Salvador Fitzgerald

Mingling with the stars @eltonjohn and @sam_fender working on visuals for the new single ‘Talk To You’. At it’s heart the song is about battling with emotional distance, vulnerability and struggling to communicate honestly. Lord have mercy, the feelings are here again. Not to worry, we trained for this. Decades of intrinsic millenial emotional supression- I choose you. Director and cinematographer @robthoro ‘s round-and-round approach created a dialogue circling these ideas. Translating emotions tangiblly on screen, or in his case- on film. Proud to work on anything he’s involved in. When I see Robs his name pop up on my phone I am visibly excited. But not like, in a weird way. He’s a great cinematographer and has a dog called Otto. The same name I wanted to use for my son, should I ever have one. Obviously I can’t do that now. However, Gonzo is still up for grabs. Shouts out west london man and producer @davidgourlay for braving the east end and pulling this one together. @nicky127   @ciaran_bl @robthoro @semerakhan @joejbrunt @feralequipment @madeleine_hand @jennifer_l_h_tett @washldn @ikohchung @cinelabuk

Sort of mid-week, swanning around some Italian deli in Peckham, @billygadd usually sends me my regular bi-weekly 10-minute voice note. It's mostly wind and beeping noises. I'm never really sure when he's talking to me or not- or just ordering a cortado- but whatever. It's cute, and it's the thought that counts. This time, however, he called me up live and direct. Must be important- I thought. He proceeded to use an assortment of intergenerational colloquial phrases like; 'Friday night settings' 'Weekend spec' and, 'No cap.' Bloody hell, Bill, blue-blooded murder of the English tongue. What happened to proper slang? I'm stuck here still listening to Akon and hoping they bring back classics like 'chirps', 'wasteman', and 'allow it'. Despite his attempts to out-youth-a-tize-me, I understood exactly what he meant. We're making a movie involving fireworks, a teddy bear full of cash, and shadow boxing. Say less, king- I replied. Enjoy your cortado, still. <3 @b4uuuuuuuuu  - Only Words Director: @jamiemourn Production: @rehanajade DOP: @billygadd MUA: @sophiasinot Talent: @miragegill_ Grade: thomaskumeling @doma.works

not posted in 3 months. tragic. back on the horse. @tiesto @cleanbandit @rowanbiddiscombe

a few memories from my time working with the lovely people over at @johnlewis this year thanks 2 @simmonsandkamaz @mblackwoodphoto @jessfoster__ @duffy_nic_ @han_robinsons_ @celiaevansmakeup @annamh19 @danielleelmeshughes_creative @catcastrophic @_dakonaks_

@dualipa this year for @i_d @jackreynoldsdp @liamgaws @hiltsldn @joe.meadows1 @_thatslit @kasianotkash @unit9films

A word my ex-girlfriends were all too familiar with was “sorry.” I’m not talking about the sheepish “sorry” I whimper daily when reaching for a fridge handle at the same time as a stranger in the supermarket. Give me my hummus, give me my Spanish omelette and get out of my way. Nor the kind you’d say hurriedly while looking for a seat on the overground as you stepped on the foot of someone’s dog, bottle of natural orange wine in hand on the way down to London Fields. Fucking hell — left my Perelló olives in the Lime bike basket again. Ghastly. I’m talking more the “I don’t know whose earring that is, babe.” I would say this, earnestly, to my then-girlfriend. “Or the scrunchie.” — “Are you sure it isn’t yours?” “Emily?” — “Sorry. Who the hell is Emily?” This was the same way I said it on phone to @jamiemourn during a quick catch-up about our shoot the following morning. “Sorry—” followed by a big pause. “How many models are we shooting tomorrow?” “Thirty-something,” he replied, to my surprise — feeling like I’d found the mystery scrunchie. Jesus. That’s a bit different to the usual two or three, I thought. No bother. I’m bringing the biggest light in the world. I hope it doesn’t rain- I forgot to order bin bags. Flash heads are powered by small black boxes with dials on them that go from 1 to 10. These cost at least £20,000 each and hate water. They store power in a capacitor and release it with a tremendous pop. If you strap two together you can make that dial hit 11. Power. For a split second the sky turns black and the whole world in front of us appears white like a flash of lightning. It’s working, thank God. Full of great ideas, I thought — maybe. Maybe I should call my ex. @nike @pastdown   @rawtape   @furmaan.ahmed @charliewilliamsphoto @b34567n  @_______l_e_o_______ @rowanmackintosh @cerysimo @_garciathegreat @zakyrhe

