This is Part 2 of a two-part post about my photographic adventures at a resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, last October. You can read Part 1 by scrolling down to the post below this one.
In addition to enjoying the resort amenities and time with the family, for a couple of days were entertained (and only mildly inconvenienced) when areas of the resort were taken over by a TV production company shooting an Apple TV+ comedy series, Acapulco, a rags-to-riches story set in 1984-85. (The episode segments shot at our hotel will appear in Season 4 sometime later this year.) Here's a link to the Season 3 trailer.
For portions of two days, the production areas included the hotel lobby and two tiers of the three-tiered swimming pool. So, having a camera with a long lens, I transformed myself into a paparazzo. I got shooed away several times, but it was fun to watch and photograph a professional location shoot.
Setup the first day began before dawn, with lights, reflectors, and extras around the pool. Stars don't show up until later. (Hmmm . . . there's one of those spheres.)
As with all location shoots, there's a lot of "hurry up and wait" . . .
Then the director shows up, and things begin to roll . . .
"You start over here."
"Wait, those chair covers and towels are the wrong color scheme. Get them out of here!"
Meanwhile, the crew was setting lights, reflectors, and moving the telescopic camera crane into position.
Then the principal actors arrived. Guess which one in this photo is the star.
Hair! Makeup!
OK, time for the actors to take their positions . . .
Sound check: 1 - 2 - 3 . . .
And . . . Action!
While all this was happening, out in front of the hotel there were about half a dozen equipment trucks, and some vintage automobiles (including a 1983 Ferrari Mondial and what looks like a 1960 Bentley S2) were being off-loaded and parked in the front driveway for establishing shots.
Later in the day, the production moved into the front lobby where they changed out all the lamps and furniture. I could only get a couple of shots before they ran me off.
Finally, the day after all the cast and crew had departed, the vintage vehicles were loaded up and taken away.
. . . and oops! . . . it looks like someone busted the left front running light on the Bentley.
If you would like to see these images in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.
Enjoy!