So how did I get a peek behind the curtain at Jacob Elordi’s CK shoot? Honestly? Pure dumb luck. My cousin’s roommate works lighting for big brand gigs. When their second assistant caught food poisoning two hours before call time, my phone blew up. “Can you carry cables without tripping? Cool, Uber’s coming – don’t wear stripes.”
The 5AM Clusterfck
Arrived at this freezing Brooklyn warehouse at stupid o’clock. Felt like a trespasser carrying gear past security. Whole crew moved like ants – stylists steaming shirts under industrial lights, techs yelling about aperture settings. This producer lady kept stabbing her iPad shouting: “THE SUN’S WRONG! SOMEONE MURDER THE SUN BEFORE 7:15!” Apparently natural light was crucial for the “effortless” look. Yeah right.
When Jacob Walked In
Dude materialized looking like a skyscraper in sweatpants. My job? Hold this stupid silver reflector without blinking. Saw the stylist panic when his neck measured two inches bigger than CK’s samples. They ended up slicing the backs of shirts and clipping them with these tiny black clamps. Looked perfect facing the camera though.
The actual shoot went:
- Hour 1: Jacob kept cracking dad jokes between shots. Crew laughed. Director didn’t.
- Hour 2: Someone spilled cold brew on the backdrop. Everyone blamed the intern. Wasn’t the intern.
- Hour 3: Photographer suddenly demanded a giant prop block of ice. Cue six dudes scrambling for dry ice yelling about frostbite risks.
The “Secret Sauce”
Between takes? His team massaged his shoulders with this weird smelly gel. I later learned it was tiger balm mixed with arnica – apparently his posture locks up modeling. Also caught his handler slipping him honey sticks for energy. Not exactly the protein shakes I expected.
Wrapped at sunset with everyone looking zombified. Best part? Jacob fist-bumped me leaving. Worst part? They forgot to feed the assistants. Grabbed cold pizza from craft services while packing strobe lights. Kneeling on concrete all day murdered my back. Would I do it again? Hell yes – just bring better insoles next time.
