A week in Miami shooting the gorgeous Coleen Rooney for Littlewoods was always going to be an eventful affair. We just could never have predicted how eventful! As the crew gathered at Heathrow airport one wintery Sunday morning, talk was of sunny weather, shoot days at the beach, and whether or not there was any chance that Ryan Gosling may happen to check into the same resort as us (well, you never know). Little did we know the whirlwind of craziness that was to be our week away.
Touch down in Miami, we had to fight our way through the onslaught of paparazzi, eager to get a shot of Coleen and a story to go along with it. Coleen – used to the attention – managed to breeze through the unwanted attention with grace. The rest of us? Not so much. Blinded by the flashbulbs, if we weren’t tripping over each other we were knocking over everything and everyone with our luggage trolleys. Coleen – poised and collected. Us lot- a bunch of startled, semi-hysterical lemmings. Not our most glamorous moment that’s for sure! We finally managed to get through to our respective cars and, weighed down with Oreos, Peanut Butter M&Ms and the shame that we may be splashed across the UK tabloids looking like residents of the monkey enclosure at London Zoo, we set off for our two hour drive down the stunning Florida coastline to The Moorings, our paradise shoot location for the next week.
Shoot Day 1 – Oasis House
A fabulous location house on the beach owned by a lovely couple from Barcelona, who seemed highly amused when our eccentric bunch rocked up for the day full of excitement that we had found a Starbucks drive-thru less than five minutes away. Everyone quickly got to work. Coleens hair was beautifully tousled, her make-up fresh, and her collection of Spring/Summer dresses gorgeously floaty and feminine. Unfortunately, shooting was hindered by strong winds and a very persistent pap circling our area of the coastline on a speed boat. By lunchtime, we packed up and headed back to finish up the days shots against the idyllic backdrop of the Moorings beach.
Shoot Days 2 and 3– The Moorings
If we thought one paparazzi was bad, nothing could have prepared us for the circus of our second and third shoot days. If they weren’t hiding behind deck chairs, they were climbing trees, hiring canoes and even trying to hide in bins. We could not believe the extent they were going to just to get a snap. The shoot, however must go on, and anything they could do, we decided we could do better! The days were spent shielding the ever-professional Coleen as she modelled her gorgeous and exclusive range of Bikinis, using giant tarpaulins. We hammered them into the sand, tied them to palm trees, but most of the time used ourselves as human posts, running up and down the beach to protect each shot. By the end of the day, there wasn’t one set of arms or legs that wasn’t aching, so much for a glamorous fashion shoot in the sun! Spirits however remained at an all time high, mostly due to Production managing to fall over and having to be untangled from the ropes of two separate tarpaulins, and to the introduction on Gin as the primary hydrator of the crew.
Shoot day 4 – The Moorings Studio
Free from the pressure of paps, the whole crew could breath easy as photographer Michelle Holden snapped Coleen in the remainder of her fabulous collection. Girly dresses, sparkly tops and stylish heels – the staples of every Spring/Summer wardrobe were all there. Mrs Rooney certainly knows her fashion! At the end of the day, we officially wrapped the Coleen Rooney for Littlewoods shoot, and the crew headed over to the famous Morada Bay Café for a well deserved celebratory cocktail.
Fast forward 9 hours. We have salsa danced, coerced a bar full of revellers into singing a Beatles medley (along with instruments), eaten our body-weight in chips, pizza and every kind of seafood imaginable, and introduced the more mature members of the crew to the wonderful delights of an innocent beverage known as the Jaegarbomb. Somehow, unknown to most involved, we all managed to find our way to our respective beds to have our last sleep of the trip.
Day 5 – Homewood bound
Considering only a few hours earlier we had been leading a very raucous rendition of ‘Hey Jude’ in front of the bemused residents of Islamorda, everybody seemed pretty refreshed for our last day. We were lucky enough to be able to get a few hours relaxing on the beach but finally it was time to pack up, say our goodbyes, thank yous and apologies and begin our journey home, leaving the bewildered staff at the Moorings wondering what on earth had just happened over the last few days! The circus was most definitely leaving town! And with us taking a bunch of great memories, endless laughter and a selection of the most fantastic shots for Coleen Rooney’s stunning Spring/Summer collection for Littlewoods. Another shoot successfully and wonderfully done by a brilliantly talented crew and the main lady herself
Looking forward to next time girls!
x
