Sometimes when you're asked about a potential new shoot you may need to give the client a call back once you've had a look at dates and made sure you're not going to be somewhere else. If the shoot in question involves spending a day in in the sunshine with one of your sporting heroes then you probably don't need to check your diary. If that day ends with you sitting in your car recording a voice over with Jonny Wilkinson then it really does help you to remember why you got into this business in the first place!
Anyone with a passing interest in rugby over the last twenty-five years would probably be fascinated to spend some time with the man responsible for 'that kick' in 2003 - even my Welsh friends would grudgingly agree with this. Renowned for his exceptional kicking accuracy under pressure, Jonny was also known for helping to redefine what the position of fly-half meant with his ability (and bravery) to defend more in the manner of a forward than a back. An English rugby hero who managed to win over French rugby fans (well those from Toulon at least) must be someone pretty special!
In retirement from rugby Jonny has channeled some of that focus into new areas, one of them being No1 Kombucha, a healthy drink based around green tea and live cultures. Jonny's vision is to inspire people to live healthily from the inside out, and our brief for the shoot was to capture Jonny living for the moment. As you would imagine he still has the same passion for looking after himself, and is still practising his kicking even in retirement.
The first setup on our shoot involved Jonny running, and to achieve a realistic level of effort we really needed him to sprint, and for a reasonable amount of time. We had been donated a golf buggy by the venue we were using but unfortunately for us it's top speed was only just enough for Jonny to break into a sweat, resulting in numerous requests to go faster.
Our second setup was shooting Jonny doing some kicking, and whilst waiting for lead creative (and massive rugby fan) Andy to come back from the car, Jonny ran us through in detail just what was going through his head as he dropped for goal in Sydney all those years ago. As Andy returned the conversation went:
"All ok, are we ready?"
"Yeah, Jonny was just telling us about the kick"
"Oh right, which kick?"
"The kick"
"Eh?"
"You know... the kick...."
"Oh...." [devastated]
So anyway, Jonny went and did some kicking and we filmed him doing it. He may have missed one but I don't remember. After that we filmed some lifestyle shots of Jonny and friends walking in the woods, and then some interior shots of the group drinking No1 Kombucha. At the end of the day we recorded the VO in the car before we wrapped. A thoroughly great day with a genuinely great guy.
You can view the finished film and read more about the product on the No1 Kombucha site.