Zoom Shoots

Lats week and this week I'm doing remote commercial shoots for a client. Because of Covid, it's not feasible to be on set unless you're part of the essential crew. Advertising Creative Director does not fall under that category.

That absence is felt, no doubt. Without fail, on a set I will end up fast friends with  producers and wardrobe stylists. I gravitate towards type A personalities, as well as quirky artistic no-bullshit types.  And I've yet to meet a good producer who wasn't type A, or a wardrobe stylist who wasn't delightfully askew.

But that camaraderie is impossible without face-to-face interaction. It's hard enough judging a fitting from an iPad.

While those people (along with the director, of course) are so fun and inspiring to work with, there's one other person who is a great asset from a personal life standpoint, and you only meet them if you are in another country: The driver/minder.

Now this job is a very interesting one. They essentially act as a band's tour manager. They are there to pick you up from the airport to your hotel, and wait for your downstairs for call time so they can ensure they get you from your hotel to the shoot location. Even though they aren't the driver (an equally important position on a shoot) they might as well be. Because if you don't show up, that's on them. They're also your gopher/runner. If you need eye drops, or say, local currency, or a three-pm-coffee-pick-me-up, they're there.

They are also incredibly astute about foreigners, figuring out who is  the ugly American wanting to treat their country like one big expense account, and who is wanting to learn about their culture.

If you're an ugly American (or Canadian, or Brit, or South Africa as they are just as ugly us Yanks) the cheerful facade will go up. They'll hold you at arm's length and keep all the secrets to themselves. The attractions they'll tell you to see are tourist traps. The malls they recommend are the rich ones where only foreigners shop.

But if they suss you out and realize you have a sincere sense of curiosity, they become your ally. I often break the ice by researching a little bit about the country or city before I get there. Catch up on the local news. And then bring that up in conversation. Once that happens, their attitude shifts subtly, and they become open books. They'll tell you everything. Good, bad and ugly. They'll steer you to the best places to eat and shop, and warn you to stay away from certain areas that aren't tourist friendly. Sometimes they'll go further.

In Kingston, Jamaica, a minder took me to a section of town I would not have been welcomed in without him, just so I could buy some Rocksteady 45's. In Santiago, Chile, I learned the luxury hotel we were staying in was notorious for prostitutes, and that only the ugly foreigners stayed there. He finagled a way for us to switch to a smaller boutique hotel known only to locals. I also learned so much about what they've been through with government changing, as well as the tons of stray, gentle dogs that live in the city. In Buenos Aires, a minder pointed me in the direction of the city's oldest bookstore, and told me the best restaurants weren't restaurants at all, but closed-door restaurants where chefs invited you into their homes for an intimate meal. He got me into the best one as well.

I often think if I hadn't bothered to treat them with kindness and ask a few questions I wouldn't have had the experiences I did. And I would have missed out on so much, like my other colleagues who were happy to just drink by the pool. There's too much world to explore.

Also: If you aren't following me on Twitter you probably should.