When it came to planning sea-m’s debut shoot, this was luckily something I’d had ample experience. In my former life as a Creative Director in advertising, life was spent creating mood boards and storyboards ahead of large-scale shoots which would set the tone and trend of the brand. I knew exactly the tone I wanted to hit, and where it should be shot (a beach, naturally), so plenty of days and evenings were spent curating that perfect mood board. Experience has told me that if someone can look at a mood board of visuals and not ask any questions, or interpret it differently from how you envisaged it, you’ve won.
I then used the powers of social media for a photographer casting call. I had HUNDREDS of applicants, to the point it was quite overwhelming, but one stood out. Ed Scholfield is a master of capturing that candid/behind-the-scene aesthetic and with a mutual love of Wes Anderson, I knew I’d found my man.
The brief was simple; nothing contrived, but candid and curious with a side of tongue-in-cheek. And not least, anything but ordinary.
A week or so down the line, in the midst of ordering all sorts of props ahead of the shoot, I received a message from Tanya. Tanya is based in Sandbanks and reached out to say she’d love to help bring the shoot to life and help with video, her brain brimmed with ideas! Also in the infancy of setting up her content studio, The Lobster Club, she soon got to work producing the shoot and before I knew it, a shoot schedule was in my inbox and we were on for a sunny day in early July.
Now it was just time to pray to the weather gods for continued sunshine. Early one Tuesday morning, having picked up 4 large lobsters for the BBQ from the fishmongers at the crack of dawn, a car boot full of parasols, BBQs, props, lunch and snacks for the crew and plenty of suncream, 6 almost-strangers met in a car park on Sandbanks beach and we got to work!
My vision was still inherently clear and Ed was a sponge for all my last-minute ideas and executions. As a local, Tanya and Ben had formed the perfect plan and schedule for the day, and with that, the day flowed beautifully. Parasols, rubber rings, lobsters and all!
