the dream team_step 2

The next step was figuring out what I needed for the shoot. Where would it take place? What kind of a crew would I need? Who would compose the music? What would the topic be for the first episode?  What kind of props would I need? How much money was this going to cost? And bit more advanced, what is my aesthetic?Not having any funding for the shoot outside of my own pocket I needed to think about who would volunteer their time and expertise for free.  Even thought I would need to ask for a freebie, I still wanted the best that I could find. I am very lucky to have amazing friends who are super talented and willing to help out. After figuring out that we would shoot October 10th, I set about to see who could be there for the big event.


Location.
Finding a good location is clutch to the look of the show. The look of the kitchen needs to be state of the art and chic, modern but not to cold. Welcoming and easy to light, meaning no large windows to mess with. It occurred to me to ask Maria Grey. She is a long time supporter of Dages and her work, and someone whom I've wanted to get to know better since I met her. She designed her kitchen and she often host's Dages' cooking classes at her home. I had another option in DUMBO, but as great as the view is, the lighting would have been more difficult than I think I could handle. My third idea was to pitch the idea to Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg and see if they would be interested in sponsoring the show. I contacted Maria, my first choice, and she said that she would be very happy to host the show at her house. Every time that I get a yes I am so excited! I can't believe the amount of yeses so far. It is very encouraging. 

Kitchen Stylist.
After speaking with Maria she suggested that I hire a person to style the kitchen. The first person that came to mind was my friend Michael Cohen. Michael has tremendous style and has been developing his portfolio for prop styling and I thought he might be interested in helping me on the project. He agreed and I sent him some some words that describe the aesthtic I'm looking to create: urban, rustic, hip, fresh, alive, joyful, delicious, and simple.


Hair/Makeup/Clothes Styling.
Hallie Goodman is one of the most fashionable people I know. She no longer actually styles people (aside from me) Instead she writes copy and article's about fashion and beauty. But since she loves me and wants to help, she is going to come down to help with Dages' look. I want her to look a polished urban hippie hipster yoga chic. 


Director of Photography.
Okay this is where I really went for it. I have the pleasure of knowing a very talented DP who works internationally, John Romeo. John was one of the first people that I met when I moved to New York, and he is as lovely as he is talented. It has been my experience that to learn how to do something well you should learn from the best, and John is up there in the best category. He is also very honest and a born teacher and I can't believe that he is going to help, let alone be in town for our shoot. He has also offered to shoot on his HD camera and teach me and his assistant how to capture footage directly to the hard drive from the camera. This has a fancy name that you can bet I will find out so that I can list it as a marketable skill. 


Assistant DP/ Gaffer.
Brian Reiser. Last month I acted for Brian in his final project for the New York Film Academy. He is a lovely supporter of my work and really looking to expand his skill set and when I asked him if he would assist, he was thrilled. 


Music. 
This is another small miracle. I totally went out on a limb and asked my dear friend Sunshine Jones in San Francisco if he would make a song just for my show and he said....YES! I can't believe it really. Sunshine is one of the pioneers of House music. His band Dubtribe was one of my favorite bands in my early twenties, and it is the perfect kind of music for this type of show, and his positive, joyful, outlook makes him perfect for the overall theme of the project.