In October 2011, Turner Sports called on us to shoot Steve Wampler’s feature video for Gillette’s “Sweat for Greatness” competition on Sports Illustrated.com. Steve and two others are vying for votes as the most worthy “ordinary person who achieved extraordinary things.” Steve has Cerebral Palsy and lacks the use of his legs, and his achievement was climbing El Capitan, the 3000’ sheer granite wall in Yosemite National Park. The feat required a specialized climbing chair, with Steve hoisting himself up by doing roughly 20,000 pull-ups over the 6 day climb. For our shoot, DP Bob Sloan worked with Producer Billy Tucker and Marketing Manager Lauren Shannon and employed two Sony XDCAM HD cameras, HMI lights, and Cameraman Jeff Landie mounted a GoPro camera on a rock wall for an “over the top” view. View the video here.
