I’m not going to lie. When I got the call from Executive Producer and longtime friend/collaborator Randall Bobbitt to shoot guys from Def Leppard, I was flabbergasted.

Like a true a child of the ’80’s, I worshipped them.

I listened to my cassette tape of “Hysteria” constantly. Even though I was almost 7 when it came out, I had great taste in music. That and Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” were my default albums. I have mixed emotions at the trend that started almost 10 years ago of playing “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Living on a Prayer” at every bar, every night. The biggest issue for me is that “You Give Love a Bad Name” is far superior to “Prayer,” but that is besides the point…

‘Signature Sounds’ is a 12-part original series from AOL Music that highlights the character and culture of America’s top music destinations: Seattle, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles. The knowledgeable host, Allison Hagendorf, guides viewers through each city and visits musical landmarks and speaks with bands, celebrities, and experts on the local scene. I shot all of the footage acquired in Los Angeles, but some of the interviews from the LA episode (particularly the second) were shot elsewhere. Since we were the final episode to film, the equipment list and visual style were established long before my involvement. Regardless, as a music lover, I was thrilled to be a part of the project.

Listening to rock icons like Joe Elliott & Rick Savage of Def Leppard, Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, and Bret Michaels from Poison describe the scene in Los Angeles of the ’80’s was an amazing experience. From a cinematography standpoint, I was limited to a small green room at AOL’s Beverly Hills Studios for the first two interviews. I was initially concerned about the empty solid light blue background, but I love how the big blond rocker hair contrasts against it. We had a little adventure scouring the large building to find the right set dec for the frame. Nothing says rock and roll like houseplants. They weren’t lightweight either: we had to use a hand truck to move them! Lighting side, I carried two Diva Light 400s and a 1’x 1′ LED LitePanel throughout.

Bret wanted us to shoot on his “Rock of Love Bus,” which was slightly challenging given it’s odd dimensions. Nevertheless, it was well worth it for the novelty. The LED’s small footprint was a huge bonus, but I didn’t love the color temperature that it spat on its subjects. While it blocked the entrance to Bret’s room of love (pictured above), there didn’t seem to be any women competing for his heart during our time together.

Time flew by on all of the interviews (they averaged 30 minutes each), but I must admit that Bach’s interview was the most entertaining and author Harvey Kubernik’s was the most educational.

While the first segment highlights the rich history behind the Sunset Strip (embedded above), the second focuses more on the current scene. The first four interviews: Victoria Justice, Far East Movement, Brandy, and Sara Bareilles were shot by somebody else, but I had the distinct pleasure of going to the KCRW studios in Santa Monica to shoot music director, Jason Bentley.

I’ve supported that NPR station since 2006 and I’ve volunteered at their semi-annual pledge drives since moving to Santa Monica in 2008. It is always bittersweet whenever I have to miss my shifts for camera work because the atmosphere is so enjoyable.  I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the station’s flagship music program that we came to feature, Morning Becomes Eclectic. Back when Nic Harcourt was still the host/music director, I won tickets to Lollapalooza ’07 and got to enjoy Muse’s electrifying live performance for the first-time!

When we were shown options of where we could shoot the interview, the affable Music Publicity Director, Rachel Reynolds (who also edits the music blog) was kind enough to allow us in the main performance stage. Oddly enough, that is the room that I’m most familiar with, because it is also the primary home for volunteers on pledge drive. We had a full hour to get set-up, which was an eternity for my three lights and cameras to all get set. In that time, Rachel shared new music tips with us and great stories about the history of the station and the heaps of fine bands who had performed in that space we were occupying.

For 2 of our 4 shoot days, we had three Canon DSLRs running. In that time, we captured the interstitials with our host Allison utilizing her T-Mobile phone and interviews with Jason Bentley, Harvey Kubernik, fun., and El Sonido Callejero. The Director, Michael Sarner, manned the wide master with his 60D/16-35L, David Lassiter covered Allison tight on sticks with a 5D Mk2/70-200L 2.8IS, and I shot close on the guests handheld with my 5D Mk3/24-70L.

Our tight schedule had us rushing to the House of Blues to shoot fun. right after Jason Bentley. As a result, I had no time to tweak once he entered the room directly from another post-show interview. His height posed a slight issue for my framing and I had to battle an EXIT sign hanging above his head in the background. To keep my shot clean, I stood on my tippy toes for almost forty minutes. Right after we cut, I joked with my much taller operator, David, that we should’ve swapped shots.

David was my Gaffer and Cameron Shaw was my Key Grip on my third feature, “Assassin’s Tale.” They are both are very-skilled behind the camera and we make a perfect trio because of our differing heights. Since 90% of the movie was handheld, I would occasionally ask them to operate when the situation presented itself. I was “Standard legs” (5’10”), Cameron was “Baby legs” (5’3 1/2″), and David was “Tall legs” (6’4″).

Don’t think for a second that I was gonna call myself “Baby legs,” Cameron “High-Hat,” and David “Standards” even though it’s technically a better analogy. Regardless, the scenario at KCRW was perfect for tall legs…

Several weeks before shooting the LA episode, I filmed Keke Palmer on the West stage of Line 204 in Hollywood for the Chicago segment of the series. I highly recommend that you watch it in addition to the Los Angeles episodes. My four years at Northwestern forged many fond memories of the Chicago music scene. I’ll never forget that week sophomore year when I was at the House of Blues almost every night or the amazing blues shows at Rosa’s Lounge (featured in the show). Keke had an interesting Kanye story that she shares in the video below. What do you think, does the 20K really tie the background together?

The series is hosted by AOL and can be viewed for free after a 15-second commercial from our sponsor, T-Mobile. What is your favorite music memory? Please share in the comments section below!

Author

Dustin Pearlman Dustin Pearlman is a plant-based Cinematographer. Aside from film, he's passionate about the environment, music, and cycling. He's a member of IATSE Local 600 and lives in Los Angeles with his mini-schnauzer Iris.

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