be inspired by this spot to do more quality work like this to help rebuild the perception of Sears to the general public.  I can't wait to share it with you all next week!

And that's a wrap for me, the blogger.  It's been a good ride, and I hope you've had as much fun reading these little stories as much as I have had writing them.  

Until next time, Hasta Luego amigos!

Fin....nearing the end

Dear Readers,

Apologies for the delay in posting.  Last night we wrapped around 1am and Paul and I were up early to catch our flight this morning.  I'm now home in Chicago, finishing a dinner that did not include fish tacos or mescal for the first time in recent memory.  Let me also take this chance to say that a previous post titled 'you'll never guess what happens next...' has been edited significantly; apparently, when I opened that post on my laptop while still in Mexico, Google Translate started changed my words - in some cases, from English to crappier English.  All better now.  Ok, with that said, let's rewind a bit and recap the final hours of the shoot.  

When we last left our two heroes, they were enjoying a catered dinner and regaling the table with tales of rough massages at the W spa.  The crew was concurrently beginning to set up the set for our final series of shots: a house party that transitions to an office setting (AVO: sometimes it's being led, other times it's leading). Unlike the other scenes, we actually have a few cuts to make; we start with a wide shot of the part, cut to a medium shot focusing on our hero dancers, and the use the actresses hand gesture to initiate the swipe to the office scene. For the second time this trip, Leo, our driver/PA, has managed to sneak on as an extra.  He probably won't make the final cut, but I like his hustle.

It's now 9pm, and after seeing a few composites of the dancing scene, the crew begins the transition to the office scene - the final piece of filming.  Here's a view of the set from Diego's point of view:

It takes about 90 minutes to set up the lighting and do the blocking with the actors and I'm finally starting to feel the fatigue set in.  The lighting in the room is getting hot, I'm running out of emails to send, and my thumbs are tired of typing the blog.  Then, unexpectedly, Diego appears in the video village with a fancy looking bottle of Mescal.  Word has traveled to our director that the SHC and McGarry contingent is quite fond of the elixir (perhaps because of its hangover free quality), so he has brought us a bottle made by his friend as a thank you gesture.

We share a toast, share a laugh or two, and learn a little more about mescal (Diego is apparently a connoisseur - he tells us that mescal is sort of like bourbon; it comes in different flavors, styles, and colors). We also attempt to peer pressure one of the visual effects people to eat the worm.  #fail.

After 20 minutes or so, Diego breaks back to the set, and Paul and I venture off to oversee a few basic shots of someone using a tablet that we'll one day use for More To You Thursdays.

It's now 11:30pm and we are about 30 minutes into the filming of the final scene. Gasp!  Hunger begins to strike, thankfully there are more tacos to be had:

The clock strikes 1am, and the moment we have all been waiting for finally arrives: 'Fin!'.  We have all of our shots, everything looks terrific, and all us are ready to celebrate!  It's been a long three days, but the payoff will be worth it.  Everyone from the director to the PAs, and of course, the client, feel like we have a special piece of film here that is more than just a commercial.

As the beers begin to flow, Paul and I join the McGarry team for a photo with Diego (who by the way is a leading voice in the upcoming animated movie, the Book of Life) as well as a shot with just the three of us.

Awesome day, but now it's back to the hotel for a few hours of sleep before heading back to Chicago.

Acercando a la Meta

Today's shoot is in a decidedly different physical location.  Instead of outdoor shots or using real people's homes as we did yesterday, we are now building our scene's in a  loft-like studio filled with various rooms and spaces that can be outfitted for many different purposes.

As we arrive, the creative direction team is finishing up the look and feel of the kitchen that will be used for the most important, and most technical, shot of our short film.  Again using a split screen technique, we are going to merge our 'two worlds' into one world.  To do this, we need a kitchen that can both look like two different kitchens and the same kitchen at the same time.

The additional challenge with this shot is the use of child actors, a two year old girl and a 7 year old boy.  The boy is less of a challenge, this isn't his first rodeo, but as you can imagine a two year old can be tough to corral.  Fortunately, we cast her mother as well, and with Diego's direction we get the shot we need in only a few takes with the little girl adding some action that took the shot to another level. I won't ruin the reveal of the shot, but Diego nailed it and so did the onsite Visual Effects team from Beast who pulled together a seamless series of images that tie the entire story together.

