Sun + Sand
96 Hours in Istanbul
Cade Martin — Activating Kids for Sun & Sand Sports
Sun & Sands Sports is the Middle East’s largest sports retailer and carries a diverse portfolio of sports, fitness and lifestyle brands. And I got to have a very special adventure in Istanbul with the opportunity to create images for their campaign.
The (noble!) goal of this campaign is simple:
Get kids off their video games and out of the house.
This campaign promotes active outdoor choices and play. But a campaign like this isn’t simple – like with so many projects today, content is being created for multiple channels – television, social, stills – and production timelines don’t really change. I had to get off the plane ready to work in available margins on busy sets to scout and create images, finding my moments in tight production windows. I like to focus on those moments not as hectic, but important, so I am purposeful in making the most of them.
Going into the Sun & Sand Sports campaign shoot, I was driven by two things: people and prep. Relationships are always key to successful photo shoots, and especially so with multi-content campaigns. I made sure to introduce myself to the video/tv/motion team as we all prepped for the shoot so they knew (and were comfortable) with me and I also had a mental map of when I could create my images.
During breaks in filming or when it had wrapped – and sometimes when it was still rolling, I often had just minutes to work with the talent available to me.
In the end, I have come to truly enjoy the challenge of this type of campaign. A few days in Istanbul to get my images was matter of being nimble, flexible, focused, all while a little jet-lagged.
AGENCY FP7 McCann Dubai • BRAND Sun & Sand Sports
Special thanks to Michal Horevaj for retouching and Francis Catania for lighting. I couldn’t have done this project without either of you. I appreciate your collaborative spirits, talent and patience.
