Camels

"Ever shoot a camel? Can you get some reindeer, too?"

I had already worked with the singing group "The Roches" when they hired me to work on their Christmas album. It was the middle of the summer, but they wanted a wintry scene with falling snow as they sang carols with a camel and some reindeer. I hired an animal trainer in New Jersey, rented a painted backdrop, and bought huge bags of fake snow.

The farm had an indoor riding ring where we spent most of the day building and lighting the set. We had hung the backdrop behind white bed sheets looking like piles of snow on the ground and fans to blow the snow in everyone's face. After the Roches arrived, we had them bundled up with winter coats and mittens, while the animals tried to act tame with the fake snow blowing everywhere. Everyone was singing carols at the top of their lungs while we kept shooting. It was over 100 degrees in the barn, so the crew was wearing shorts and T-shirts while the singers were dressed for Siberia; they started to wobble from the heat and the smell from the animals just about the same time the art director was positive we were done.