It's now 7pm and we're on to dinner.  The catering team has once again crushed it, serving up grilled fish, chicken, steak, a seafood stew, and green drink - pureed celery, cucumber, and water - a nice cleanse from the junk we've been eating and drinking the past 48 hours.

During dinner, Paul regales the table with the tale of his massage.  I have a two minute video that captures the moment, but the Mexican Internet gods won't let me upload it right now. To summarize what you'll probably hear later: Either the masseuse was a masochist or Paul has revealed his low level of pain tolerance.  Use your imagination!

We now are setting up for the final series of shots - a house party featuring a woman in an upscale black dress that transitions into an office scene where she is wearing a smart, fashionable outfit.  (note: I've been hanging around the casting team hoping for a call as an extra, No dice, but somehow our driver Leo made it in. Ballacks!).  This is another tough one to choreograph and mix, but after what these guys did with the kitchen scene, we're in great shape.  Only 3-4 more hours to go until we hit final wrap. 

You'll never guess what happens next....

......

See! Those headlines are super effective at driving engagement!

Update on Paul, he spent the morning in the steam room and Swedish massage Receiving a from what he described as a 'Very strong woman'. He tells a good story, unfortunately I did not capture it on video to share with all of you. I'm sure he'll oblige the tale if you ask politely. 

Around noon, I ran back to the gym to buy a shirt (a custom for the traveling Crossfitter). Earlier today the staff did not have any available the key to the locker with the shirts, so Leo, our driver took me over to complete the transaction. While waiting for the retrieval of my shirt, the receptionist started chatting us up. Leo told her  that I was here to film a commercial, and I think she believes I'm one of the actors. Flattering. Leo made the most of it though, I said that he too was an Actor (true!  he made an appearance as an extra) and scored a phone number. Well done sir. 

Next, we went to lunch on the 41st floor of a building near Zocalo. We had to take two elevators to get there, one was quite cramped:

But the views were fantastic:

Unfortunately, the smog killed some of the vista, including Estadio Azteca, where the Mexican national soccer (here they call it futbol) plays their games, which should be in the far distance in the picture above. Even still, it was cool to see the size and scope of the city from such a vantage point. 

The food was good too, paired well with the wine and company. 

#nofilter

#foodstagram

On the way out of the restaurant, we spotted This piece of 'art'. Paul said it Reminded him of His massage earlier. Dear god, TMI !!!!

Now we are on our way (clarification: stuck in traffic) to the studio for a 12 hour shoot. We are excited about what lies ahead, particularly the kitchen scene which will be our money maker. 

What happened this morning will shock you....

..................

Sorry, that was a misleading blog title, I've just always wanted to write one of those engaging Huffington Post headlines that you see on Facebook 1000 times a day. Thanks for your patience. 

With a late 1:45pm call time, the team was afforded some free time this morning to do whatever it is we needed to do to get ready for day 2 of filming: sleep, get some work done, or explore the city. I'm not a great sleeper, so I got up at around 7:30am (which is 2 hours later than normal) and looked up the nearest Crossfit. 

For those of you who don't know, Crossfit is my non-SHC habit (my wife might say obsession -hi Blair!); it's something I try to do 4-5 days per week, time permitting and usually at 6am or earlier), as it has not only gotten me in good shape but has also served as a stress reliever the past 2.5 years. One of the nice things about Crossfit and it's community is that they welcome visitors from out of town, usually at no cost, or maybe with a request to buy a t shirt. Fortunately for me, there is a box about a mile from our hotel with a class at 9am. Since it was a beautiful morning, around 8:15 I grabbed a cup of coffee and made the 15 minute walk through the neighborhood to my destination: Crossfit ROCA. 

My Spanish is marginal at best, but I was able to communicate with the coach and join the fun with a few members of the gym. 

Today's Workout of the Day (WOD):

Warmup up of:

1600m on the rower (took  me 6 min)

100 single unders with a jump rope

19 hollow rocks (basically a lower ab exercise)

80 single unders

17 hollow rocks

60 single unders

15 hollow rocks

40 single unders

13 hollow rocks

20 single unders

11 hollow rocks

Then some conditioning:

7 rounds of 

2 rope climbs

4 wall walks*

6 Toes to Bar**

Total time - 14:45 (very slow for, the mescal and altitude had me gassed). 

*wall walks start with your chest on the ground, feet against a wall. Do a push up and kick your legs up against the wall and walk your hands to the wall until your chest meets the wall and you are basically in a handstand position. Then walk your hands back out until you are back on the floor. 

