They Said It Couldn't Be Done: Producing a Fashion Campaign on a Barge in New York City

We got a call from London with an unusual question:

Can you put an entire fashion production on a barge and shoot while floating around New York City?

The client was Boohoo, the UK fashion brand.

They had already spoken with several production companies in New York. The answer they kept hearing was essentially the same: it couldn't be done.

They called We Are Films.

Our answer was different.

Give us an hour.

Finding a Way to Say Yes

The concept sounded simple enough: create a video and photo campaign on a large barge traveling through the Hudson and East Rivers, using New York City itself as the backdrop.

Actually producing it was anything but simple.

We immediately started calling marine operators, barge companies, boat captains and anyone else in our New York production network who could help us determine whether the idea was possible.

Within an hour, we had the beginnings of a solution.

We found a massive barge capable of accommodating a production crew of approximately 60 people and began working through what it would take to turn what was essentially a floating platform into a functioning production location.

Finding the barge was the first challenge.

Then came everything else.

How Do You Put an Entire Film Production on the Water?

On a normal New York production, you can solve problems throughout the day.

Need another piece of equipment? Send someone to get it.

Need more food? Call catering.

Something breaks? Find a replacement.

Need another bathroom? There is probably one nearby.

Once you leave the dock with approximately 60 people aboard, those options disappear.

We had to treat the barge almost like its own temporary production facility.

Everything the crew might need for the entire day had to be anticipated, sourced, loaded and available before we left the dock.

And that list became extensive.

We needed hot food available throughout the day despite having no expectation that we would return to shore.

We needed sufficient electrical generation to power a professional lighting package and the rest of the production infrastructure.

We needed restroom facilities brought directly onto the barge.

We needed medical support onboard in case someone became sick or injured while we were on the water.

And then there was the equipment.

Cameras. Lighting. Grip. Wardrobe. Photo equipment. Production supplies. Catering. Power. Safety equipment.

Everything had to physically get onto the barge before we could make a single image.

Then We Had to Move It Through New York City

Building the production was only part of the equation.

We were putting a large commercial production onto the waterways surrounding one of the busiest cities in the world.

That meant coordinating the marine operation as carefully as the film production.

Routes needed to be planned. Timing mattered. Safety mattered. Marine traffic mattered. We coordinated with the appropriate maritime authorities, including the U.S. Coast Guard, as part of getting the production and proposed routes approved.

At the same time, those logistical decisions were also creative decisions.

Where would the skyline be at a particular time?

What would the background look like as we traveled?

When would the light be best?

Where did the barge need to be for a particular shot?

The Hudson River, East River and Manhattan skyline weren't simply our location.

They were constantly moving elements of the production.

Production Service Is Really Problem Solving

This project encapsulates what we love about production service work.

A client comes to New York with an ambitious idea.

They don't necessarily need to know every permit required, which marine operator to call, how to power a lighting package in the middle of the Hudson River or how to feed 60 people without returning to land.

That's our job.

At We Are Films, we think good production service is about much more than providing crew and equipment.

It's about removing obstacles between an idea and the finished work.

Sometimes that means finding the right cinematographer or production designer.

Sometimes it means coordinating locations, permits, equipment, transportation and hundreds of other conventional production details.

And sometimes it means figuring out how to put a bathroom, generator, doctor, catering operation, lighting package, camera department, photo team and approximately 60 people onto a barge and send the entire thing down the Hudson River.

We happen to enjoy the latter.

Keeping the Complexity Behind the Scenes

There were countless moving pieces involved in making the Boohoo production happen.

But one of our fundamental approaches to production is that the client shouldn't have to carry that complexity.

If there are 100 problems that need to be solved before the cameras roll, our goal isn't to present the client with 100 problems.

It's to present them with a production that works.

That philosophy becomes especially important when we're providing production services for international clients coming to New York.

Our clients should be able to arrive knowing that the local infrastructure has been handled: crew, equipment, vendors, locations, logistics, permitting, transportation, safety and all the small details that can determine whether an ambitious production succeeds.

We do the heavy lifting so the creative team can concentrate on making the work.

From London to New York

Working with international clients is a major part of what we do at We Are Films.

A company or agency coming from London, Paris, São Paulo or anywhere else in the world shouldn't need to rebuild its entire production infrastructure when it arrives in New York.

A strong local production partner becomes an extension of their team.

We know New York.

We know the crews.

We know the vendors.

We know how productions operate here.

And, perhaps most importantly, when something unusual comes through the door, we know who to call.

The Boohoo project was an extreme example of that capability.

They had an ambitious creative idea and needed someone in New York who could figure out how to actually execute it.

Our instinct wasn't to explain why it was difficult.

It was to figure out how to make it possible.

The Best Result: They Asked Us to Do It Again

The production worked.

We successfully put the crew, equipment and infrastructure onto the barge and created the video and photography campaign while traveling through New York Harbor, the Hudson River and East River.

But our favorite part of the story came later.

Boohoo called us again.

They wanted to do it another time.

For a production company, repeat business is one of the clearest indications that you've done your job well.

The client trusted us with an unusually complicated production. We found a solution, built the infrastructure around it and executed it.

Then they trusted us to do it again.

The Hard Productions Are Often Our Favorites

There's a particular kind of phone call we love receiving at We Are Films.

It usually begins with some variation of:

“We have a crazy idea…”

Those projects require more than a standard production package. They require research, relationships, logistics, creativity and a willingness to keep looking for a solution when the obvious answer is no.

That's what production service means to us.

Whether we're coordinating a straightforward commercial shoot or putting an entire fashion campaign onto a moving barge in New York Harbor, our responsibility is ultimately the same:

Take the complexity away from the client and find a way to make the creative possible.

And if someone else has already told you it can't be done?

That's usually when things get interesting.

We Are Films is a full-service production company based in New York City, providing production services for U.S. and international brands, agencies and filmmakers. Our team handles everything from creative development and pre-production through crew, equipment, locations, permitting, logistics, production and post-production.

Planning a production in New York—or trying to figure out how to execute something that doesn't fit neatly into a traditional production model? Get in touch with We Are Films and tell us what you're trying to make.