I used to stare at the main unit set with envious eyes as if I was standing below the underbelly of a UFO- bright, alien and confused. “Beam-me-up-scotty” I whispered excitedly under my breath. “What’s that mate?” Said the Key Grip. Chia seed pudding in hand, I replied- “Nothing mate, bloody rabbit food this is” Goodbye principles. “Haha, too right fella”. He murmured. These days I whip up sets like that with no problem, due in part to @rhysjsimmons calling me up all those years ago with his crazy new ideas, and getting me in that room to learn it all. Thank you mate. His best fiend was called @jamiekamaz who had to cover him one day on one of our shoots- we’d not met yet, but I’d heard he was just as charming. In order to break the ice he asked me a question at lunch that I’ve used in bars almost every Friday night since. “Would you rather be a human, yeah, but with strawberry thoughts? Or a Strawberry, with human thoughts?” Bloody hell, where did that come from? Fast forward a few years and we are out working with @tkmaxxuk in Norway on one of the most exciting and fun jobs I have done yet. Here I finally found the courage to answer. Strawberry with human thoughts- obviously. God bless you, Jamie. Video direction-Dop-Sound - Edit -@Simmonsandkamaz 1st Ac / Gaffer- @salv_fitz 2nd Ac- @JOCOWANAG Assistant Editor - ruoyu3 Grade - @joshborrill.mov Creative Director - @superange Art Director- @appleyardnathan Art Director - @rrrrrrrrrroger Head of production - @ginnymettrickproducer Senior producer - @olivia_martin_beaza Producer- Amanda Davies Producer - @martincoceres_production Fashion Stylist- @josef_jon Fashion Stylist- @racheldavisfashionstylist Hair - @Bjornkrischker Make up Artist- @andrewdentonmakeup Cast: @zuzu.oplustilova @anja_konstantinova @marylou_ml @kellylmms @mouchettebell @jiggygriffy   @dennisokwera @vivicadehi @jester_white @iggy_thomas  - @tkmaxxuk

Out of the 100-odd fine art photography students in my year, only a handful stuck with it after we graduated. Those who went on to get proper jobs now have houses with mortgages from the bank, they’re married- some of them even have kids. Slay. I tell myself things like “I am my own boss” and “I pick my own hours” to help me sleep at night. In reality I work round the clock and I don’t have time for holidays. Worst part is, I have to be nice to people all the time and I still haven’t had that baby. At least I’m working on the house. @olradford , fellow Falmouth University alumni calls me up one day and goes “got a job for @healf , you free mate?”. Ollie used to spend literally thousands of hours in the dark room. Not the black and white one with the red light. He spent days in the color dark room- in there it is completely pitch black. I thought he was mental. He was from a place in England called The Fens, a completely flat low-lying marshy wetland. They’re probably all like that, I thought. “Yeah nice one mate, sweet as a nut” I said. “Jolly good show” he replied. Crazy stuff. @michailamartin @valerio_oliveri @pee_nine @giloscope @millie_noble @catcastrophic @jacintamakeupartist @itsdaryon

@tobias____may and I have walked through life together. We met about 10-odd years ago at our seaside university in Cornwall. I remember waking up on his couch after a big night out at the coveted Freshers’ Week pirate party, where he offered me tea and toast in an accent my London ears had real trouble discerning. “Gloucester,” he mumbled, like a farmer - that’s where he was from. Jesus. I thought Bristolian was bad enough. He proceeded to ask me questions about my life and family instead of the usual student waffle. He had a snake called Ray and was a decent juggler - a skill he’d learned recently at a magic convention up in Blackpool. This guy is alright, I thought. Little did I know at the time that we would spend the better part of a decade working, living, drinking, travelling the world, and making all sorts of commercials and eventually documentaries together. This summer just gone, I was presented with the opportunity to direct my first ever commercial for House of @frasers alongside Toby as DOP. Me - director. Fucking hell, finally. What a dream. It felt just to be surrounded on set by not only my peers and good friends, but all those who have been with us since we began our journey as assistants years before. First thing I did was give our gaffer @catcastrophic a massive headache by picking apart the kit list and making unreasonable demands. I’ll need you to redo that list, and I’ll need it on my desk first thing in the morning, please mate. Got a problem with that? Didn’t think so. I’m in charge now, baby. Perfect. Thank you so, so much @_lloydjones @ayraperedo @josephironmonger @lisakochanova

