Rasheed Philips x BIWFD
Remember this commercial? Depending on your age, I’m sure you do because it was quite popular in the mid-90s. It was so popular that the slogan, “Beef - It’s what’s for dinner” was as well know as “You’re Fired!” As a kid, it was always one of my favorite commercials but little did I know it was part of a national campaign run by an organization called “Cattleman’s Beef Board and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association". Ignore the fact that it is clearly labeled at the bottom of the screen. Kids don’t really pay much attention to anything outside of the catchy slogan and Western-styled music.
This association’s purpose is to promote and educate the public about beef products. From supplying recipes, information and partnering with influencers, such as Rasheed Philips, to get the word out so that the general public will purchase more beef. I recently had an opportunity to attend a summit put on by this organization which had partnered with Rasheed serve food to a number of influential food bloggers/influencers.
His job: Prepare a delicious meal with beef as the main ingredient.
My job: Document the behind the scenes process.
This particular experience had a number of challenges including shooting with other photographers/videographers, shooting for content creators and shooting multi-use content. This shoot took place at a house the association rented out in Breckinridge, Colorado and included a number of influencers with large audiences. Prior to this experience, I no idea of the influence food bloggers possessed but it is a thriving genre which presents many opportunities and draws much interest from associations such as “Beef - It’s What’s for Dinner”. The size of the audience these influencers possess make them great partners for events like these.
I arrived in Breckinridge a couple hours before meeting up with Rasheed. Upon arrival, he went to work by taking trip to a local grocery store to pick up supplies for the cook the next day. This was a good opportunity to grab some behinds the scenes footage of the pit master gathering supplies in preparation for the big event. We gathered the supplies and headed back to the hotel to do some pre-shoot prep before turning in for the night.
The next morning, we arrived on location at about 10AM and began unloading the groceries from the vehicle. We also took some time to survey the area; the kitchen, the grilling area on the back deck and the outdoor area around the house. I wanted to get a good idea of what areas would be best for shooting. After about 30 minutes, Rasheed began preparing the for the cook.
Preparation included heating up the grill, chopping up vegetables and seasoning the meats for cooking. Much of the preparation took place inside on an island right in the center of the kitchen. Throughout the process, Rasheed and the representative from BIWFD, Erin, would consult with each other on how to best present and serve the influencers who would be the recipients of the food. I also took this time to prepare myself to document his process.
This included dialing in my camera settings, choosing the proper lenses and looking for the optimal shooting angles. As the preparation began, I started capturing as much footage as I could. From the chopping of vegetables to the preparation of the meat, Rasheed was very methodical in his approach to making the meal. A benefit to working with Rasheed in the past and being his friend is that he knows how to effectively communicate what steps he will be taking. This allowed me to have proper lead time to set up shots and capture certain key points in the preperation.
As with all productions, we did experience a few setbacks. In this case, it came with the main course: oxtails.
In the middle of unpacking the meat, Rasheed noticed there were less oxtails than he originally expected. He would have to ensure proper proportioning of the meat used for this dish or there would not be enough to sufficiently serve the group. The one thing you DON’T want when you’re feeding “foodies” is to skimp on the main course. Luckily, he was able to supplement with other dishes such as fried plantains and ribeye steaks. Not a bad consolation if you ask me.
Throughout the cook, Rasheed transitioned between the grill and the kitchen while I followed along to capture as much as possible. A couple of hours in to the cook, another videographer and a photographer began to shoot images of Rasheed. The remainder of the day involved Rasheed being in the kitchen as he had three people with cameras attempted to capture the cook. Not only was I working in a tight space but I also had to be careful not to get interfere with the other’s shots. This became even more interesting as the influencers wrapped up their speaker sessions and descending on the kitchen to watch the pit master at work.
There were a couple of endearing moments involving Rasheed holding court as he answered questions from the influencers. This intimate moment made for a photographic great moments and added to the overall atmosphere. It was a moment where the influencers got the chance to know the man whose food they would soon be enjoying. As they listened to his stories, he served them individual cans of Tall Dark & Smokey, his own craft beer.
Of course, as influencers, they could not resist taking out their phones to take photos and videos of these moments for their social media accounts.
As the cook came to a close, the plating and presentation phase began. The dinner guests took their places at the dining room table to be served. Rasheed personally served each of them course by course. As the guest began to enjoy their meal, I looked for opportunities to capture their reactions. Having a group of people familiar with one another, having a common interest and enjoying great food is a recipe for great footage.
Prior to serving the main course, Rasheed took center stage to introduce the main course and some context behind what inspired him to serve it: his Grandma. His ability to entertain a crowd on full display, I worked the room to capture this special moment. The crowd was captivated. The night was finally capped off as the group moved to the lower levels of the house for s’mores and wine.
Overall, this experience presented a few challenges and taught me a few things about shooting for influencers and organizations. Things such as the importance of having a plan upfront, even if that plan doesn’t pan out. The guidance of the original planning provided a starting point from which I was able to pivot from. Another key is being able to work within the constraints of the situation. From lighting to space constraints to suddenly having additional people working in the same space, the job still has to be done. And when that occurs, you need to be as flexible as possible and communicate with the other working in the shared space. Finally, shooting for influencers may present challenges but I found that you can show them doing what they do, influencing, as a way to tell a story through your work.