**hang from a pull up bar, swing feet until your toes hit the bar. 

Here's what the class looked like afterwards:

After a brief cool down, I took the indirect route back to the hotel so I could see more of the city. It's amazing what you can find when your head is not buried in a phone - like the Spanish embassy

Or some cool architecture:

All while walking through tree lined streets dodging drivers going way too fast for the type of road they are on. 

I've mentioned this before, but Mexico City has exceeded my expectations. Yes, there are bad parts, but those exist in Chicago too. What I've seen is very nice, feels safe, and has plenty of culture to take in. 

Speaking of which, I need to hop in the shower and get ready for another cultural excursion/lunch with Paul and Sylvia before we go to the set. I know Paul spent the morning in the spa getting a massage, so he should be in proper shape for the day. Hopefully he doesn't take too long to get ready. 

Hasta Luego. 

La ultima y nos vamos

The post shoot socialization began like last night ended, with Paul in a blanket and showing his 'happy face':

Things got started slowly, the fatigue from a long day of shooting lowering the energy level. Finally, with the mescal slowly taking hold, the evening gave way to some really terrible jokes. The first is courtesy of Paul's daughter (as told by Paul):

Q: what is silent and smells like carrots?

A: a rabbit's fart. 

I can't make this shit up.  Apparently this one is a hit with the 13 and under crowd. 

Here's my terrible contribution:

Two antennaes met, fell deeply in love, and decided to get married. The wedding wasn't much to talk about but the reception was fantastic!

If you've read this far, I'm so sorry, those jokes were terrible.  I shouldn't have even bothered to share those but it did well to summarize the quality of conversation tonight. 

Ok one more. 

Q: what do you call a fish without eyes?

A: fsh

Seriously, I'm done now. Meanwhile, the team has moved onto late night snacks - lamb chops and fish tacos! 

I would have photographed the chops #nofilter but these animals I'm with destroyed them before I had the chance. I hear they were good though.

I'm now talking to our lead editor, a fine chap from North London, who has made a career cutting things like Brittany Spears 'Toxic' music video as we all Eminem's 'Real Slim Shady' video. Astonishingly, he loves what we, Sears (yes, us) are doing so far and will even stay to finish the job (Miracle in Mexico). He says the creativity of the scene blocking sets the stage for an innovative piece of short film making. Cool. I think that means he digs our style. 

In a related conversation, Andres makes a deal with Paul: he eats a hot chili pepper, Sears gives McGarry Bowen a chance at more (award winning) Hispanic creative - or as we've called it this week - TOTAL market content. Seems like a good deal, so we accept, and Andres suffers for 3 minutes and we promise to try and setup another chance to knock out some meaningful creative output in 2015. Win/Win. Except for Andres, he looked unhappy. 

The clock has now struck midnight on this Cinderella, so with my pumpkin rapidly falling apart, I'm headed to bed. I have aspirations of exercise and cultural experiences tomorrow thanks to our 1:45pm call.  Good night my friends. 

Finito...para hoy

That's a wrap for day 1!!!

Vamos a la ciudad de Mexico City para beber y comer (let's go back to the city to drink and eat!). 

De Dia a Noche

The day is getting long, and the natives are losing their sunny disposition:

Still we fight on, like General Custer, or traditional retailers. The scene is coming under some new pressure: the weather. The skies are beginning to grey and there is a chance for rain, but will we ever stop, yo I don't know, turn off the lights and we'll glow. Translation: no, we keep filming. 

This shot is shaping up to be fairly technical, and Diego is doing some on the fly adjustments to account for the size of the grill and the depth required to create the visual illusion we're trying to achieve. This is going to be our opening look, and basically we are going to split an actor in half to demonstrate the duality of Hispanics living in the US. After seeing the first cuts, it's going to be a poignant moment that sets the tone for the rest of the spot. 

Hang on a minute (as Paul would say), what's all that debris on the roof??? Get someone up there and sweep it off immediately!!!

Wait, don't go up there while we are shooting! (Sorry Paul, we can't have our cake and eat it too).  Ok all better. 

With our daylight BBQ scene complete, we now await the 'magic hour', when it becomes dark enough to film our night scenes. Preparations begin....

2 hours later.....

