Atlanta Shoot

The trip to Atlanta was a great one.  Reese was such a trooper!  I will write more about our travels soon, but this is about what we went to Atlanta to do.  Many of you guys know how passionate I have become about child passenger safety and part of it is because Graco is so passionate about it, I couldn't help but be immersed in it when I worked for them.  They go the extra mile to provide consumers with how-to videos to assist in the installation process, because we all know how overwhelming it can be for new parents trying to get this new contraption into their vehicle correctly.

So, Reese and I set out for Atlanta to film the installation video for the SnugRide, our most popular seat.  Of course it is top-rated and more moms rely on the SnugRide to protect their little one than any other seat. 

We started the day on location at 9 am...well, let's say 9:15 for us since traffic was horrific and we were a tad bit late.  I'm so glad I don't have to battle that mess everyday...my commute took me almost 2 hours that morning.  Thankfully, Reese had a full belly and slept through it all.

First thing was hair and makeup.  Considering they shoot with hi-def cameras and such, you're normal everyday mask usually isn't enough.  Then once I got dressed it was onto the demo part of the series.  We shot outside in a mini-van and went through the steps of how to install the seat using the seatbelt and LATCH. 

We had Reese buckled in the seat to show putting the baby in the car , but as soon as I clipped the seat into the vehicle she began to fuss because the bright lights were shining directly into her eyes.  We did several takes of it though, so hopefully there is a take that works.

The actual demo took a majority of the morning, so we finished up and then broke for lunch.  During the short hour or so timeframe Miss Reese had two blowouts and went through the two pink outfits we had, so the majority of her camera time was wearing jeans and a yellow sweater...our last option since dresses don't really show well buckled into a car seat.  You never know what you're going to get with a baby on set!

Then we moved on to shooting the informational/Vanna White-style video.  I had done the installation demo videos before, but never this one, so I was a little nervous at how I would do.  Of course, our producer along with the Graco staff that was there were great coaches and the teleprompter made it so easy, so I feel fairly confident that it will turn out ok.

We wrapped up the day recording the voice-over for the installation demo.  It is amazing that two simple videos lasting less than 2 minutes can take a whole 8 hour day of filming.  Like I said earlier, Reese was such a trooper and had several naps throughout the day.  When it was her turn to be on camera as we were showing how to adjust the harness around her, she was really hamming it up with the camera guy...hopefully we'll see a few smiles in the finished product.

Final videos to come...as soon as they are edited and in their final state online.  Thanks, Graco for a great day!  I look forward to recapping this again with Reese one day when she can really appreciate it!

Oh, and check out the Graco blog for their take on the day.