Takeda Pharmaceuticals — Commercial

Centered around the true story of a woman’s journey to health, this project was designed to share her personal experience with a pharmaceutical medication that had been helpful to her. I collaborated with Director Chris Beauchesne from Vantage Point Visuals, which was fun because we have a great working relationship, both together and with Pivot Design, the agency that hired us. To emphasise the personal nature of her story, we really wanted the shoot to take place in and around the talent’s home. This allowed us to draw upon the dynamics of both her family life and meaningful elements around her home to give texture to the story. Over the years, I have filmed in many people’s homes and it can be a hit or miss experience. But this time around, our talent and her family were incredibly hospitable and generous. They allowed us to take over their home and accommodated anything we needed, even the rearrangement of their furniture, to ensure we ended up with a great piece and captured the best angle for each shot. 

The biggest challenge I faced on this shoot was the fact that our talent lived in a very rural area, far from any major airports or cities. This meant that I would need to put up our entire “local crew” in a hotel for the shoot, since they would be driving in from the nearest large city 2+ hours away. Chris and I flew into a tiny airport with no more than a one room baggage claim and ticket counter situation, and when I walked up to the rental car counter to pick up my reserved vehicle, the gentlemen behind the desk knew me by name. I had to have been his only customer all day! 

One of the things I love the most about my job is getting to meet and work with new people. This time was no exception, as I had never worked with the local team I brought in. The connections formed on a set like this that turn into good laughs and lasting friendships reinforce my love for the film community. I have been lucky to be part of this industry and cultivate an amazing network of talented, hard-working professional story-tellers. This project was a lot of fun, and in two days we were able to knock out a branded mini-doc that we were all proud of.