Earlier in the year we had a great time out and about visiting a variety of London’s finest landmarks on a shoot for clothing company Serge Blanco. The former rugby union player now owns 3 hotels and created his sportswear label. Using the #weareblanco, Serge Blanco describes itself as ‘the redefinition of chic sportswear & the emotional interpretation of the shared values […]
We caught up with the owner of one of our favourite locations, Brown House, for an insight into her experience of recently hosting a multi-media shoot during lockdown.
What were your initial thoughts when you were asked to host a shoot during lockdown?
Personally I was happy with the idea, however some of the family were concerned about strangers coming into the house who might bring infection, so we thought about it quite a bit. It made an important difference that the shoot was in the garden rather than in the house.
What were your main concerns ahead of the shoot?
The shoot itself was to be outside, but of course the crew would need access to the kitchen and the loo, so would not be entirely outside. The main concern was if the crew were not careful, they could inadvertently bring infection into the house. They were reassuring that they would be very restricted where they went and we decided we would disinfect the surfaces in the kitchen and the loos after everyone had left.
How did the experience of this shoot differ to pre-pandemic shoots?
Everyone was absolutely delightful, as always! On the recces, everyone wore masks, used hand sanitiser and kept their distance. They spent very little time inside the house, for instance they waited for each other and talked outside, rather than all being in the house at the same time.
How was your experience while the shoot was happening?
I was in the house to start with, but out for most of the day. The team were thoughtful, for instance they suggested opening up the side gates to give most people direct access to the garden, which limited the number of people who needed to come into the house. And they brought a winnebago, which was used as a green room instead of using a room in the house. During the day, someone needed to make a call – rather than just go ahead and use the study, they phoned me to ask if it would be OK for that person to sit in the study to make that call, which of course was fine.
Did you feel that the Covid-19 safety precautions put in place by the production were adequate?
Yes, very much so. Everyone was wearing masks, including outside even though it was hot. Most or all people were outdoors most or all of the time, they set up tents outside, so there were just a few people in the kitchen. Covid warning signs were also put up, reminding everyone to wash their hands and the loos were clearly signed so no-one would go into the wrong rooms – they were very careful. And the house was left immaculate afterwards, as always.
What advice would you give other location owners, ahead of hosting a shoot in the current climate?
It’s a personal choice, people must make their own decisions. However I am happy we did it and this was a few weeks ago, the virus was more prevalent then than it is now. When we got back in the evening, we wiped down with disinfectant all the doors and surfaces where people would have been, it didn’t take long.
Any further comments or interesting tidbits you’d like to add?
Its always fun to see how much extraordinary effort goes into an advertisement!