This doesn’t happen often, but if a light cuts out during a take when the camera is rolling, mostly- it’s okay. No biggie. We’ll go for another one. Smugly telling the Assistant Director we’ll need an extra 5 minutes to fix the problem is something I will always find joy in. Especially when we need another 10 after that xo I was born to an Irish mother, which makes me immune to your passive aggressive hurrying. Did the bulb break? Did we blow a fuse? Did something fall over? Think, brain. Think. Whatever the problem, there will always be a production assistant to throw under the bus. Live shows are a little more complicated, mainly because I have the general public walking in and around the set all evening. The rigging has to be safe and the equipment cleverly hidden or out of the way. The main thing though, is that it all stays on. It takes all day and all your life long energy to get it done in time, before you sit down, watch the show and put it all back in the truck. It’s normally a lot more planning and a lot less money. As sad as it is, we are all there because we actually want to. Cute. This year designed my second live show, this time for @s0ma_f show at @alghasplantroom . It looked great. Super happy. @dior , get at me. Here are some of me shots. Thank you � @thegr33ngospel @mbseuk @tor_tor_tor_studio . Trainee gaffer : @hannah.adan_ Spark : @martalapmar @joshbradley95 Set Design : @tor_tor_tor_studio �Show producer : Joseph Beattie @thegr33ngospel Set producer : Aki Pine @lil.ghoul010 Set creative direction : @fritzmarlon @6footstranger Set art director : @callum__jones Set designer : @yeldakabiil Set design assistant : @m4linca Set studio manager : @n11kita PA : @markgeorge__ @benjaminamh Set photographer : @matt_gess Photographer : @marina_langrishe Video director : @angela.m.ricciardi DOP : @angela.m.ricciardi @vincejh @aaron_kasimirschik

An old man at a bus stop asked me when I was 15 what I was going to do with my life and I said photography. He concerningly suggested I should get myself a proper career and instead insisted I trained to become a pilot whilst I was still young. 5 years or so in the academy with a good starting salary, plus benefits- he said. Too easy. I spent the next 5 years at art school just to spite him, smoking rolies on the beach and spending my student loan on weed. I graduated with a 1st. I don’t think anyone has ever asked about it since. Whatever. A few months ago @adidasbasketball flew me to Miami to light @spidadmitchell for @jamiemourn I made it bus stop man- I thought. Wherever you are. @the_midnight_club_ny  ⭐️ @salv_fitz  – 1st Assistant Eric Lauer – Digital Tech Alexander Larson – 2nd Assistant Chris Murray – 3rd Assistant Photographers Agent @dustbunniesagency Austin Boykins – Assistant Manager, Brand Marketing Timothy Young – Sr. Director, Design & Brand Creative Bobby Jones – Sr. Manager, Retail & Digital Marketing Jody Hanger – Sr. Video Producer Laura Leland – Sr. Manager, Production @austinlac  – Managing Director @kid_knibbs  – Creative Director Jasmine Hill – Account Lead @spencercotton  – Art Director @jaymtown  – Executive Producer Khalid Mutakabbir – Sports Coordinator Gabriela Soto – Production Designer Federico Rugiero – Set Dresser Andres Caballero – Prop Master Mary Soto – Art Coordinator OUI Productions – Production Company @tyler_theproducer  – Producer Miguel Quintero Sanchez – Production Coordinator Nelson Matos – Production Assistant Andrew @ One Source – Photo Equipment Contact

Imagine a country where the trains ran on time and everyone was really beautiful. That is Korea. The first time I went over to Seoul with gaffer wife and work husband @tobias____may we really did the the thing. He took me on boring walks across the city to point at robots and see temples. After that- a market? a museum? Maybe more hot dogs from 7/11. We spent some evenings slamming video games (or karaoke) all night, but not without our new Korean businessman friends. Shouts out JT, JC and the crew. It’s super beautiful. Neon lights are everywhere and I couldn’t recommend it enough. A world away from all the knife crime, G checking, and postcode wars of London. No, I don’t have the time. Nah fam, I don’t smoke weed. And bruv, I’m local init. Crazy. Anyway, a year later @the_midnight_club asked me to go back out to Seoul to do some bits with @adidas . I got to take all my colleagues and trendy new work friends to all my favorite spots during the downtime. This guy travels, they must have thought. Truly a contender for the best job in me life. Thank you so, so much: @jamiemourn 💡 @_rimashah @hannybetz @kid_knibbs @robthoro @dougguillot @nonono.design @neustareustagram @barneyofficialrealnojokes @samo_jurkovic @thedouglasdutton @nowitstinne @luvparklife @burgerqkqkqing @mademoisellesarag @wack_mestjan @luminous.co.kr