TV Globo
Production Manager for a TV show
A very random but awesome job passed through to me from Bex @Rise Creative.
TV Globo (second biggest TV production company in the world) were coming to New Zealand to film a prime time human interests TV show, “Big Sunday with Huck”, presented by Luciano Huck (22.3 million followers on Instagram).
The Brief
Never in my life had I done anything like this before, but as always, I was up for the challenge, with help and support of Bex (Rise Creative) and a friend of hers, living in Blenheim.
We had less than a month from the date they were actually coming/filming to establish all of the requirements we needed to cover for them.
We still didn’t have all the information we needed until a week before they came, but they had booked my flights and accommodation, so it was definitely happening!
Summary
The Show - a family reunion, in Blenheim
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A mother and her two daughters from Brazil were flown over to see their son and brother for the first time in 10 years face-to-face. He had moved here with his daughter after getting into deep trouble with drugs. Since being here, he’s fully reformed, and also has a 2 year old boy the family hadn’t yet met. The mother and daughters contacted the show in Brazil, and were chosen to have their story featured.
“The Hug” - a complete secret!
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We had to somehow come up with a plan for Luciano to meet the son, randomly, but also while filming. In conversation, it would be established that the son now lives in NZ, and Luciano would then ask the son to join him for an interview the next day. The whole show was riding on him saying yes to this interview, keeping the family hidden away, and arranging everything by divulging just enough information to all those involved, to keep this a complete secret (in a small town!).
The Schedule
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A rough schedule was given just a week before they flew here. Different film crew, family members, and Luciano would all be flying into, or leaving Blenheim on different days. We had 3 days to visit/scope possible film locations for the family interview on one day, then “the hug” reunion the next. Luciano flew in for the two days of filming, then all TV Globo crew departed for Tuvalu on a private jet for another two days of filming with the prime minister, then back to Auckland for one night, before flying back to Brazil.
The whole project had a huge number of unknowns - the son’s address, his working hours, his whereabouts at the filming times, whether we could get him to a certain location to meet Lucinao, or if he would agree to doing the interview. It was extremely risky!
My Responsibilities
Research and find solutions/costs for the following:
Film Locations
They wanted somewhere depicting NZ and Blenheim, but not too far away from the hotel. I had to research and communicate with each location to determine what was possible with regards to access, filming permissions, possible fees, and if drones would be allowed as there is a nearby airport. Our contact in Blenheim visited some of the locations to share an overview of a few prior to us getting to Blenheim. I whittled it down to 8 locations and planned our daily itinerary.
Restaurants/Winerys - Lunch and dinner
It wasn’t peak season, so very few places were open regular hours, but the hours they were open, they were very busy with pre-scheduled tours visiting. Our daily schedule changed constantly regarding timing, locations visited and number of people with us, so rescheduling frequently or last minute bookings were constantly happening.
Sunday evening - this was the only evening Luciano was in Blenheim. I wanted to find the best option possible, and find a way to "coincidentally" get the son, and Luciano in the same location.
I had heard and seen reviews of a Brazilian Restaurant being one of the very best, but it was shut on a Sunday. I reached out, revealing the dilemma and details of the show, but requesting it stay extremely top secret. The wonderful owner agreed to open for us, and find staff that could work that day/evening. It couldn’t have been better, as he also knew the son, and he asked him if he could come and help at his restaurant that night, which was the perfect way to make the introduction.
I was constantly thrown a huge number of challenges throughout each day, but I rose to the occasion, prioritised each item, and found solutions ASAP, with no issues or stress (shown).
I had plan B’s and C’s in place with almost every item involved, so everything happened extremely smoothly (from what they could see!). I was only let down once by one of the transportation companies I had booked, but I had a back up, who jumped to my help.
Transportation
Each day had a different number of people, amount of luggage, and of course a VIP to transport to and from multiple locations. I looked into a lot of different transportation options regarding size, comfort and luxury to cover all days/time/scenarios - minibuses, people carriers, luxury vehicles/chauffeurs, AND a super cool red Jeep Wrangler with driver. I went with the cheapest, but most reliable (I hoped!), options I could find.
Drone pilot
After contacting a few drone pilots and specialist companies, I went with the most recommended and with the best portfolio. I also had multiple discussions around locations that would be easier to get drone filming permissions, and without any issues with airport airspace bans.
The only way things could have gone any better, was to have everything happen exactly as planned, but that wasn’t at all possible in this scenario. Although exhausting, it couldn’t have gone any better, with a more perfect outcome. Everyone was extremely happy.
BYD Driver
The TV Show is sponsored by BYD cars. We had to pick up a BYD car and use it in the filming of the show, which was originally scoped for two days. Our contact in Blenheim was available to help for two of the days, so it was fortunate I had given my drivers license details, as it was decided at the last minute, they wanted to feature the car on the third day too.
Hand-held radios
With little notice, I needed to find some hand-held radios to hire, just for the two filming days. I searched everywhere in Blenheim, with only one place as an option, which was going to charge $100/radio/day. We wanted six, over two days, which would have been $1,200 for just two days. I looked into other options and found somewhere in Auckland I could hire six radios for a week for $150 total. I obviously went for that, although carrying an additional hard exterior suitcase on and off the plane was not ideal!
Testimonial
You are AMAZING! A blonde, blue eyed version of me 😛 We are so similar (as you are SO GOOD!). We loved your energy, commitment, and EVERYTHING. We couldn’t have asked for anything to go any better. Thank you so so much.
You are always welcome to stay if you ever visit Brazil!
Rafael Alves - Producer, TV Globo
