Mumford & Sons - Monterey

Yesterday, I got back from a trip to Monterey to film Mumford & Sons.

Mumford & Sons is my favorite band. They have an ongoing mini-documentary series called "Gentlemen of The Road." It's a great little piece of documentary filmmaking by Fred&Nick. It's greatness is compounded by how much I like the band. So when I saw a Facebook update from Pulse Films saying Fred&Nick were on the road with the boys as they started their summer tour in the U.S. I started blasting out emails.

I sent cold-contact emails to anyone who's address I could find online that may have some connection with either Pulse Films or Fred&Nick personally. I didn't know their full names though! You can't find them anywhere. It's always jut Fred&Nick.

Long story short, one of my emails finally landed in the inbox of the right person. They asked if I could make it to the Monterey show, when I said yes they sent me over the call sheet with instructions to pick up Fred&Nick at the San Francisco airport and yada yada yada.

I picked up the gear on my way to the airport... and the sum total value of the gear was worth more than the vehicle that carried it:

Mama Pajama... Picked up camera kit to help film Mumford & Sons in Monterey

Lens bag

This was a dream come true. A once in a lifetime opportunity. I spent the next two days going to soundchecks, staying in the hotel with the band, playing soccer backstage, eating lunch with the band, filming, going to after parties, and even being on stage during the show to get some footage. It was hard to keep the earth below my feet. 

Between you and me, as cool as all that was, the main thing I walked away from that experience with was a new perspective on filmmaking. Working closely with Fred&Nick was a privilege. What a couple of dudes. I learned a lot from them. Cheers!

Backstage with M&S

-D