That’s how long it has been since I had a good night’s sleep. Well, plus or minus a day. Which I just realized means that I haven’t sleep well all year. It’s funny how that sounds more dramatic than twelve days. At some point I know I will sleep out of sheer exhaustion.
Monday and Tuesday we were on set filming TV commercials, film of the featured limited time offer sandwiches for the year for one of my clients. Filming commericals is the most glamorous-sounding aspect of advertising. Let me tell you, it is not. Twelve to fourteen hour days for approximately thirty-three seconds of footage. Despite the make-shift office we created on set, vice presidents and clients alike still get restless . . . and no amounts of Trival Pursuit or darts could fully entertain. A team of food stylists, armed with tweezers and tiny brushes, busily clear the set of crumbs and carefully place pieces of oregano on the sandwich. Props switch out ramekins to create the right contrast. “The green one or the red one?” was one of the biggest decisions of the day. Production Assistants run to the grocery store to get fresh basil while the Producers keep the day on track.
Even though I have been in the business for ten years, I am still amazed by the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. All this work for a 7% increase in sales. That is if we are lucky.