In this game, every now and again you get to meet and work with people who can truly be described as legends, and then there is Pelé. You have to overcome your natural inclination to stand in awe. So you knuckle down and get on with the job. This is the case when it came to filming Pelé, for Snickers in Barcelona.
Filming Pelé
Working with Irish International for Snickers, our three person crew were whisked off to the Opencamp Olympic stadium in Barcelona, to cover the winners of the Snickers International ‘Play Like Pelé’ competition. Over 80 winners and their friends came to Barcelona to get one on one tuition from Pelé. Our cameras on the ground captured the action, as the participants were put through their paces, by the living legend. As most made it to Barcelona by filming football trick shots, this was one of the main objectives of the day, setting up and filming as many different trick shots as we could.
The Event
This was a long day, from sunrise to sunset, we followed the action from the football fans. From first meeting their hero to the last one walking off the pitch tired but elated. The job required us to be in many different places at the same time. So we set up a series of locked off cameras and combined with the two roving hand-held cameras. The task in hand was to cover as much action while at the same time getting the participant reactions. We did this through a combination of vox-pops and interviews.
Working with Pelé was an absolute pleasure, a once in a lifetime opportunity. Despite his infirmity, nothing was too much trouble. Watching him as he interacted with the fans was a lesson in humility. An excellent day and a true gentlemen of a legend.