CONTENT SPOTLIGHT

Behind the Velvet Rope: Crafting the Perfect Red Carpet Shoot

Lights, camera, action

Starting in early 2023, an analysis of Getty Images' most popular visual subjects highlighted a strong customer demand for red carpet content. Customer visual searches for "red carpet event", "celebratory" and "premiere" continued to trend across both images and video. The highest demand comes from our corporate customers who are using red carpet related visuals to illustrate a multitude of concepts from celebration to premiering. Getty Images’ VisualGPS research also shows that red carpet videos are particularly in demand by the beauty and cosmetics industry. Visuals most popular with beauty and cosmetics brands in Europe reveals a sixfold increase in the use of videos showcasing luxury and opulence over the past five years.   

It’s all in the details

A red carpet event is a prime backdrop for stunning visuals—the lighting, styling and performances all radiate. But to recreate a red carpet event, that is both authentic in its execution and commercially appealing, is another task in itself. A huge amount of logistics had to go into this production and whilst our first two shoot dates were unfortunately rained off, the weather gods were kind for attempt three. Casting included our starlets, press, fans and security, enabling us to include a wide range of scenes from the onslaught of paparazzi and fan mayhem, to dramatic red carpet poses, including vertical views and interviews with journalists. We made sure to document the set‑up of the event, including the roll out of the carpet itself, as we know there is a big demand for content within this subject that does not feature people.

Truly a team effort

A shoot such as this would be a huge undertaking for one filmmaker on their own, but it proved a great opportunity for three Barcelona based contributors: Xavier Arnau, Abel Mitja Varela (Morsa Images) and Cristian Cortes (Tempura). Directed by myself, Alwyn Gosford (Senior Art Director) and Sarah Foster (Senior Creative Manager), a mega brief was created and many, many pre‑production meetings held to review location options and dissect casting and styling at a truly granular level. One complex aspect of a multi‑creator shoot at such scale is the inevitability of one contributor stumbling into someone else’s frame, particularly when time is tight, so we planned multiple scenes to be shooting at once. And the meta element of the shoot meant that contributors Abel, Xavi and Cristian were well covered by donning tuxedos and seamlessly blending in with the paparazzi.  

Dripping in concepts such as fame, luxury, success and opportunity, this red carpet shoot takes you all the way to Los Angeles via Venice, Berlin and Cannes where every frame captures a sense of the opulence, as well as the challenges, of celebratory status.  

Rachel Brinton Matthews
Senior Art Director, Video
Rachel is a Senior Art Director at Getty Images, specializing in video production. She collaborates with award winning directors and photographers to create industry-leading visuals for Getty Images and iStock. Prior to this, Rachel launched and managed the film archive at Bridgeman Images, working with renowned archival institutions. With a Master's degree in Film Aesthetics from Oxford University, she brings a strong academic foundation to her practical and experience in TV and advertising, where she has worked as a researcher and production assistant. Rachel is dedicated to shaping the creative industry with her expertise in visual storytelling.
Video credits
2164922632 Xavier Arnau, 2166929548 Xavierarnau, 2164922475 Morsa Images, 2173372203 (Morsa Images), 2172570182 Tempura, 2172570009 Tempura, 2164922408 Xavierarnau, 2172570026 Tempura, 2173384312 Morsa Images, 2170317301 Xavierarnau, 2170003478 Xavierarnau, 2172570511 Tempura, 2173384005 Morsa Images, 2164922548 Xavierarnau, 2173970103 Morsa Images, 2172570601 Tempura, 2173374842 Morsa Images, 2173381215 Morsa Images, 2173969855 Morsa Images, 2172570223 Tempura, 2173383221 Morsa Images, 2172570122 Tempura, 2173384125 Morsa Images, 2169996702 Xavierarnau, 2164922490 Xavierarnau, 2170043509 Xavierarnau, 2173730378 Tempura

Audio credit
EJ Sarà, Look Atchu – Tripple Scoop

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