This month I have the unique opportunity to document the production of
HGTV’s Curb Appeal: The Block as the Pace family’s home receives a $20,000 exterior overhaul.
There are actually two Curb Appeal episodes being produced while the show is in Euless, TX this month. Both families were winners of a special contest through Curb Appeal’s partnership with the Rachel Ray Show.
Saturday I walked onto the filming location and I was met by a very low-key production team. I enjoyed spending the morning with the show’s producer, grip and director of photography while shooting and asking all the ridiculous questions you want to ask behind the scenes of a TV show. What if someone doesn’t like what you did to the house? Who edits all of this footage? How does one coordinate all of the workers involved for this project? It was the perfect learning environment and these three allowed me into their world for a couple of hours. I even managed a ride on the scissor lift high above the neighborhood for a unique view of the entire block.
I did find out that these episodes will not likely air for another 4-6 months because of post-production and the fact that the show has already filmed a fair amount of episodes which have not yet aired. I also now know that the digital memory cards of the days footage are mailed “home” to the editor each day. And now I know that the crew does not usually travel and that most episodes are filmed locally in the SF Bay area and previously in Atlanta, GA.
By noon they had finished filming the “before” scenes and the crew from San Francisco were headed out for an afternoon of skeet shooting and an evening of Texas BBQ.
Host John Gidding’s design reveal has already been filmed earlier this week with the Pace family and I assure you they are excited about what is to come. Have you seen this guy’s work? Take a look online and see some of John Gidding’s home transformations. He makes eyesores into eye poppers! That’s not an HGTV tagline but I am hoping they start using it soon…
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| The “before” picture of the Pace Home. Take a look because I am betting the transformation will be epic. |
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| Setting up across the street |
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| Discussing the days work with Jessica, producer of Curb Appeal: The Block |
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| Filming Curb Appeal: The Block |
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| The big moment. Hoping my segment makes the cut. |
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| Rudy, Director of Photography |
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| Trent’s footprints in the front flowerbed. Part of the remodel is a ramp for Trent, giving him easier access to the house. |
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| Changing lenses for the aerial shots |
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| Looking very directorial |
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| Kwazi maneuvers the scissor lift |
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| Getting some footage of the block. |
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| Shooting the other homes in the neighborhood that will receive some nice sprucing up. |
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| How do we shoot this? |
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| This shot doesn’t quite capture the height my mind was experiencing. |
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| The Curb Appeal crew and happy homeowner. |
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