20th Anniversary – Our Roots, Our Home, Our Legacy
On the cusp of our upcoming 20th year anniversary, we decided to go back to where it all began, Paris!
In our first ever interview here at ACrew4U we sat down with our founder Bill Mountain who takes us back to Paris, via his memories, and gives us the scoop on why the company was founded in Paris, the top destinations to shoot at, and much more.
So, without further ado let’s get into it!
Why was acrew4u started in Paris? What was the reasoning/motive behind this?
ACrew4U started in Paris purely by accident when I needed to raise some money to buy an apartment in Paris back in 2003.
What have been the top 3 shoots in Paris that you feel the crew has knocked out of the park?
There have been so many, but a few springs to mind that are worth mentioning just as they were firsts or a bit odd –
German Documentary – St Bartholomew’s Night
The first project we ever helped with was a German documentary about a medieval massacre called St Bartholomew’s night. I had not gotten a clue what I was doing, but I figured it all out, and we helped actors’ contracts and extras. I was so naïve at the time that I recruited people via adverts in the local bakers; and managed to get my next-door neighbour’s niece and her friends involved and I ended up playing a dead person. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSc0T1GU-aI
BBC Documentary – Science of Freezing
There have also been so many shoots we did in Paris but one of the oddest ones was a BBC documentary about the science of freezing, and they delivered all the props to my 1-bedroom apartment in Paris. It looked like some mad scientist’s lab for a month. We also had to rent a stately home, and I even had to buy a guinea pig that they had wanted to film. I asked the pet shop if I could rent it as I didn’t know what to do with one post-shoot. I ended up giving the guinea pig (named “guinea pig”) to the man who fitted my new front door as he had one as a kid and didn’t mind taking this one off my hands! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aufRjaMtq0
Top Chef
Much more recently, we helped make the series finale episodes of the US show Top Chef in Paris, and it has to be mentioned as it was hard work but quite fun going back to the roots of the firm nearly 20 years later on our biggest ever project (we did the UK leg too!), it was made even better as while I was organising that, Sarah had the busiest month on crewing jobs elsewhere. It got my French back up to level, and we made many good friends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFB4FUxYFcM
ACrew4U services in Paris
ACrew4U can help you with video camera crew worldwide, photographers worldwide, event filming and photo as well as production services for TV and photo and contract staff and services for business. We work as an extension of your team, to back your project like it’s our own and our team has over 20 years experience.
How ACrew4U works
1. Give us the low-down
It’ll only take you a couple of minutes to fill us in on everything we need to know about your project. Once that bit’s out of the way, we’ll sort the rest.
2. We’ll do the matchmaking
We find the best people and work with you to plan and execute the shoot well, and the raw footage is delivered in time
3. We’re there for the whole shebang
Say buh-bye to pre-shoot pickles, mid-shoot mishaps and post-shoot predicaments. We’ll be on standby before, during and after your shoot to make sure every little thing goes exactly to plan.
