If you work in advertising and marketing long enough you will eventually find yourself working a celebrity shoot. And almost always, celebrities are not like the rest of us. Their lives are different and therefore they must be treated differently on set. Here are a couple pointers.

1) Most have a handler/assistant, this person is your best friend. They know all the hot buttons and what type of day they’ve had so far. Listen and reap the reward.

2) They’re busier than you realize. They have press appearances, calls with agents, commercial appearances, autograph signings and all sort of celeb stuff us before they ever deal with us mere mortals. Respect that and don’t waste their time. Most of them will kick ass when they arrive late and it will be worth the annoyance of working with them.

3) Keep it simple and then ask if they have any questions. They’re A list of a reason and usually it’s because of they’re talent. Explain what is needed and they’ll likely nail it. We had a shoot where the talent was 4 hours late and as pissed off as I was before the camera rolled, I was that ecstatic when it stopped. Maybe he was off preparing for 4 hours or maybe he was just that good, who cares?

4) Ask ahead of time if there are any special requests. One celebrity we worked with required very specific lighting which required planning and rentals. If we didn’t know ahead of time we would have been way behind schedule.

5) Make sure your makeup artist is comfortable working with celebrities. Most A list talent knows what looks good on camera or at least has an idea and will not tolerate foolishness. Make sure your artist can make both you and the talent happy and comfortable.

Then there’s the basic advice for working with anyone, show respect, listen, find the best way of communicating criticism and always keep the story first.

Good luck on your next celeb shoot. Develop a reputation for treating them well and you will build a career.

Posted on: November 12, 2013, by : Jimmy Gilmore