Shooting Summer for Winter
Imagine shooting a corporate video on the scorching asphalt of a gas plant in southern Texas in 130 degree heat—dragging around coolers of ice, spray bottles, tarps, hard hats and winter snowsuits. WHY you ask? To make a sunny August day in Texas look like the worst winter weather storm in over 30 years. Yes, I’d shot day for night, but never summer for winter.
The Challenge
Our Direct Energy Upstream client Justine Williams called and asked us to tell the heroic story of how a tight team across many lines of business averted disaster during one of the worst extreme winter weather events in Texas history.
Three DE electricity generating plants in Texas were hit hard by the storm. Critical data transmitters froze causing the plants to shut-down. Direct Energy wanted to recognize the teamwork and dedication the plant employees and the support teams in Houston demonstrated in getting the plants back online. The problem for us? They requested the video in July and needed it to be ready to screen in September.
Extreme Close-Ups, Backlight and Sound FX
So how do you shoot a corporate video with winter scenes in Texas during the summer? Our team came together to brainstorm the challenge. First, lots of extreme closeups—that way you wouldn’t be able to identify time of year. Second, we decided to shoot directly into light sources – to blow out the background and give us the opportunity to add snow in post. And then two other ideas that gave the whole piece veracity—live footage from TV stations across Texas. We found some reports on YouTube and asked a couple of TV stations in Dallas and Austin for their footage. With this documentary news footage, we also no longer needed voice-over, as the anchors told the story of the storm and its severity for us.
That took care of setting the scene but how do you re-enact the wintery drama of the ice-covered plants in Texan heat? The answer – coolers of crushed ice and very patient plant workers.
Dedicated Staffers
Walking outside from the air-conditioned control room was like stepping into a furnace. No one knew that more than Felix Sanchez. During the storm, it was Felix’s job to climb the icy steps to the top of the tower and try to thaw the data transmitter. Needing to recreate this for the corporate video, Felix put on his winter coveralls, gloves and hat then climbed the tower. Again and again. Felix never complained, just said “sure, no problem” and kept climbing. After an hour outside, he peeled off his outerwear and was soaking from head to toe. That’s the kind of attitude everyone at the plant exudes. It was easy to see how they all came together to overcome the storm and get the plants back online. They didn’t want to let their co-workers down, and they didn’t want to fail the communities who rely on the plant.
Post Effects and Audio
So with a lot of ingenuity, some crushed ice, layers of sound effects and generated falling snow, we managed to solve the problem of turning 130 degrees into -17 degree winter.
The result is a compelling story about a group of individuals who came together to overcome extreme circumstances.