It's getting dark out and we are ready to shoot.  It's been a long day and I am running out of witty things to say in this blog. All I know is that I've had too much coffee today, Paul and I are repeating conversations, and we all need 1 or 12 mescals when we get back to the hotel to generate more memorable moments. And if we can't get mescal, we have a Peruvian with us who is pushing Pisco. Danger looms.  

La comida y el Fan

Just before lunch, we realized that we had a visitor to the set. If you squint, that fellow in the back looks a bit like....Ron Boire? Or some guy who REALLY liked our Fathers Day mustache campaign?

Ok, maybe a stretch, but the day is starting to run long and we are looking for inspiration and energy.  After finally completing our 'football' scene, it was time for lunch. 

Allow me to pretend this is Instagram for a moment and show you a picture of my food:

Pretty cool huh?

#nofilter #dopeoplelikelookongatotherpeoplesfood

About an hour later, with the sun at its peak beating down on the set, we were back at it (well, the crew was, we are just watching them on TV from the backyard - life is hard!) . Realizing that it was getting too hot to handle, Paul cleverly demanded an outdoor fan (shown below) for our tent, which the production team out of obligation provided. Thanks guys!

I suppose it works pretty well, but it was just as easy to go inside or have a drink of cold water. Nonetheless, now we have a fan and I'm not complaining though in about an hour we'll move to our final scene for the day - an outdoor BBQ. Should be interesting to see how Diego uses day and night to tell the story. 

La Magica del Cine pt 2

We've wrapped our first scene in the driveway and are preparing for #2 which will take place inside the house. Before the props were put away, Paul and I reenacted the shot that you, the public, will see in the finished product:

There's a video too, but we need to touch it up in post, I look awfully heavy.   

http://youtu.be/WKO_Kknt9mM

As I type we are experiencing some down time while Diego works through the choreography with the actors and cameraman.  The guy is a pro, and the actors are soaking up every bit of direction he gives. 

This scene will be a split screen shot and we need multiple identical takes so we can sync things up in post, hence it is taking a long time to line things up. Diego also wants to make sure that the reactions, in this case to a big hit during a football game, are genuine and believable - he knows how we all hate those super fake sports moments on TV - so a lot of attention is being spent on the actors facial expressions. 

To keep ourselves entertained, we listen to Paul narrate what he sees on on the screen: 

We take particular notice of how awkward our teen couple is together. She's like totally not into him, like, for realsies, look at her body language! She's leaning away from him!  But worry not, she's like, a professional and will make it work when the lights and camera are on.  That, of course, doesn't stop us from guessing what's on her mind as she makes various facial expressions for the next 10 minutes. 

The topic has switched abruptly; we are now making fun of Andres and the haircut he got yesterday. He tells us how the barber was weird, first not understanding that Argentines speak Spanish and then, more directly, asking him if he was married along with other probing relationship questions. We posture that the barber might have collected his hair and kept it in a bag for his personal collection. Too far?  Whatevs, totes kidding, and makes for a great story and jokes. 

Now Paul is telling us about his experience in the shower at the W. I'll spare you the details, this story went on for a bit. In short, after 90 minutes in the shower he got wet, realized the drain didn't work, and that water got into the bedroom area. My insight: He might also be responsible for a local drought given that he takes 90 minute showers.  I also note that Andres, in the background below, feels good about his decision to ask for and receive a room with a tub. 

Lunch time is approaching, more updates to come this afternoon.

La Magica del Cine

After an hour drive we've arrived at the set where what seems like 100 people have already been here for hours getting ready for the shoot.

Here a look at the scene:

Eventually we'll see a man washing his car as a bike rider coasts by eliciting a wave from our hero. The second shot will be the same man teaching his son about cars, using Craftsman Tools of course, while another rider whizzes by. Visually this should be pretty cool as we link the two scenes together using the bike rider as continuity from A to B. 

Since this is my first shoot, I'm impressed by little things, like this breakfast setup:

And this special area from where we will watch the filming as it happens and provide feedback to Diego, the director:

We have on site editors who are working with the material in real time to ensure that we get the shots we need.  Every now and then, we see the shoton loop to make sure it fits with the vision of the scene. And if we are lucky, we see the visual effects guys screen while he stitches content in real time. Cool stuff.

Just now, on the street behind the set, is a child riding a bike with a megaphone yelling/singing that they will pick up your old appliances, microwaves, and furniture for a good price. Good thing we are not recording audio today!

