21 Thunder - My shooting experience
Shooting soccer was the toughest challenge for me. In doing the research we looked at different film and sports series, such as Friday Night Lights and City of God among many others. We also looked at sports coverage of soccer and other sports. You quickly realize just how elaborate sports coverage has become in recent times. Cameras are everywhere, hovering overhead and set up in every possible configuration. It became clear we had to focus on story, and the inherent drama more than the match itself. Although the diehard soccer fans are also a big part of the audience… So striking a balance became the key.
I had set up a soccer protocol, in which we’d break down the scripts into soccer beats, discuss them with our creative team and a soccer coach to visualize the plays as per the script. Then we’d set up soccer rehearsals, which we could then film and pre-visualize before the shoot—a must on a series shooting schedule.
The result is you get the feel of the story and the soccer action in a seamless mix. In the end it looks easy, as it should. But the prep work was invaluable to achieving that result.
CBC is set to air the premiere in June. Can’t wait! See the trailer
