ZO DECENNALIA — BACK IN TIME COMMERCIAL
—BEHIND THE SCENES—
Written and Photographed By Roxane Dupont
ZO Magazine is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Its Decennalia, as the Ancient Roman civilization would put it. Back then, the Emperor would give away his powers for a day. Today, ZO Magazine allows its readers to take charge and show off their arts and talent through this Decennalia Expo.
And what better way for the magazine to publicize its project than by going back in time, in the most fashionable way?
To invite you on the journey, to invite you to celebrate, River Alexander, ZO’s Concept Director, produced a short – but captivating – advertisement featuring clothes designed by Nathalia Gaviria.
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Have you ever been curious about what happens behind the scenes of a shoot? Wanna follow me on this amazing experience, and see?
Let’s go.
INT. HOLLYWOOD – ZO CREATIVE SPACE – 7:00 AM
Empty streets. A quiet and sleeping LA. The morning sun already shining bright. In an hour, life will start in the city, traffic will take over, and heat will strike us like a whip. But right now, I’m on my way to meet part of the team at the ZO Creative Space – a former photography studio, remodeled in a spacious place, perfect to shoot a short or two.
One by one, Camille Calvin, Mantha Balourdou, and Akil Gerard Williams, our three talented actors, arrive. One handshake at a time, we introduce ourselves and finally decide to carpool to the set, the Greystone Stage, all the way in Sunland.
[click photos for larger image]
DECENNALIA 2024—2025 | ZO 10th ANNIVERSARY . . .
In a world where power is so often idolized and misused, it is rare and inspiring to find those who refuse its seduction. Those who are willing to use their influence to empower others.
The word Decennalia is Latin for “10th Anniversary” and refers to festivals of games in Ancient Rome, which occurred every ten years. ZO was particularly intrigued by the festivals’ origin, which dates back to 27 BC when the Roman Emperor Augustus “refused the supreme power offered to him for life and would only consent to accept power for ten years,” as noted by Wikipedia. During the festival, Augustus would “surrender all of his authority to the hands of the people, who were filled with joy and charmed by the gesture.” Augustus was known, at least as one emperor who, restored peace and prosperity to Rome.
Decennalia Expo Commercial at this link.
INT. SUNLAND – THE GREYSTONE STAGE STUDIO – 8:00 AM . . .
The place wears its name well. Because sunny it was.
We conclude the introductions as we join Millie Cupp, the director; Mana Afshar, the makeup artist; and Alex Tetzner, the Director of Photography, who are already unloading the equipment.
This is a very small team, which means… multitasking!
Alex is not only DP, but also a sound operator, gaffer, and grip – which is a lot! As for Millie, her experience as a first assistant director allows her to manage her time efficiently.
Producer, actors, still photographer: we all help as much as we can to make sure everything runs smoothly.
We’re on a schedule and there’s no time to waste: the set has to be ready in an hour.
. . .
Millie and Alex work around the set: a large green screen surrounded by lights that will be used to project the characters in a different and ancient time.
Focused, busy, efficient, they settle all the lights, find their frame, get the camera ready to roll. Just the two of them. After checking the image on the monitor and making the last few adjustments, Millie and Alex can finally welcome Akil on set. But not before he stopped by Mana’s chair…
In the dressing room, Mana organizes her makeup equipment and starts to work on the first of the three actors to appear on camera: Akil.
Her goal for today? Turning 21st-century actors into Ancient Power Masters. And she accomplishes it with incredible ease. With only a general idea of what is expected and a few pictures for reference, Mana manages to create a unique look for each of the actors.
She starts by applying the foundations, then takes care of the eyes, the lips, and finishes with small but crucial details.
Golden touches here and there, to stay in the sci-fi regal theme and match the costumes and jewelry. Precautious and skilled, Mana paints parts of Akil’s hands in gold, sticks some golden leaves on Mantha’s cheekbone, and makes Camille’s eyes pop.
In their elegant yet simple, fashionable clothes, with their divine makeup and royal jewelry, Akil, Camille, and Mantha look like they’re coming out of an “alternative” history book.
INT. SUNLAND – THE GREYSTONE STAGE STUDIO – 9:00 AM
Everything comes into place under River’s coordination. A coffee, a croissant, and we’re good to go. Quiet on set. Camera rolling. And… Action!
One by one, each actor leaves Mana’s magical chair to parade in front of the camera and give life to Millie’s vision. One by one, Akil opens the Grand Livre, Camille throws the dice of life, and Mantha tries to convince us that Greece is the birthplace of humanity.
For each shot, Alex readjusts the lights, checks the image on the monitor, tests the sound. It’s a lot to think about, it’s a lot of things to master, but Alex does it without flinching, braving the ever-increasing heat.
It’s hot in there. The AC has to be turned off during takes to prevent parasite sounds. Yet, everyone stays on top of their game. Everyone keeps working hard to make sure we get everything we need on time.
When our three actors finally gather in front of the camera for their final shot in these costumes, we are struck by how powerful and majestic they look. Only the green screen and the equipment remind us that this is all staged.
Sparkles in her eyes, River admires the result of her hard work, diligence, and dedication. The first half of the day went well, and at 2 PM, it’s a wrap on location number 1.
Did we expect to finish earlier? Yes. Will that stop us from achieving our goal with a smile on our faces? Absolutely not.
Every shoot comes with delays. The key is to make sure we get through with the plan.
And we did. After a most-needed lunch break and a change of scenery.
INT. HOLLYWOOD – ZO CREATIVE SPACE – 4:00 PM
Remember when I told you that the creative space we met at (now it seems like yesterday) would be perfect to film a short or two? Well, now is the time to test it.
Millie and Alex look for the best way to position the camera in the spacious and open living room while Akil, Camille, and Mantha change into normal clothes and remove their sophisticated makeup, becoming mortals again.
This part of the shoot will focus on their characters, gathered at a party, initiating the jump in time that will lead us to discover them as time traveling power masters. There are only a few scenes missing, the set is much simpler, no green screen involved. Everyone is tired, but no one shows it. And everything runs smoothly.
One by one, each actor gets a round of applause for wrapping up the day. Until the Martini Shot.
And… Cut!
Roxane Dupont is a Screenwriter, Photographer, and Producer now living in 📍Los Angeles – originally from 🏡 Paris.
