It's great that crowds are back for events. It lifts crew. It lifts the person in the seat next to you. It lifts athletes. It helps them to lift things too.
With a full set of Covid testing complete for everyone entering The Royal Albert Hall, the Giants Live crew and athletes made the 24th July a night to remember. As the cameras hit record and headphones were donned for the first time this year, nerves were soon blasted clean away by the noise from the fans - the sheer volume hitting record decibels under this historical arena.
The action itself was thrilling. The (huge) highlight was Iron Biby, the prince from Burkina Faso, who set a new Axle Press World Record.... on his 3rd attempt.
A clip of that historical lift from the live stream is here:
Working on the floor directing talent and cameras, I had a the full 360 fan energy pulsating my way and its hard to compare it to anything I've worked on before... and I've been to World Cups and Olympic Games over the years. Maybe it was the sense of occasion, or an explosion of pent up anticipation - having been effectively locked up for 18 months. Whatever it was, it felt quite special to be there.
Experiencing a Giants Live event is like having a big fist grab you around the collar and drag you out for one of the best nights of your life. You'll wake up confused and jaded, but have the glow of knowing you had an epic time. That night at The Royal Albert Hall was no exception.
Working on a major shoot, one of the first since lock-down restrictions were lifted (which happened just five days before this event) was fairly easy, once you adapted to the 'new norm' and kept sanitizer in your back pocket and wipes in your bag. Mind you I guess that is what we've been doing anyway, so it worked well with that frame of mind on the night.
I'm really looking forward to the post production phase of this episode and re-living the drama and electric passion from the event. This will eventually be the series opener of World's Strongest Man on Channel 5 this Christmas.
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