Film Crew Hire Case Study: 5 Weeks At The Olympics With GMR Marketing
We just spent the last 5 weeks in Paris at the Olympics and Paralympics delivering a full film crew hire service for GMR Marketing. Yes, we’re exhausted and yes, it was very hard work, but it’s safe to say this has been one of the best productions we’ve had the privilege of being on.
What was ‘the creative’?
GMR Marketing had done a great job creating a set inside the Team USA House that looked just like a miniature cafe. This “ Cafe De Conexion” would be our home for the 5 weeks we were working out in Paris. The idea was simple: GMR would invite athletes into the space where they would answer fun questions about their time in Paris. Each athlete would have similar questions and we formed a leader board on who answered the most in their allotted 30s.
What was our job?
Our job was to light the space, record all sound and to film the sessions from over 5 angles. Our director also led on the interview questions and guided the athletes through the process. We also edited all of the films on set and deep into the night to ensure GMR had an athlete video to release every day that the games were on.
What crew did we have on set?
The crew requirements were simple. We had a Camera Operator, a Director of Photography, a Sound Engineer, a Director/Producer and a Video Editor/DIT.
What film equipment did we bring?
We bought 3 Sony FX6’s, a set of prime lenses, a full lighting setup of Aperture 600s and 300s, and all the sound gear we would need for a shotgun mic, a lav setup and sound mixer.
What were the challenges?
The project was great and the GMR Team had done everything they could to remove any problem. The challenges we faced were similar to any project of this type. The room where we were recording was shared with The USA Olympic Committee and had all the hustle and bustle (and noise) associated with a busy creative team. When recording with athletes we’d have to be very careful to monitor the sound to get a clean recording and work with the athletes to go over questions again when they didn’t. Other than that the only challenges we faced were late nights (This is the business we are in) and having to be adaptive to the schedules of athletes.
What were the highlights?
Working with crews from the USA is always a joy and the people we meet are always a big highlight. We were lucky enough to see some of the Paralympics and even saw a world record broken which was insane. The single best experience for all of us was meeting the athletes from the Olympics and Paralympics, each with their own inspiring stories to tell.
Signing off
It’s safe to say this was a very special project indeed and the crew had an incredible time. GMR were delighted with the results. Athletes actively commented on how ‘at ease’ they felt on set which is always lovely to hear. The films also went down really well, with Xfinity, GMR’s client for this project, saying they were delighted with the results.
If you’re looking to hire a film crew in the UK, or internationally, feel free to get in touch.
