Walmart Business x Photographer JJ Sulin

Photographer: JJ Sulin
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Shoot Days: 7
Project: Walmart Business

Seven shoot days. Two scout days. All in Bogotá, Colombia. They were all over the city. A retirement home, a university, office space, two studios, a volume wall, and on the largest days, over a hundred people on set. A lot going on. JJ ran all of it.

Every lighting decision went through him and his team. His lead lighting technician working hand in hand with the lead gaffer on each set so that motion could seamlessly follow stills without a rebuild between setups. We know, that's not how most productions are structured. On this one, stills were the priority. The client needed every shot and that structure made sure they got them.

The volume wall gave them the range of setups they were after, but it came with its own challenges. For one scene, when it became clear the CGI backdrop and the set build weren't working together, JJ didn't wait for a solution to come to him. He scrapped the build, worked with what the background could give him, and got the shot. The setup changed. The shot didn't.

And through all of it, he navigated language barriers without losing time or momentum. JJ is a physical director. He gets in, shows talent exactly the performance he's looking for, and keeps things moving. The right person for a production like this.

He put it simply: "It's so much fun to direct a large production. I love the big crews and the circus of it all. Getting everyone to find their groove, finding pleasure in the work and camaraderie. It's when everyone performs at their best."

View JJ's portfolio here.