Ukraine Commercial #BehindTheScenes

Last week I had such fun on set, shooting my first commercial for the year. As with most of these projects we are committed to confidentiality requests, but I guess I can tell you that the ad is for a bottled water brand and to be aired in the Ukraine. (Apparently I qualify for a Slavic look) We were only 4 cast members, one male lead and 3 featured extras and filming two small scenes that will ultimately form part of a larger adventure for the lead male.
I always have super amounts of fun on set as an actress, and this experience did not disappoint.
First off at the wardrobe fitting the day before, I was basically playing dress up and had to model about 10 different outfit combinations and options. And not just any clothing, think Zara, Forever New, Mango and so on... yes please! And then, the Director asked for a make-up and hair test to be done on me... So what to do if you just got all made up by a top make-up artist... lunch with your man of course!

At the stylist's home playing at being a mannequin...

My call-time on set in Braamfontein was 4.30am, ouch. It was pouring torrential rains in Jhb and I had to arrive with my hair wet, naaaaice. At least that saved me a few extra minutes of sleep not having to blow dry at home, not that I got much sleep knowing what time I had to get up again. But somehow I find all of that exciting and agreeable for the sake of being able to do what I love and enjoy.

This is a pic of where we shot in a very misty Joburg with the Nelson Mandela bridge in the background. 

The hurry-up-and-wait factor is always very much a reality and perhaps even more so on a commercial set. So David, also one of the 3 featured extras, began teaching us his on-set games to pass the time. One of which was 'the movie link' game. It works like this: the first person mentions a movie title, then the next person should pick a movie title that contains an actor from the movie just mentioned. Then the next person does the same but may not use the same actor again. And so on and so on, until someone is stumped. Which then means the person who gave the movie title that stumped the next person, receives a point. You can also keep score of these points to finally pick a winner. (If you are ever able to stop, it's quite addictive) Eg. Person 1: Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Person 2: Se7en (from Brad Pitt) Person 3: Kiss the Girls (from Morgan Freeman) Person 4: Olympus has Fallen (from Ashley Judd) etc. It certainly passes the time, but is much more entertaining (and educational) if you are playing with some serious movie buffs! Gonna try it at my next dinner party :)

Sneak peak of me getting my make-up done.

It's such a great feeling being on set, it always lifts my spirits and energizes me. So once the commercial is out and online, I'll try to post the final product for you guys!

Chat soon,