Kyle Cowling
Why is a dirt bike website posting an article about where pets go? Because, obviously, that answer is Petco. Duh. But, seriously, if you’ve followed this feature long enough, you know that we all dabble in other client work outside of vurbmoto. For me, it’s either Red Bull or narrative/commercial work. And, a couple of weeks ago, I found myself about an hour north of San Fransisco, CA shooting dogs wearing hipster style clothes and other accoutrements for Petco. Magical!
It was an interesting and fun experience. A good friend of mine, Justin Kosman, was handling stills for this shoot, and Petco was also in need of video work for said shoot. Per Kosman’s recommendation, Petco agreed to bring me on for the video aspect of the project. What should be your biggest takeaway from those last few sentences? Don’t be an asshole. A lot of how this world of freelancing works is simply by being a respectful and polite person and, in doing so, you’ll find yourself being brought onto jobs via recommendations. Such is how I found myself on this Petco job. And, guess what? It’s usually how I hire my crew for jobs, too. So, after confirming the dates, rates, and expectations, Kosman and I loaded up our rented mini van with our camera gear and commenced the eight and a half hour drive up north to shoot some dogs… with our cameras.
The expectation for video was simple: get what you get because video is not priority. The priority for this project was stills because they were shooting for the spring line of products for a company called Reddy, which sells their line of products at Petco stores. So, with a lot of product to get through over the course of two days, video was simply an added bonus for social cuts and in-store video displays. This, honestly, makes my job so easy it becomes difficult. When video is not priority and your only direction is to just get what you can get while stills is also shooting, the stress level is very low. You are simply trying to find cool moments without getting in the way of stills, or causing any delays that could force you to miss your day. But, it becomes difficult because you also have no direction. Thus, you question whether or not what you are shooting is what they are hoping for, are you getting enough of each product on the animal, is my angle appropriate for this particular piece of product on the animal, etc. It’s easy to feel lost, but also a bit reassuring when the client is also telling you they’re happy you’re here and they know I am being ignored and it’s okay.
What’s it like working with real animals? Uh. Interesting. This Petco shoot was the first time I have ever worked with animal talent. I can’t say that it was difficult as much as it was about patience. While we did have professional dog trainers on set working directly with each dog, they are still goofy animals with their own personality. So, quickly, I learned that it was going to be a game of patience. I will say though, it was fun watching the trainers work with the animals and seeing their process. It’s not something I’ve ever seen in person, so there was definitely times I was a bit mesmerized just watching them do their thing. And, no we were not really suppose to pet the cute pup-pups. Technically, they are working, so limiting the distractions was highly recommended on set.
In terms of locations, production had rented an AirBnB deep in the woods, which would be our main location for day one. We spent the day shooting both interiors and exteriors, but mostly exteriors. The location was a bit smaller than what appeared on the AirBnB website, so we spent some time trying to be creative with our setups as we needed different looks for different product all while staying within the perimeter of our AirBnB. For day two, we were much more mobile. With our filming/location permit in hand, we spent the entire day floating around the small victorian style town of Healdsburg, CA. From interior setups at a local coffee shop, the park in town square, to being kicked off the sidewalk by a hotel manager that didn’t like us blocking their business, it made for an adventurous and slightly more warm day.
Lighting wise, we had a one ton grip truck with us both days, which also included gaffer, Brandy Holiday and grip Will (no last name). It was an absolute blast being able to watch Brandy work, pick his brain about the gear we had on set, and learn about his background in the film industry. Most of our setups during day one at the cabin involved a mix of the Aputure 1200d Pros, the Arri M40, and an 8×8 frame with bounce. Most of the objective for those exteriors where focused on bringing up the overall ambient level so that we could live at our desired t-stop/f-stop, while also providing some hair light to pull the talent out of the background a bit more and having texture in the background. For day two, we had to be much more run and gun, so we were using bounce boards and flags to allow us to be as nimble and efficient as possible.
After two days of shooting in the Healdsburg, CA area, Kosman and I hit the road back home. Overall, it was a very mellow experience for me, but a lot of fun and a lot of learning. I still have no idea if Petco is actually happy with anything that I shot, but I suppose in a couple of months we will (maybe) find out. Or, at least start seeing some of my work pop up on their social media channels and in-store video displays. However, as I just mentioned, the most valuable part of this project was being able to meet and work with a badass gaffer like Brandy. Watching him work, the approach, and tools used was very eye-opening for me. My biggest takeaway is that everything he did made so much sense to me and I kept thinking to myself, “Duh. Of course.” He wasn’t overcomplicating the lighting setups to achieve the desired looks we were after. It was very simple but very effective and so much about controlling the overall ambient levels of those exteriors.
Within the next few months, if you find yourself at a Petco or on their social media channels, you might see some of my work. And, if you do, you’ll think of this article and how a pet store made you think about a dirt bike Web site and how a dirt bike Web site made you think about a pet store. That is the ultimate cross marketing campaign ever conceived. You. Are. Welcome. Goodnight.
