I’m Canadian, which naturally means that my body shuts down when the temperature exceeds 75F, right?
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t, but I was definitely melting during two recent Double R shoots for an education company called Envision EMI. Muchos gracias, Double R, for assigning the office polar bear to the two outdoors shoots when temperatures were skyrocketing to 100F. I’m feeling the love.
I kid, I kid. Still, D.C. is a city that was built on a swamp (the horror), so it’s been tough adjusting to the sauna-like conditions. However, D.C. makes up for its insufferable weather with its beautiful landmarks. On my first shoot, we followed scores of high school students visiting the National Mall. Granted, I had already done my fair share of tourism at the Mall, but it was still a cool opportunity to visit the landmarks again while on the job.
One moment stuck out for me that day. I was standing with the camera crew in the middle of the swarming crowds, shooting a group of high school students walking up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Behind them was the Washington Monument , piercing the D.C. skyline. As I stared at the monument, I felt so appreciative for the opportunity at Double R, and felt like I might possibly have the coolest internship ever.
Alright, moving on from the sentimental moment. I’m more of a city guy, so when I heard that our second shoot would be out in Harpers Ferry in West Virginia (which, by the way, I thought was just the western part of the Virginia state — fail), I was a little apprehensive. However, the national historical park turned out to be stunning. The town gave way to a gorgeous view of the river, which was bordered with lush greenery. There was a lot of action to shoot, but it was so hot and the water looked so tempting…
Okay, so this happened. Catherine and I couldn’t resist — the water was practically screaming our names. Besides, Catherine and I are those type of people who suffered from pale skin problems as kids and who, as a result, burn easily when exposed to the sun for longer than 10 minutes. Therefore, a dip in the river was necessary for our health, I would argue.
In any case, although they will likely haunt me for the rest of my life, outdoor shoots are thing of the past, as my time here at Double R is quickly coming to a close. With just one week left, there’s still plenty left to do in the air-conditioned bliss of the office.
-Alex Migdal
