The bond between father and son is amazing to witness, and I was reminded that true luxury is about heart.
What made this shoot particularly memorable for me was the story behind the camera. The touching bond between our young actor, Mikey, and his real-life dad absolutely inspired and influenced the on-camera relationship between the actor-dad and son.
I’m amazed at what parents will do to give their kids the opportunity to follow their dreams.
Mikey and his dad drove three hours to get the shoot, but were on-time and super professional. The dad’s attitude was very encouraging, supportive and easy-going ” more soccer mom than ,Dance Moms., He cheered his son on and helped him feel comfortable on set, while still giving him the freedom to make choices and interact with the crew… including flirting with my make-up artist by shooting Transformers missiles at her!
Mikey and I had a lot of fun together, too. One of the tricks I used on close-ups was having him look at me through the windshield and mirror my faces, making ,wWWwoooOowWWw, woooahh, noises, smiling and other expressions, all while timing it to the camera movements and the slow motion effect.
As we were wrapping the set, I was in the office going over the shots when Mickey politely knocked on the door. He waited for me to acknowledge him as he stared down at his shoelaces. He looked up at me shyly, rocking uncomfortably in his Chuck Taylors, and in the most sincere and apologetic tone tells me, œSorry for being wise.
I had to hold back a chuckle, because I couldn’t figure out why he was apologizing. He’d done a great job. Sure, he might have told one of my assistants that he had a big forehead, but it was so innocent. The apology was very sweet, and although I’m sure his father put him up to it, it took a lot of courage.
The talent was great, the crew was on point, and we’re all happy to have captured such an authentic-feeling father and son story that mirrored the father and son story we witnessed behind the scenes.
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