the project
Three unique :30’s, multiple cutdowns, and a new image library that covered a portfolio of over 30 products and two specific product lines, Kids and Immunity: this was the task brought to us by category-leading natural supplement brand, Nature’s Way.
With a wide variety of natural supplement offerings, Nature’s Way has something for everyone’s individual wellness journey. And in 2020, that message was more relevant than ever before. We chose Director Martin Rodahl and Picture North to capture the vitality of the brand and its consumers for these lifestyle commercials.
We shot these spots over the course of one week, with three shoot days, each day utilizing multiple different locations. The first two days were in Northern California, and the final day in a Chicago loft.
In the midst of the first pandemic year, we faced the new challenge of live streaming this shoot to our Client partners. Until then, clients were accustomed to being on set to approve shots and shepherd their brand messaging. But with company Covid restrictions in place, they had to completely trust our team and rely on virtual supervision methods for the first time.
Our first day of shooting took place in a privately-owned redwood forest an hour south of San Francisco. The canopy of green treetops towering high above our heads created optimal lighting for shooting straight through the day. But they also blocked all available cell signals.— making a remote shoot nearly impossible.
Thankfully we discovered this on the scout trip the day before and created a solution, albeit a taxing one. A 10-minute drive from our spot in the forest, up a hillside, and through a set of gates meant to keep sheep from escaping, we found a signal on a barren hilltop where a car with a WiFi setup sat parked all day waiting for us to share various filmed scenes for client approvals. To avoid having clients wait on the Zoom line all day, the property owner let us use their one available landline for me to call the Account Lead before each trek up the hill to alert clients. While this workaround solution slowed us down, we were grateful to keep our shoot day from cancelling, and captured some incredible footage. My favorite being from our drone, which was expertly flown through the forest while our family talent when on a hike.
Our talent was phenomenal. Whenever possible, I always prefer to cast real families and couples. The ease of their relational dynamics off screen always translate to more authentic on-screen moments. This was the case for our two families. The genuine love they had for one another on set radiates throughout the final spots.
Credits
Agency: Hawkeye Agency
Production Company: Picture North
Director: Martin Rodahl
Agency Producer: Annie Varberg
Executive Producer: Neha Shultz
San Francisco Line Producer: Raub Shapiro
Chicago Line Producer: Damian Huck
Still Photographer: Kyle Monk
1st AD: Nick Alvarez
2nd AD: Rob Gudino
Production Supervisor: Blair Mardian
Director of Photography: Simeon Pratt
1st AC: Ashley Valenquela
2nd AC: Annie Li
DIT: Sin Cohen
Drone Op: Nick Alheit
Gaffer: Neil Kelly
Key Grip: Ben Little
Production Designer: Darian Hunt
Wardrobe: Laura Tesone
HMU: Pauline Barry
Locations: Mark Redmond
Hawkeye Account Director: Amber Huehner
Hawkeye Creative Director: Greg Akouris
Hawkeye Art Director: Winnie Hefner
Hawkeye Copywriter: Odun Ishola
Editor: Talia Pasqua
Color: Company 3
