Kroger Comes In For A Day of Pick-Ups & Reaction Shots

The reaction shot is one of the most under-appreciated elements of visual production.

Yet it's the reactions of the supporting cast that create the reality of the scene you're filming.

So when Kroger producer Julie Patterson Holland scheduled a session where we'd be capturing the reactions of 22 actors in three hours, we were ready to go into photo booth mode.

Directed by Brad Carpenter with Todd McClelland serving as DP, the shots are going to be used in several different Fred Meyer and Kroger TV spots.

The reaction shot has a rich heritage in American television and movies--from Jack Benny's deadpan to Scooby Doo's "Ruh-roh" to Naomi Watts' loving gaze at King Kong accounting for a full third of the film.

We didn't get any production stills from the shoot, so we're substituting these photo strips from a photo booth to give you an idea.

To see the actual reaction shots from this session, watch your local television channels from now through early summer.

Photo credit: GuiGui Les Bons Skeudis licensed via Creative Commons