Episode 5 on ‘The Shot’

In case you missed any of the earlier episodes of the VH1’s The Shot, check out our recaps of episode one, two, three, and four.
The Awkward Aggression Assignment

For their warm-up assignment, the photographers blew off some steam with an old-fashioned food fight — albeit in a glass-cage and nationally televised. Robin kicked the whine machine back into high gear (something about the smell of mustard making her want to puke), John was cut by a particularly fierce pie to the face, and Jason was super-duper golly-gee excited about the challenge (big surprise). Afterwards the contestants shot a texture piece with their fellow contestants as models. Jason had Maria with legs spread against the glass wall (Maria: “There was a big piece of ground beef on the wall. It looked like…birth”) and Robin struggled with her gag reflexes when Maria instructed her to lie on top of John, saying “I’ll try not to puke on him as I’m laying on top of him.” Every guy’s dream words. (John: “What’s the opposite of turned on?”) Russell James was actually happy with the end products for once, even if Robin had a hard time seeing people “younger” than her get recognized. The food-fight lesson? Don’t limit your creativity; go ahead and shoot fine art (with condiments) if that’s what strikes you.

The Naked Truth Assignment

For their second challenge this week the team shot an ad campaign for makeup engineer Vincent Longo. Their task included one close-up and one full-body shot, highlighting various beauty products. The first team (Dean, Maria, and Robin) modeled their campaign on earth, wind, and fire (the elements not the band) and they were careful to consult Longo as they shot. The boys’ team focused on a concept of sun, moon, and stars, concentrating more on the clothes being taken off than the makeup being put on. Jason, the perpetual idea man, made the mistake of constraining his model in an upside-down position while Airic nervously chatted with the nude model (“That’s not the first time I’ve ever seen a naked woman”). Airic also handled the reflectors with about as much finesse as he handles women, handicapping John’s shot. The lessons? Keep your cool with naked models, and learn how to handle lighting before jumping in with pros.

The Final Shot

At the critique, James had some problems with John’s team and their failure to complete the requirement of one full-body shot and one close-up. He called Robin’s images flat and uninspiring (she visibly flinched) and also had problems with some of the cropping. In the end, idea man Jason and ladies man Airic were on the chopping block, with Airic going home for failing to complete the assignment. Next week on The Shot the photographers will get to discover their inner b-boys by photographing break dancers, and will then attempt to capture the miracle that is our skin, with John and Jason finding some time to have a tiff in between.