I think it’s safe to say that when you get booked by the Discovery Channel you’re going to have a good time. This was definitely the case for my recent shoot at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Galveston, TX. I was sent down to the coast to cover the construction of the world’s tallest water coaster called, “Massive.”
We were booked with a C300 and L-series glass. I also brought down some Go Pros to get some POV shots of construction and the water rides. Our day started with b-roll of a water ride that uses similar technology that’s being implemented on “Massive.” I attached a Go Pro to a couple of employees who rode the rides for us. One of them had the head mount and the other had the chesty mount. The variety is sure to be appreciated by the editor and producer.
Our next move was shooting interviews with general manager, Ron Sutula and install specialist, Andrew Mulligan. It wasn’t difficult to find interesting backgrounds for our interviews. I used the 70-200mm f2.8 with a variable ND filter attached for this setup. Our producer was off-site so once we were ready we gave her a call and she conducted the interview via speaker phone.
After the interviews were complete we headed over to the “Massive” construction site to shoot b-roll of workers laying pipe and securing the structure. Andrew Mulligan gave us a tour of the site which eventually led to us being at the very top of the structure. Not only was it super cool to shoot a stand-up up there but we some great aerials of the park.
We wrapped up our day with signage and generic b-roll of the water park. The Schlitterbahn team could not have been more helpful. They made our job very easy. I can’t wait to see the finished piece!
