Mary Portas Secret Shopper

This show is about Mary Portas helping brands and high street chains improve the quality of service they provide to their customers.

Working for Dan Greenway Ltd, I needed to hide cameras discreetly and provide covert filming in selected stores across the country. Every location provided new challenges, filming from a hair salon, supermarket, hardware store and bridal boutique to name a few. Filming with hidden cameras was the best way to monitor their staff and see how they treat their customers.

I used Panasonic POVCAMs, Toshiba IK-HD5s, and GoPro cameras each recording to a external PIX 240 recorder. I needed to rig each location overnight and discreetly hide all cameras. I had cameras located on shop tills, staff-rooms, stock-rooms, in changing rooms and throughout the shop floor. I had a central hub for all the camera video feeds to be fed to, where all the recorders would be set to record for the duration of the shoot.

SKILLS:
Minicam operator
Covert filming
Hiding cameras from the public view
Creativeness
Building/creating camera hides
Attention to detail and accuracy
Control room rigging/operation
Rigging and de-rigging
Tecce recce and planning
Technology advances
Matching of multiple cameras
Following instructions and assignments from the director
Health and safety
Excellent problem-solving skills