Brooks Institute Students Tackle the “Big Set”
Photo Credit: Ana Aguirre, Blake Grimmer, Sara Kirkendoll, Jenn Sakamoto, Nick Trochil
Our students’ creative skills are often put to the test. The “Big Set” assignment in our Commercial Photo 2 class is part of our Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography degree program and is a great “big” example of the sort of challenges our students are presented with. In addition to thinking creatively, assignments like this offer students the opportunity to work as part of a team, set goals, establish timelines and deadlines, and develop a portfolio quality image.
Professional Photography student Blake Grimmer gave us the “what’s what” about the photo that his group created to fulfill the “Big Set” requirements.
What were the requirements for this class assignment? There had to be at least three people in the image, we had to build the entire set ourselves, it had to feature some kind of beverage, and the scene had to appear like it was shot at night.
Who was you instructor?
Mr. Rob Winner. He is the man.
The subject is pretty creative – how did your group come up with this idea?
We just brainstormed as a group and tossed around a bunch of ideas together. We wanted something comical and smart.
How long did it take to build the set?
We spent about a day and a half building and getting everything just right. Putting the walls up and then lighting it all probably took up most of our time. But it was a blast.
How long did it take to coordinate/set up the shot?
Not long, everyone that we asked to model said yes on the first try. It was all pretty easy. Everything just fell into place. I think we got super lucky.
What was it like to work with such a large group of subjects?
Not bad at all! We chose our subjects well, I guess. Also, we were very prepared. We knew what we wanted in the shot and we had everything ready to go once our models arrived, so the actual “shooting” took less than ten minutes.
How long did post-production take?
About four to five hours.
Do you have any advice you can offer to future students who will work on a “big set” project?
Get in a group with people who are team players. I think that was our group’s greatest advantage. We all shared the work and we had fun the entire time.
