All Set: A Newcomer’s Perspective
by Divya Mirlay, Intern

My first shoot demanded that I be on set at 7:45 A.M. The subjects of said shoot — makeup, handbags, and shoes. Just the ammo any Mean Girl needs.
I was ushered into what sounded like an indoor concert. Turns out, the stylist likes working with background music — John Mayer, Marshmallow and Maroon 5 to name a few. Not a bad way to start a Tuesday. Bonus points for breakfast, coffee, tea and even nareal paani.
We work with a production house that handles shoots for some of our clients. They offer up the man power and infrastructure that supports the shoot in question.
Skipping over to the important part, I learned that a product shoot needs the following people to make the magic happen:
i. Art Director: He’s the one that tells you that he is or isn’t feelin’ the look. The way each bag tilts, sits or hangs needs his green signal.
ii. Stylist: This person aids in the image’s aesthetic appeal. They have a pool of resources who are routinely asked to stuff bags with bubble wrap, hold up thermocol and correct the lighting.
iii. Producer: The Producer’s in charge of the sequence of events. She calls out which product has to be shot, when. The stylist and the photographer work together with the producer to ensure that the shoot goes smoothly.
iv. Social Media Manager: She’s in charge of making sure the assets (polished term for ‘pixx’) are put up on social media as a story, a GIF or a still image. It’s up to her to determine the rollout of these products on the brand’s social media pages, in a way that best enhances them.
Taking a step back, the shoot was a nice reminder that even bags (leave alone people) need an army of their own to look Instagram-worthy. So don’t feel too bad if you don’t look like Blake Lively on a night out — you just need a handy battalion and you’ll look just as good.
