The Glass Menagerie

Brenda Blethyn was kind enough to let us use her office in London to get this shot of her for the pre-publicity for the Royal Exchange Theatre production of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. It's a shame I don't have a 'behind the scenes' shot for this image as it would make an amusing picture.

Poor Brenda had to perch on an occasional table in the corner, sandwiched between a filing cabinet and kitchen whilst my assistant raided her broom cupboard for sticks on which to hang the 'glass menagerie'. Meanwhile the marketing officer is busy trying not to drop the delicate glass pieces, whilst attaching them to fishing line and various broom sticks, and I am trying to light the corner with whatever lighting we had been able to carry on the train. How we managed to to come away without any breakages or injury I don't know but I think it was worth the effort. Brenda Blethyn was a delight to work with.

The production was a joy to photograph as well.

Mercedes-Benz Advertising campaign

It's not all actors and people. 

Here is a quick before and after shot of a recent job for Mercedes-Benz. The studio is a hire one, as my 2nd floor studio doesn't exactly lend itself to driving a car in. I don't get to play in a studio space this big all that often and it makes an interesting change to my usual excursions into theatre and location shooting. Here it was just me, an assistant, a multitude of tungsten lighting and a very expensive Merc.

The Tempest by William Shakespeare

School never really introduced me to the works of William Shakespeare and if they had it probably wouldn't have made much of an impact. My first introduction was a Royal Exchange Theatre production some years ago and I have grown to love them all.

There is an interesting difference between seeing a play as part of the audience and photographing it. To photograph it means allowing yourself to settle into the rhythm, to get a feel for the action, and to some extent get into the head of the director. This is essential to capture as much of the action and intimate moments as possible. The plot and dialogue have to take a mental back seat and are sometimes missed but this does not diminish the experience, just changes it. I like to think it changes into a more cerebral experience. A synopsis by the press officer will help fill in the gaps, left by my education and my concentration on the job in hand, but does feel a bit like cheating. Like copying the cover notes for a school essay.

The pressure to deliver is also on when someone like Pete Postlethwaite is in the cast but as ever he delivered a great performance and made my life easy.

The Rain in Spain....

falls mainly.....

In this case from the back of a huge Caterpillar Tanker truck and pretty much entirely on top of a model sporting the latest foul weather gear. Little did he know he was the first to field test how waterproof it was (it was). Not a job for a fisheye lens this one. My assistant had to keep moving as the mud reached ankle height and the Elinchrom Ranger flash kit proved some of its claims to work happily whilst standing in a pool of mud.

The shoot was for Caterpillar work wear and features lots of big toys. The location was Southern Spain chosen because of the beautiful sun (icy wind and sleet here in Manchester at the time) and the availability of countless monster vehicles at our disposal. It's great to be able to say "I need something big with 3 meter high tires for this shot" and moments later one turns up with a driver willing to take it anywhere or make tracks in the dirt to order.

Tapas and beer in the sun whilst the studio in Manchester shivers in a March cold snap are just the icing on the cake.

Hole

A constant cause for discussion over the last few weeks has been an item hanging around the studio whilst I decide what to do with it. Some amusement is to be had making up weird and wonderful stories but the reality isn't that straightforward either. It's a hole.
Now the shots are out on billboards and busses I can put them here. The commission was by EMAP for a Key103 poster campaign to promote a new web site. The hole was made for a model to climb out of so had to be 4 foot off the floor and against white, so it could easily be cut out for the final print. All straightforward stuff in the way that odd things are quite normal in this business but if you walked into a room with a deep brown hole held up by wood and old poly boards you surely would be tempted to enquire why it was there and what exactly it is.

Concrete Ribbons

Men in tights and other surreal and funny moments make for some great photographic opportunities in this also dark and claustrophobic play. Concrete Ribbons was only on for a couple of nights at Manchester's Library Theatre but enjoyable for its in-the-know references to theatre, TV and the many troubled highways of the region

The Children's Hour

Maxine Peake and Charlotte Emmerson contemplate their fate as the, soon to be, troubled teachers in The Royal Exchange Theatre production of The Children's Hour. This was a slightly complicated image to bring together. Firstly there is the 'problem' of getting the idea out of the head of the art director then pulling the various elements into one place. The bell jar was the wrong size, the 'school' was virtual in every respect but still more real than the surreal light emanating from the jar.
My bit was straight forward; set up lighting and get in some snacks for actors just off the train from London. Charlotte's four month old baby showed impeccable timing, having been the picture of relaxed ease, bursting into tears the second I started shooting. A team of photographer, assistants, actors and directors had to wait until feeding time was over. And rightly so.
The rest of the next day was spent briefing the retoucher. Re-briefing and generally going round in circles until we got to this image, which is actually pretty close to what I had in my head and I'm sure Maxine (marketing dept) also had in mind. A delight to work on.