On The Carpet

To those of you thinking that shooting at a Red Carpet Movie premiere is glamorous, this is for you. It's a 5 second clip of Russell Crow meeting the paparazzi on the RC to promote his new movie (at the bottom of the page). As you can hear from the clip, it's nothing short of insanity. In fact, in TV parlance, they are known as "pig fucks": lots of squealing and jostling for position!

First, when we arrive, usually about an hour before the actual event, we are sent to some holding pen near the celebrity arrival position (just like cattle). Then (just like cattle) we are herded into our positions on the carpet. If it's cold or rainy, then it's inside a large tent. If it's clear and warm, they are usually held outside. Once you're in, you find your place which is marked by a single, 8x10 loose-leaf sheet of paper on the ground with your organization's name written or typed on it. These are then lined up one next to the other so that the photographers are literally shoulder to shoulder. I place a step stool in my position. We all have them. It's impossible to shoot from ground level because so many people (security, publicists, etc.) are on the carpet with the celebrities. You have to be above it all to shoot down on the subject. I'll spend the next hour or two climbing up and down the stool to get my shots. Since I have a foot and a half long, 25 pound piece of steel on my shoulder, this is NOT a lot of room. In fact, the videographers usually apologize to each for banging each other in the head with our cameras BEFORE we even start shooting. Then you wait for the arrivals.

No one is ever on time. When they do arrive they hit the still photographers first and the place just EXPLODES. The amount of light generated by (sometimes) hundreds of flashes going off simultaneously is absolutely BLINDING. Each photographer screams the subjects name in an effort to get the subject to look directly at him/her so as to appear they were the only photog there. So, the noise is deafening! While this is going on, I'm up on my stool getting shots of the photographers shooting the celebs. This is known as "b-roll". After the still photographers, they hit the line of video cameras and reporters where each outlet gets to ask them questions. Sometimes there are as many as 20 or 30 crews, all asking just about the same questions.

Rapped around the celebrities who are actually involved in the film you were sent to cover are the other "beautiful people" who are simply making the scene. In addition to other actors who are supporting their friends, are the other media whores looking for some free publicity. This invariably includes models, designers, reality TV "stars", and other sycophants. These people never make my cut!

By the end of the night, I'm sweaty, deaf, and my shoulders are killing me. Very glamorous indeed!