Working on PBS's This Old House

I worked on an episode of the show This Old House, which airs on PBS. It was a really fun job and also one of the fastest-paced productions I have been on. I was brought on as an Assistant Camera and Grip/Gaffer, and I also supplied all the gear, including the camera, lights, and my 4x4 frames. This job really took me back. When I was starting out, I worked on a lot of TV shows like this one. I spent an entire season on Property Brothers doing many of the same things I was tasked with here.

This shoot moved fast. I think we had five different locations that day. When you factor in loading and unloading gear, driving between locations, and scouting before filming, that leaves very little time for setting up elaborate lighting. My challenge was figuring out how to elevate the look of each shot without slowing down the production. In several scenes, I was able to sneak in some lighting by shining lights through the windows to mimic natural sunlight. It gave the rooms a bright, cheerful feel. I also hid lights in the corners when possible and used my 4x4 frame to bounce light for some of the outdoor shots. This was a fun show to work on. The crew was solid, and I got to check out some interesting houses around Atlanta. Fast-paced jobs like this can actually be exciting because you’re constantly solving problems, and it’s a lot less pressure when Im not the Director of Photography. The episode isnt out yet, but once its online I will come back and link it here.