Last Friday morning Scott and I met up with a local camera crew at the home we have listed for sale at 1390 Pickering Drive (you can see this beautiful home here) to film a commercial for his real estate business. It was a brisk, cool morning outside with the temperatures hovering around zero. Perfect for filming a commercial, though, right?
This house was a perfect location. Beautiful views off of the balcony, a gorgeous front entrance, a nice, open kitchen and a friendly crew from KTVF Channel 11. What a way to start a Friday!
So just a few things you should know about filming a commercial outside in the winter. In case you ever need to do such a thing.
1. It’s cold. Granted, we should be much colder right now (it’s not unheard of to have -30 or -40 degree weather at this time of the year) but zero degrees, or just above, is COLD. Have coffee, tea or hot cocoa to warm you up from the inside. And bundle up. Unlike Scott who never, ever wears a coat, as you can see in all of these pictures. And no, he didn’t just take it off for filming. He literally never wears one no matter how cold it is outside.
2. Find an eye-catching place to shoot. And a great view off of the balcony isn’t a bad idea either. A big Thank You! to the owners of 1390 Pickering Drive for letting us film at their home Friday morning. The view of the freshly-risen sun was gorgeous. Check out my panorama.
3. A great film crew is a must. Kristy and Tyson from KTVF Channel 11 were a blast to work with. Everyone was upbeat and in good spirits which made it easier to ignore the freezing cold we were standing in for most of the morning. You can’t complain about the cold when you’re having a good time!
4. Even though it’s cold, you’re going to have to say your lines over and over and with the same level of enthusiasm each time. Okay, so I had one line and I got to say it from the warmth of the kitchen. I can’t really complain about filming in the cold temperatures so I’m speaking vicariously from Scott’s point of view. All of his segments were filmed outside.
For each part that’s filmed they had to make sure that the lighting was right, the angle was right, the movement was right, and that they got the best shot of the house and/or view, so they ran through it making sure that everything looked good before he even started filming his lines. Then he talked to the camera in a casual, relaxed, I’m-not-freezing-even-though-I’m-not-wearing-a-coat-and-it’s-zero-degrees, manner. And he did great!
So if you ever need to film a commercial outside in the winter time, remember these helpful tips. And look for Scott’s commercial to air on KTVF Channel 11 in Fairbanks and the surrounding area beginning Friday, February 27th!
Scott Rosenthal Real Estate ~ The Rosenthal Team 