For this production, we worked with the agency Momentum Worldwide to develop and produce two activation-style shoots for Verizon. These projects featured real people interacting with a giant prop to be used in an out-of-home campaign. The two photoshoots took place simultaneously in New York and Santa Monica, with separate photographers and crew at each location. We coordinated both projects from start to finish, on time and on budget!
For this production, we produced a shoot with Momentum Worldwide, an agency that works with brands to develop activations for experiential campaigns. They approached us for a project with Verizon that would take place in New York and Los Angeles simultaneously.
Their campaign featured a life-size version of the iconic Verizon logo set up in recognizable locations with real people standing in place of the letter “I.” The plan required two different photo and video crews to capture these setups. They asked pedestrians passing by if they wanted to have their picture taken and be featured on a billboard, which required both the technical skills to acquire the assets and the interpersonal skills to coax people into the spotlight.
On the East Coast, we contracted Mo Daoud to capture the setup outside of Citi Field in Queens, the stadium of the New York Mets. The shoot would take place at the entrance of the popular Home Run Apple statue, outside of the stadium just before a game. On the West Coast, we brought on John Davis to shoot at the Santa Monica Pier. We hoped to attract pedestrians who were enjoying the scenic boardwalk and beach views.
Prior to each shoot day, both photographers and crews scouted the locations to see the props being set up. They also tried to gauge the best angles and lighting conditions. In New York, this was helpful in order to assess parking and logistics. In Santa Monica, it was crucial to ensure the angle allowed people to easily recognize the area with a challenging perspective.
Our producer, Andrew Souders, was on-site at Citi Field for the shoot day. The Verizon letters were set up at the entry plaza to the stadium, allowing curious sports revelers the opportunity to participate, however, the excited crowds of people entering the stadium for the afternoon game created a somewhat chaotic work environment.
The photo and video crew were, however, focused and on their toes navigating the throngs of people while capturing imagery. Andrew and production assistant Mitchell Cheng helped with crowd control. They also collected photo releases while talking with fans who wanted to volunteer as talent. As with any sporting event, there was no shortage of interesting characters at the stadium. There were plenty of enthusiastic and eager participants happy to step in for the photo-op.
Photographer John Davis shared his account of the West Coast production.
We nicknamed this shoot the “Verizon Stunt.” Our job was to photograph real people visiting the Santa Monica Pier while interacting with a large freestanding Verizon logo. We had to make it happen in under a week. My producer and I worked fast to put together our crew. We even popped down to the Pier just to get eyes on where we’d be shooting. We didn’t know exactly where the freestanding Verizon logo would be dropped off, so we wanted to make sure the agency and client knew all of the location options.
The first challenge on this shoot was to make sure we could get a straight-on shot of the Verizon letters on the pier that also included the beach and water. When we scouted the location the day before, I realized I would need to be slightly elevated. We made sure to bring a ladder. Everything fell into place once we found the right perspective and tweaked the letters a bit.
The other challenge was gathering real people who wanted to stand in for the “I” in the Verizon logo during their visit to the pier. Luckily, most people visiting the Pier are tourists who are just out to have fun! The final challenge was to make sure we got the shots we needed in about an hour. We needed to deliver all materials immediately from our location to the agency/client because the digital billboard would be going up within a day.
I knew the shoot was a success when I saw the smiling faces of the client and agency reps as they posed for their shot in the Verizon logo. These are the moments that make the hard work all worth it!
While we had two teams on the ground in each location, many of the agency’s and client’s team attended the shoot remotely. Since we were in two different time zones shooting on the same day, that made for a lengthy day of oversight over Zoom, as we monitored both shoots as they took place in real time.
Working through a very fast post production schedule, Momentum Worldwide had the final billboards up within a matter of days, both in the Los Angeles and New York City areas.
Further Reading
Read more articles featuring Mo Daoud.
Read more articles featuring John Davis.
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