The main idea behind this project was to promote the charity that Samuel is ambassador for the “One For the Boys” program.

The campaign was born when Sofia Davis, one of the founders, started researching male cancers. She was surprised to find that most cancer campaigns focused on women, with very few supporting and educating men. Men’s lack of awareness of cancer symptoms reinforced the need for a change, and so “One For The Boys” was born. Samuel is creating awareness for this project so that men will also look for signs and get regular checkups. www.onefortheboys.com

The project for the shoot was quickly settled, and Christian was actually given fairly short notice: He was commissioned on a Thursday evening, and the shoot was for the following Monday.

Planning for the shoot was mainly to ensure that the team was ready for Monday and 100% available for this intense couple of hours. As Christian points out, it is important to be very sure of what you are doing.. As you might expect for this kind of project you need to have a reliable team and to make the protagonist of the shoot feel at ease all in a very limited two hours’ time.

"We wanted to create something timeless and beautiful, to bring out the character of Samuel and to show his skills as an actor".

 

To be as fast as possible in this limited time frame, Christian decided to use a quick and simple setup: one light with a 120 Softbox and another light with a grid set as a fill light.

The Litemotiv 120 Softbox has a real advantage here; it gives enough scope to shoot a full-length image within the same setup, which is a vital element when you need to work quickly. And of course, it provides a very beautiful light for skin and clothes as well as a crisp, clear feel, perfect for creating iconic close-ups.

Samuel L. Jackson was only involved in the process during the shoot itself. Christian himself briefed him about the concept a few minutes before the shoot.

When we asked Christian if it wasn’t stressful working with such a well-known figure, the key word is “relax.”

“Samuel was a very lovely person to photograph. He has a great sense of humor and, as one of the world’s most renowned and talented actors, made my directing actually very easy. There was no limit or any kind of rule to respect, so I was free. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and a very democratic process. For instance, I suggested at the end that he could wear the navy trench coat, and it turned out to be a real winner.”