Wheel to Reel
Dave Rupel explains his favorite moments of the episode, and how many bikes it took to cover it.
Welcome back RHBH fans. Thanks again for all the questions and comments—good and bad. (Karentc: I appreciate your honesty of almost being over the BH wives. Would love to hear your reasons why.)
On to this week's show, which is more slice of life, and has the ladies leading their own lives. Each story is very unique and each one presented its own production problems.
Taylor's story: We were always excited by the idea of Taylor learning some kickboxing moves with Adrienne's trainer. Love seeing Adrienne be powerful, and we are all pretty shocked at how quickly Taylor caught on. That said, shooting in Adrienne's gym (or dojo, as they call it – a Japanese term) is a pain in the butt. There are mirrors everywhere, and this training session is two people constantly in motion, and you're never sure where they are going to turn. Still, the crew loved shooting in the dojo. It's fun, and active, and totally different than shooting $1,000 pairs of shoes!
As you watch Taylor's story unfold, you will see how important it is to her. This was a big turning point for Taylor in our season. Early on, she had trouble relaxing on camera. Taylor was bright and vivacious during the casting process, and this was not the first time I've seen someone freeze up when cameras started to roll. But I think by the time this story came around, she had relaxed a bit—not to mention, this story is very personal for her. When she broke down, both giving her speech, and in interview— I know it was really tough for her to be that vulnerable on-camera—but that also makes her so much more likable to the audience.
Kim's story: Well, what can be said for Kim's bbq and the impromptu invitation of Single Gary who she met in the grocery store? This is a wacky story, but it does show off Kim's sense of humor to it’s fullest. Best moment: her singing, "that's my chicken, I want my chicken." C'mon, people! The finest writers in Hollywood couldn’t come up with that!
Camille's story: I love any scene that includes Camille's delightful mom, Maureen. But it's her second scene, when the ladies go to the beach that is the one that stands out to me. To answer someone's question from last week, we keep the mics turned on at all times, except when they are using the bathroom. Proof of that is the conversation between Camille and D.D. in Camille's convertible, driving down Pacific Coast Highway with the top down—and still, you can hear their conversation.
As they say, hindsight is 20/20 and it's anyone's guess when exactly Camille started truly suspecting something was awry in her marriage. But as I listen to the subtle change in Camille's voice as D.D. questions her about Kelsey wanting to live in NYC full-time, this is where I hear the slightest suspicion that all is not right for the first time. I've witnessed the end of other's marriages in my personal life before, but never one on-camera that catches every little nuance. Still makes me sad every time I see it.
Lisa's story: Like I said at the top, this episode runs the gamut. Watching Lisa and Cedric practice for their driving test is one thing. We always knew that the final pay-off beat would be the actual tests themselves, which means negotiating with the DMV—which requires a whole other skill set. For a while, we didn't think the shoot was going to be approved—lots of forms and lots of approvals. In the end, we got it and it's a funny, funny payoff beat.
And finally, Kyle's story: This bike-a-thon was a big deal to Kyle and it, once again, brought the best out of my crew— who covered the entire 69 mile race. I think I'll let the behind-the-scenes photos do the talking.
This is our Director of Photography, Matt Valentine, as he and Jr. Camera Operator Rod Hassler rig up the bike that Matt rode for the first 25 miles of the race. The cameras are facing back to shoot Kyle and Mauricio. There is a monitor on the handlebars so he can watch what he's shooting. (Kind of awesome, huh?)
This is our production assistant, Josh Guffey, who road ahead of Matt as the support bike. That bag slung over the back of his bike is weighed down with batteries and fresh tapes to hand off to Matt. It was not a light load. Josh road 20 miles.
This is the back of another Jr. Camera Operator, Parker Whittemore, as he shoots the hundreds of people prepping to go on the 69-mile race.
Once Matt and Josh got off their bikes, the rest of the race was covered from two minivans. Here you can see Matt shooting Kyle.
If you ever wondered why I'm so utterly in love with my crew, I think the talent and determination of my team says it all. Until next week.
