As published in: Glass Craftsman, Spring 2006
by Gina Hubler
I was in Washington DC, at the SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists) conference, about to go on stage as part of a panel of professional mosaicists for an “ask the professional” question and answer forum, when I received the call... “This is Lisa Insana from “That’s Clever” and we would like to see if you would fit the format for our show.” My first thought was that it was a joke, I rarely watch television, and was not familiar with the program. We spoke for about five minutes, and I was a bit flippant, when asked if I wanted to be on TV I replied, “I am doing cartwheels”, little did I know when she said, “that is exactly what we are looking for”, that this would set the tone for the production.
When Lisa and I spoke again she explained that they would want me to recreate one of my pieces on the camera, a “how to” article on film. They had seen some of my work online, and requested a few specific pieces, my Byzantine mirror, as well as a seascape panel. My work is one of a kind, generally large format, not easily reproducible within the time constraints given. The idea is to have a series of duplicate pieces in different stages of completion. So, as in a cooking show, you will be able to demonstrate different techniques not having to allow for completion or drying time.
A week later, I was stuck in the Newark airport, with a few hours to kill, my flight having been delayed due to the blizzard raging outside. I happen to feel the anonymity of airports the perfect place for sketching and designing. I find that my traveling time is usually spent creatively whether writing (as I am now, on a train from Florida to Virginia) or designing future projects. I set to work creating a project which would, reflect my sense of style, have an interesting creative process which could be filmed, and most importantly one which I could duplicate six times over, in a reasonable time period. I spent over an hour on the phone with Lisa that evening as well, brainstorming, our objective being not to duplicate some of the many craft projects which they had filmed in the past few years. Thus “Palm Sky” was born...
I had about four months before the Los Angeles based film crew was to be in Miami. I was asked to fill out a series of forms which their production crew would review to make sure of the project suitability. We worked together on the stages to be filmed. I filled out a sheet documenting each step of the project, as well as all of the supplies which would be needed for each one. This was also to be used for copy on their website. As soon as this was approved I went to work on creating the six duplicates of my design in different phases of completion.
Though I was aware of HGTV, my students often speak about projects which they have seen or been inspired by from their programs, I honestly had not seen any of these shows prior to my contact with the producers. I did visit a friend with cable one afternoon, and finally saw the show a few weeks after I had finalized the design. The comments of the producer regarding their focus being on personality and a bit of eccentricity made complete sense at this point... The folks on this show were just plain nuts! Seemed like I would fit in just fine.
The filming date was fast approaching, the crew was to meet with me on Wednesday to go over details of preproduction. I was to wear or have some outfits available for them to choose, as well as having makeup done (no makeup artists in site...low budget!). We had spoken about options as to where they would film. I have small cabana studio on the beach, where I paint and work on my mixed media beachscapes. This was an option, however it is very small and does not have electricity. The other option was “The Atelier” my gallery, school, and studio space in Miami. They did not want to show a commercial environment, and were also very conscious about showing any product labels or names during the filming. As such all my paints and adhesives had to have their labels taped over. What evolved when the production crew came on the first day was that we decided to split the filming between both locations. That first day we spent three hours filming at the cabana. During this time, I drew, played in the sand, danced, and we shot the final project completed with the beach as a backdrop.
The second day of filming started at three p.m. shooting at the Atelier and we wrapped up at ten p.m. The process of filming this short segment was truly fascinating. I believe that I was lucky to work with such a creative and talented crew as well. Everyone had ideas and though the base of the script was about making the mosaic mirror, the process was about creating a funny, somewhat insane, eclectic show. Mannerisms were exaggerated, and shot multiple times. We tried many different effects, and the creativity which goes into filming was as fascinating as the project itself. It was also hard work, being “on” for two days of filming was draining, in a way that I hadnŐt anticipated. Watching the final production gave me a new respect for the art of film production! Hopefully, much the same respect as what my students take away for the creative work of a professional mosaicist!