The shoots.
The two shoots have been and gone. On Wednesday we had this person
He was mild, unassuming. Seemed nice. More or less your average bloke dusted with a fine layer of fame. Very interesting phenomenon – this fame thing. His seemed to sit lightly on his shoulders, slightly separate from him. During the ten cent tour of the house he said he thought it would be a great restaurant. They brushed him with make-up, changed his clothes and stuck him in front of a window where he played with a hat, looked insouciant and had his picture taken. A journalist did an interview with him and then he was off, on his step-through scooter (with L plates) into the city traffic.
Thursday was a clothing catalogue shoot. I was predisposed not to like them. At first they’d wanted the house for Wednesday and Thursday. Then they thought they might like three days and then they wanted only one. They couldn’t say which one. Then they wanted to change it to Friday or Saturday but still they couldn’t say which. They wanted another viewing to work out shots, but they couldn’t be flexible about time. Then they went back to Thursday.
And then Thursday rolled on and it all happened. An 8am start. Cast of thousands (well, ten). They brought their own bins (and used them), had catered lunch (from our dusty step in the basement we thought it was chicken and basmati rice). Moved through the shots like a Roman army. The luvvy quotient was down, the efficiency factor up. And actually, in the end, I really liked them.
I know – as a photographer I make a good psychoanalyst. But them’s the breaks.
Pimp My Bricks 
June 4, 2011 at 11:56 am
So the ex psychoanalyst is taking photos of the photographer taking photos of someone else. I can just see the house raising her/his eyebrows.
June 4, 2011 at 1:54 pm
I know! And actually, it does feel a little perverse at the time. But that house has seen so much I think a little voyeurism will just wash off its back.
June 4, 2011 at 4:57 pm
I found it totally fascinating when the house was in the photo shoot. Beverly Hils 90210 was one……they reconfigured the “living room” in a way that no one could possibly live there…..but on film…..it made total sense.
My assistant was invited to participate……she missed her chance!
It is really fun to be the scene of a photo shoot!
Hoping for that in Santa Barbara!
Penelope
June 4, 2011 at 6:18 pm
It is totally fun. I love them. I hope we can fit lots more in before the work starts (if it ever does). Might even have them after the house is finished.
Fingers crossed you get some in SB.
June 4, 2011 at 5:47 pm
We can see teh house as a Great Dame or a Duchess – or wildly beautiful in fabulous wallpaper and paint, but a Restaurant? Did the chef say why? Would it be totally nouveau something, or an elegant international cuisine, or new and up and coming? Love to know more.
M&A
June 4, 2011 at 6:24 pm
I was going to say something about Duchesse potatoes, but that would just be too silly. I don’t know why he thought that – with all those stairs he wouldn’t keep his staff longer than five minutes. Actually, everyone who comes thinks it’d make a great XXX (whatever profession they’re in). Most of the photographers think it would be a great studio. No doubt a visiting dentist would think it’d make a great place for extractions and veneerings.
If I could figure out what kind of cuisine would be the go, then I’d be nearer to knowing how it wants to be decorated. I can see a game coming on – “If the house were an animal/book/film/protagonist etcetc, what animal/etc would it be?”
June 8, 2011 at 4:49 pm
The only animal your house could be is the devine Remy-totally sure how wonderful and admirable it is. Wonderful that so many people could see themsleves happily be accomodated – good design endures the ages!!
M&A