Matt2 & Vineyard Take Beach Vibe To The Mountains
May 19th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
by Matt Hodgson Director/Writer
“Endless Summer”— Part 3
Once we had the green light from Lagoon and Coca-Cola we were on the clock. The goal? Take the So-Cal surf/beach vibe to Lagoon—nearly 736 miles away in Farmington, Utah—and do it before autumn hit, temperatures plummeted and Lagoon transformed for Halloween.
Matt Williams (cinematographer) was on the road the next day scouring his old surf haunts from Huntington Beach to Del Mar for surfboards and potential beach locations, then it was up to Burbank to meet with the team at Pro8mm to look at various film stocks and Super 8mm camera options.
Meanwhile I was working with Cameron Gardner (art director) to design the look of our customized surfboards and our locations, then it was off to casting with Jeff Johnson (casting director) and the wardrobe stylings of Carolyn Leone.
A few days later we all converged on the Vineyard Production offices in Salt Lake City. Matt Williams pulled up with a load of surfboards, I had successfully cast the commercials, designed and refined critical aspects of the campaign, and I was now ready for a location scout to determine where we were going to place multiple dump truck loads of beach sand throughout Lagoon.
From the moment I had the idea for this campaign to the moment we started shooting, Matt Williams and I were committed to do everything we could to make this campaign look, feel and sound like a classic surf film. The surf vibe had to be authentic, the fun had to be genuine Lagoon, and we believed that if we stayed true to those two ideals we would end up with a campaign that would be totally engaging and truly unforgettable.
In preparation for the shoot we had dump truck loads of sand placed around iconic areas of the amusement park where we would show kids learning to surf, building rollercoaster sandcastles, playing beach ball and just hangin’ out—all in the midst of Lagoon’s wildly popular thrill rides. We also added authentic looking lifeguard towers, a few cheesy palm trees, colorful beach umbrellas, big overflowing tubs of ice and Coca-Cola, and yes, one inflatable shark… we loved the shark.
As you might imagine, dumping beach sand all over Lagoon was not a popular idea around the park. Even though we were shooting during the week when the park was closed, we were creating a giant mess that needed to be cleaned-up before the park opened for the beginning of Lagoon’s Halloween season known as Frightmares.
Adam Leishman—Lagoon’s Advertising Coordinator was key to getting us into the right places, working seamlessly with Jeff Miller & Brooke Redmon of Vineyard, and Scott Arneman’s production team to get the sand dumped, locations set and then moving all of that sand to our final beach party location halfway around the park. Adam’s tireless coordination allowed us to move quickly and efficiently from one location to the next, shooting as fast as we could to get the shots we needed. It was a massive undertaking, but through Adam’s on-park direction we were able to shoot non-stop for three straight days, and Lagoon was still able to do everything they needed to do, in order to transform the park for an on-time opening of Frightmares. In case I haven’t said it already, thanks Adam.
Next Post: Matt2 Goes With Super 8mm For Super Cool Surf Campaign
