Cheer We Go Again!

I’d just come back from Florida when I got a call from an old friend I used to work with for a little company called Awesomeness TV, in Santa Monica. In those golden days of new media production, we worked on episodic micro-budgets. There was never time, money or space for anything, but the shows seemed to do well so they continued the formula for years. ATV was the closest thing to the Roger Corman’s school of filmmaking I had ever experienced. We were a factory turning out multiple episodes a week. When I was first hired for the show, it was on its third season. The cheer team had come off of multiple World Championships. They were the New England Patriots of the Cheer world and the “Belichicks” behind it all were two legendary cheer coaches, Eddie and Orbi. The team and show were an instant hit with the company’s YouTube channel for several years. Unfortunately, all of it would end when Covid hit. Awesomeness TV was dissolved and we were showless. I never thought I’d step foot into a cheer gym again. 

Fast forward almost five years later, Autumn called me with the idea to reboot the show, and I immediately wanted to say yes. As a sports guy, I know there are so many stories to tell, so many moments to highlight from behind the camera. I felt honored to be asked back by its original creator and director. On our call, she said, “Kev, I couldn’t think of a better person to shoot this with and while I can’t pay you with money, I’ll happily pay you with snickers.” The fat kid in me couldn’t resist.

Above: Coach Eddie in the hot seat! Shooting in tight spaces be difficult but we welcomed the challenge and made the best with what we had. 

Prepping for this show meant knowing we weren’t always going to have control of the gym, the sound or anything else that happened inside. It was just the nature of the beast. Budgets didn’t allow for reshoots or rescheduled interviews. Practice days were all we had and they were loud. Our day started off with interviews and the gym, recently opened, was already filled with athletes. So we were once again forced to retreat back to our original interview space, in the corner office of the gym.

Above: Our original show had velvet blue curtain as its backdrop for its interviews but I knew I wanted to do something a little different this time around.

While it was a bit of a tight space, we made it work for our interviews. Originally, the show had velvet blue curtain as its backdrop for its interviews. Since then, I’ve filmed countless interviews and wanted to bring in more depth, and more life to the image. And so we went with a bolder look. Because budgets and delivery date were tight, I opted to film with two Fujifilm X-H2S’s using Fujifilm’s Velvia/Vivid film simulation baked into the image. I love the way the colors popped, and the warmth it gave the skin tones. It had that rich feeling my director and I had wanted, and so the look was established and the first episode was in the can. 

Above: Still frames using Fujifilm’s Velvia/Vivid Film Simulation.

In the end, I had a beautiful stroll down memory lane where I had the opportunity to make something meaningful with new and old friends and that alone made it all worthwhile. I was proud of myself for making a big decision and baking in the look of the show. I’m lucky to be trusted with such a decision, and so I am thankful to my director Autumn and to my Co-Cinematographer Ryan Seale, for sharing in the collaborative spirit. Looking forward to seeing this project take flight. Onward!