/ Production Paradise Advertising Winner!
I’m really delighted to have won the advertising category of the Production Paradise Spotlight Awards. The image from our recent McDonald’s wrappers series won through and I’m really excited to share an interview we did together to talk about the shot.
London-based photographer and director, Scott Grummett, likes to make you hungry! He believes that, along with his talented team, he can turn any food or drink into something that is guaranteed to make your mouth water.
Spotlight Awards judges from Calvin Klein, Oglivy, DHL, Vogue Man and Thomas Sabo have chosen Scott’s image as the best in the Advertising category.
Let’s hear the story behind the Advertising category winning image of the Spotlight Awards 2021!
Winning image in Advertising Photography category, shot by Scott Grummett
Production Paradise: Tell us about the winning image – the idea behind it, how was it shot?
Scott Grummett: I shot the winning image as part of a larger series for McDonald’s Breakfast. We shot all of their products in a newer, looser, more appetising style for a week then did one day of wrappers at the end. The idea was to cover super simple set ups of the wrappers on backgrounds, no additional props, just curated table surfaces – birch ply to lean either a modern desk or a work suite, blue aged formica to hint at nostalgic cafe experiences. The winning image was of a car as it evokes that drive-thru, sit in the car experience that we all know and love. We had a lot of discussions about the car as it needed to feel modern but classic. Red seats felt like a classic car but we used some from a modern Alfa Romeo hatchback to give it a modern and more approachable twist. We actually became obsessed with the shape of car seats and the small pinholes in this sort of seat and finding the right one was a real challenge. The final image was built around the idea of breakfast but after it’s been eaten. It’s so delicious that you didn’t even get to see it. All that’s left is the drip of ketchup, some crumbs or the pull of cheese from a Sausage McMuffin – so we all know what was there without even having to show it. The Golden Arches on the greaseproof does enough, along with some optimistic morning lighting.
Production Paradise: How do you feel about winning the Category Prize of Spotlight Awards 2021?
Scott Grummett: Naturally fantastic. It’s always a pleasure to be recognised for the work you do, but this really comes down to great creativity from Leo Burmett and trust from McDonald’s as a fantastic client to do a little bit more than the ordinary. It’s also really a prize for the whole team. Shout out to Nick and Jon on the photography side, Terri Manduca my agent, Jess and Ashley on Art Department and of course everyone, Fergal and Chris on the food team.
Production Paradise: How would you describe your style?
Scott Grummett: I do graphic hunger. So my lighting and look is always quite punchy, contrasty and almost the whole thing has been drawn around with a black felt tip pen. The colours pop and everything jumps out at you. The food has to look good, I make people hungry, that’s the job and it’s something we always aim to do. Finally, I’d say I do things that are real. It’s real food, it doesn’t apologise for it’s imperfections but instead leans into them. There are drips, crumbs, tears, minor imperfections that make the whole thing believable and accessible. I’m really interested in what in a dish starts getting the tastes working on the back of your tongue as you think about them – the salt, fat and acid combinations in a burger where cheese melts onto meat with good seasoning, crunchy tangy pickles and the acidic hit of burger sauce. You should almost be able to taste what you are looking at.
Production Paradise: Name three photographers that have inspired you.
Scott Grummett: Gus Filgate is the hardest working man in show business. He doesn’t do as much photography now which is a real shame but is working hard as a fantastic film director. He is Roald Dahl style ‘Brilliant’ and has helped my eye find ways to push things further having assisted him for years. Kevin Summers is the art of simplicity. ‘If one light is good enough for God, it’s good enough for me’ he’d say with reverence. Sometimes that point of view really helps though and looking at your lighting that way is really important. I think Chelsea Kyle in New York is the one to beat at the moment. Our work is quite different but she has a look to her work which loads of other photographers have tried to copy and everyone looks and goes ‘that’s Chelsea’s look’. She does cool without trying too hard and I think that is really hard to do.
Image in the same advertising series as the winning image
Production Paradise: How did you end up behind the lens? Tell us about your career path.
Scott Grummett: I liked photography and was in a good school in Cambridge. Being interested in the arts wasn’t as good for their stats as being interested in the Sciences, Languages or Philosophy though and I was dissuaded from what I enjoyed. I ended up working in pubs and realising what I didn’t want to do which gave me the energy to pull a portfolio together and push to get into Norwich School of Arts & Design (Now Norwich University of the Arts) to study Photography as part of a Graphic Design course. I played hard and studied hard and then turned up in London at the heart of the recession announcing “I’m a freelance photographer, come and get me”. I wasn’t busy quickly as the world’s financial situation was falling apart. I did some assisting but, out of necessity to find work, pushed to do some of my own work and was earning as much from shooting for the likes of Wired Magazine as I was from assisting. I think this helped me gain an ability to hustle and a graphic aesthetic. I worked with a few different agents and built some clients that rose at the same time as I did. The recession could have been the worst thing to happen to me but in the end it sort of forged my career. I think a few students might find the same with COVID.
Production Paradise: What do you think is necessary to become a successful commercial photographer?
Scott Grummett: Guile and resilience. You can be the best at making images in the world but finding the work, understanding how to manage those relationships and move them forward, is as difficult as anything. Photographers are also serious losers. We lose jobs all the time. Sometimes it’s our fault, sometimes it’s cost, sometimes the job gets cancelled through no one’s fault. Either way you get offered the job of a lifetime and it dies…All the time! You have to take it on the chin and move on, that’s the hardest part.
The other key thing is to have high energy and a positive attitude. Clients and agencies will change things, things will go wrong, you need to be positive and fix them on your feet. This is the most exciting thing for me – the world is crumbling around you but you fix things, you get the job done and all go for a pint and debrief. It’s really good fun.
Production Paradise: If you weren’t a photographer, what would be your alternate career path?
Scott Grummett: I’m as much a food person as a photographer or director. I’d almost definitely be in food in some way or another as a Chef or Restaurateur.
Production Paradise: We believe you are not resting on your laurels – what are you working on now?
Scott Grummett: More McDonald’s! We have just shot Christmas as well as another big promo burger. I direct a TV commercial for them next week. I have another exciting Burger project and some pitches with some other very big takeaway brands pushing through as we speak. I’ve also got some very exciting news in the world of video coming soon.
Production Paradise: Spotlight Awards had a judges’ panel composed of potential clients for commercial photographers – did that influence your choice of image(s) selected for your entry?
Scott Grummett: It oddly didn’t that much. Most of the work that I do is commercial but anyone in those roles likes imagery – they aren’t stupid. When I present a portfolio, I do it with really great food imagery at the the front that makes you hungry, then the back shows ad jobs in situ with logos and headlines. This was an Advertising category so the McDonald’s logo makes it obvious it’s an ad to fit the category, so maybe that was a slight influence.
Production Paradise: What made you want to participate in the Awards?
Scott Grummett: Production Paradise has got me work with international brands and international agencies recently, this seemed like a sensible way to further that with direct exposure to potential clients as judges.
We would like to thank Scott for taking the time to share his experience with us! If you want to see more of his work, visit his member page or website.
