It (Wasn’t) All a Dream:
It’s just another day in the English Countryside; no big deal. I’m assisting on the set of the Charlotte Tilbury’s Scent of a Dream featuring my good friend choreographer/model Nathan Mitchell… and the legendary Kate Moss.
Nathan is one of my favorite people to assist; we’ve been friends for over 10 years. There’s a very natural ebb and flow to our creative process. Make no mistake, Nathan is more than capable of holding his own and has effortlessly done so for countless projects, but sometimes it’s great to have additional support for the projects that require a unique level of care. Although the scope of what we do on each project changes, Scent of a Dream was by far the largest fashion/dance collaboration we’d worked on up to that point. However the scale of a project is never a challenge when there’s an understanding our unique creative process.
As an on-site assistant, process is my middle name. We spend weeks (sometime months) dissecting every detail of what Nathan will need for this project. I spend a great deal of time understanding his vision so I’m able to support every detail necessary in bringing that vision to life. On shoots like these, that scope of support includes everything from managing our schedules to sorting out the last-minute choreography changes, and in some extraordinary cases working as movement coach to the iconic Kate Moss.
Let’s pause here for a moment; Kate Moss does NOT need coaching! She quite literally said to me, “Ron, if I’m just standing around, I need you to yell at me GO, BITCH, GO!” Ms. Moss was perfection personified embodying the very essence of seduction and magic! -Ron Gatsby
Productions on this scale require an uncanny ability to deal with ambiguity and a knack for not only solving problems, but more so making the artist/client feel as though there aren’t any problems. My goal is to make sure people can put their full focus on what matters most to them; the work. I absolutely love on-site assisting gigs, they allow me to create a space for my clients to do their best work; knowing support is there every step of the way. The amazing parting swag doesn’t hurt either.
