behind the scenes - milo

Not every shoot goes to plan

and sometimes, that’s where the magic happens.

I was recently behind the lens for a Milo commercial, expecting a typical day of controlled lighting and structured scenes. Instead, I found myself ankle-deep in water, in the middle of a stadium swallowed by monsoon rain. What began as a polished storyboard quickly turned into something much more atmospheric and spontaneous.

The first part of the shoot focused on an empty stadium bench—lonely, rain-lashed, and eerily cinematic under the floodlights. Sheets of rain fell so heavily they turned the scene into something closer to a film still than a commercial spot. The green of the Milo umbrellas popped against the grey wash of the downpour, creating a natural contrast that felt surreal. We leaned into it. The crew huddled under cover, cameras wrapped in plastic, while I worked angles to catch the streaks of rain, the glow off wet concrete, and the surreal quiet that settled over the space.

None of it would have worked without the crew. Through the chaos—wet gear, last-minute adjustments, shifting locations—they kept their heads down and hands busy. Lighting techs raced to reposition gear between showers, production assistants doubled as umbrella holders, and no one flinched when the schedule got tossed out the window. There's a quiet kind of professionalism in a crew that adapts without complaint, and it made all the difference.

Indoors, it was a different kind of challenge. The badminton court was lit with harsh overhead strips, casting deep shadows and slicing through the ambient haze. It gave everything a stage-like feel—players framed by light, movement frozen mid-air. One frame in particular stood out: a young boy lunging forward for a return, caught perfectly in a slant of golden light, while the rest of the court fell into muted green and shadow. It didn’t just sell a product—it showed the joy, tension, and rhythm of play.

One frame in particular stood out: a young boy lunging forward for a return

Commercial shoots often come with layers of control, but in this case, the unpredictability became the asset. Weather, light, and motion collided into something unexpectedly real. Moments like these remind me why I still get excited to pick up a camera. You can plan for the scene—but it’s the unexpected that usually ends up in the final frame.