GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF JAKE STANGEL'S BRAND LIBRARY FOR SANTANDER
“As was the case here, I often get hired to establish a new look and feel for a brand, which is a privilege, as it’s an indicator of trust towards me.
There were to big challenges on this shoot. One was getting the production resources we needed to Boston. It takes a slightly bigger lift to get crew and production to a city like Boston, but it can open an exciting new world of interior and exterior locations that can help set a library apart. We had one day in a bank branch, while outside it rained (not to worry, we made sun with our strobes) followed by a day in a traditional home, and a day in a beautiful contemporary home. In the homes we generally covered a kitchen scene, a dining scene, two outdoor scenes, and a home office environment.
I am always super involved with casting. The people in front of the camera can either make or break a scene. I spend so many hours with video casting, looking for people who are natural and engaged in front of the camera. I’m looking for folks who are present and comfortable with themselves; the people you want to root for.”
Fast Facts
• company re-brand
• four Boston-local photo assistants, CA-based first assistant and DIT
• three locations including a bank and two homes
"I did all the color grading for this client, and I always enjoy an end-to-end process. On the front end, I suggest activities and moments that produce the best ‘bang for your buck.’ The client, for example, was interested in a multi-generational dinner scene, which is very involved from a food styling and propping perspective, but really only nets you a one-photo story. Instead, I suggested leaning into the open floor plan kitchen, and a series of ‘family kitchen’ moments like breakfast before school, homework with teens, and the parents sorting mail and trip planning. This way, we can keep the lighting similar and run through more scenarios, which is helpful for library shoots.
A lot of my work involves taking note of the emotionally valuable moments of life, the little scenes and vignettes that naturally stick in our minds, then re-creating those scenes and moments with fantastic, emotionally present people in engaging environments. My job is part curator of the people and spaces, part social lubricant, part improv coach, and then when it’s all in place, I take some photos."
