Working in the film and video industry we’re always finding solutions for problems. Needless to say, these complications need creative solutions – and fast. So what’s the worst case scenario? Film permit revocation? Shoot guerilla. Lose a location? Find an alternate. Dealing with a near city wide power outage? Keep on shooting.
On April 21, 2017 San Francisco went dark for what we thought was a temporary power outage. As seconds turned into minutes, we realized this was the city’s most widespread outage in recent history. At 9:15 am we were in the epicenter in Union Square at Hotel G ready to film Fateh Doe’s newest music video “15 Minutes.” Instead of panicking, director Deep Singh urged everyone to keep moving forward – and to climb 12 flights of stairs.
The 12th Floor
We were already loaded and prepped in the hotel room where the scene took place before the outage. We lucked out in that the room faced southwest and rays of sun filled the space. Average hotel rooms are tiny, and to keep a small footprint our lighting package was minimal. It included battery operated LED panels that we used for key and fill lights. For select shots, we bounced sunlight off a reflector.
The Not-so Mean Streets
We wrapped up the hotel room scene and on our way down sniped a few shots. We even used a bellman cart as a dolly. The biggest concern at this point was the arrival of a vintage red convertible. By the time we made our way out the car was curbside ready to shoot. The filming process was calming with no hassle from pedestrians. For those who were stuck in traffic, they got a front row seat to a music video production.
Back Online
Power came back around 3pm in time for the crew to return from filming on the Embarcadero and to set up for the next scene in the hotel restaurant. You’d think that the blackout was the last significant event that occurred on the shoot. Filming at the beach gave way to a different type of commotion. An attempted suicide had people’s interest while we filmed.
There’s No Problems, Only Solutions
Even with the most careful planning, a project is still prone to unpredictable events. Throughout shooting this music video, enthusiasm never waned. People maintained their focus and contributed to the solutions. There are no red lights during production, the green light is always on even during a power outage. The power may have been out, but the moral and the drive of the crew was electrifying.
It takes a dedicated group of people to make a video successful and to get through a tough situation. The icing on the cake came as a holiday gift in December 2017 when the video for “15 Minutes” surpassed 1 million views on YouTube (now at 1.32 mil). This project has been by far one of our most successful in reaching a worldwide audience.
Even under these circumstances, we showed a high level of composure and professionalism. This attitude leaves an imprint on clients and shows that we at Mac House deliver solid videos regardless of the obstacles. It’s that positive, nothing holds you back perspective that a production company must have. Now go out and impress your clients!