So far I'm impressed by the whole setup and efficiency of this whole operation though I'm sure this will get a little old by the end of the day. That said for now I still think it's pretty neat to peak behind the curtain and see how films are made. 

Looking forward to the rest of the day!

Pit Stop

The location of the first shoot is in Toluca, about an hour outside of Mexico City. The drive is scenic for two reasons - first, the mointains become more prominent as we leave the concrete jungle (as does the feeling of being at elevation - it feels like we are 1.5 miles or more above sea level right now) and second we get a clearer view into the real Mexico. The hillsides are littered with colorful, extremely dense housing that looks exceptionally vulnerable to collapse. One can't help but think about the impact of a major earthquake here, or even just a major rain storm.  This of course is in stark contrast to what we saw last night, a bustling metropolis that felt like any other major city that I've ever been to in the world, and then I'm told what I already know: this is how the majority live. 

Right now we are stopped at a roadside cafe because our driver, Leo, needed a restroom break. This place is certainly what be authentic means to me:

That's Paul on the phone with Chase bank, they thought he was a fraud. Or maybe that there was fraudulent activity on his card?

Anyway, I'm sure you agree, on the outside this place is a slice of the real Mexico but what really sealed it for me was this sign:

It reads: Rabbits how you like it. Sounds delish (and a little bit like out Hispanic More to You interpretation), sorry we can't stay for dinner....

We are about to get back on the road and finish our mini journey, and for making us wait Leo has unecessarily bought us some local coffee - cafe la hoya - which is made with vanilla and cinnamon. Delicious. I would take a picture of the coffee cup, but it's rather plain. 

Oh what the hell, you only live once:

El Dia Dos

Buenos Dias!

Day two is off to an early start as we need to drive an hour to our location. It's 7am but the sky is just now beginning to show some color; I noticed this because while I was showering I could look out the window to the city below:

And yes, that is a hammock in the shower, but no I didn't use it...yet. 

Despite the fun last night, I'm feeling like a million bucks today (though my voice is a bit horse - was I yelling?)  Perhaps I'm running on adrenaline since I'm headed to my first ever professional shoot, or maybe it's because mescal is divine. I accept either as an explanation. 

Right now I'm waiting on Paul to get ready and then we'll head downstairs for a quick breakfast before hitting the road. I'm not sure what my internet capabilities will be on set, so apologies if there is a delay between this post and the next. 

Buena Noche

I'm writing this from the patio at the W hotel, many mescals into the evening which are now transitioning into late night tacos, cigars, and cervezas. Let me summarize the day since we last talked. 

Que Buena dia en la Coudad de Mexico!

After arriving at the hotel, Paul and I shuffled immediately off to the fitting.  We met the director, Diego Luna, who is clearly a big deal (as evidenced by the autograph seekers) but super down to earth. To say the least, the entire team is very passionate about this project and that energy is going to translate into a fantastic spot. 

After providing feedback on the clothing our talent will wear (following the lead of our friends from Apparel - these will be some good looking, fashion forward actors!), we went to an early dinner at a local restaurant with Diego and the crew. I failed to take pictures of the food (because I didn't want to be THAT guy), but trust me when I say that la comida fue fantastico!  Each course was supplemented with mescal, a cousin of tequila, chased with a beer - the local social lubricant. We ate fish tacos, guacamole, and numerous other things that I can't appropriately describe here. 

At the conclusion of the meal, a few folks peeled off and went back to the hotel while Sylvia and I went for a driving tour of the city.  I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. I think I had an impression of Mexico City as an overly congested place, but from what I saw, it was like any other metropolis. Sure, I didn't see all of the bad parts, but it definitely exceeded expectations. 

Some of the highlights: 

And we couldn't help but stop at this place:

Needless to say, this store felt like a Macy's. It was upscale, very well merchandised, and they managed to get this guy on their elevator doors:

And they were fashionable!

Anyway, the store looked great, absolutely a model for what we should be in the States.  

After this stop, we travelled back to the hotel to meet the rest of the crew for a night cap. Upon arriving at the hotel, this is what I saw:

That's Paul wearing a blanket/cape. Fashion? You be the judge!

The evening shenanigans ensued, with stories of past productions, good and bad, and a great feeling of comraderie. 

Red is the theme of the hotel and the city for that matter, hence my choice of shirt and Paul's choice of fleece blanket (note: it was no colder than 60F).

Well, It's getting late and we have an early start tomorrow - that's all for now, hope you are enjoying the story so far!