New Balls for Kevin Adams.

Saturday 22nd May

The forecasters had it right.

It was going to be a scorcher of a day.

At 6am when we were getting up the sky was clear blue, the low sun already warm and the Beach Body Boot Camp folk up waiting for us to call.

Getting Ready in the Morning Sun.

Adam had mic’d Kevin up and we were all ready to bang on the cottage door to waken them up when Michelle popped her head out one of the upstairs widows and said good morning, quickly followed by Donna opening the front door with a smile.

The plan to waken them up and drag them out kicking and screaming on an early morning walk had been scuppered.

They were all breakfasted and ready to go.

It was us that had to wander back in to the hotel and grab a quick bit of breakfast.

Paul our mini bus driver took us on a short drive.

Then the hard work started not just for them but for us as well.

Kevin had the guys walking pretty briskly through beautiful woods with dappled light sprinkling through the tree canopy.

They were getting a proper workout which we had to cover.

This meant that whilst they walked along, in order to get the tracking shots, wide shots, passing shots and general views we had to dash ahead, film them pass, run past them to get ahead again to do the same thing several times and also walk backwards so that I could shoot the expressions on their faces as they walked.

Kevin stopped from time to time and got the guys doing little circuits of exercises.

Kate and Joanne Join in the Stretches.

At least Adam and I did not have to worry too much about missing that vital shot or grabbing that fleeting bit of natural sound because both Stuart and Ben had little Sony Z5 cameras and were shooting stuff as well.

What Are You Pointing Your Camera at Stuart?

It was at least as good as a hard session in the gym.

There was not much time to rest for the guys when we got back.

I don’t know about them but I could certainly have done with one because I was pretty knackered.

Lucky crew. We did get a breather although not quite the total relax we wanted because the next bit of shooting required the guys using props.

One set of the props was a set of big stability balls.

They were still in their boxes. We took it in turns to pump all six of them up.

Joanne Does a Bit of Pumping.

Stuart and His Two Big Balls.

Think Joanne Likes Hers?

Kevin and Stuart Discuss the Shoot.

Kevin then put the guys through a Burn and Burn workout on the newly blown up stability balls.

This was a much less strenuous shoot for me and a pleasure to so because the background was the Abbey all bright in the sunlight.

Kevin and the guys sweated it out under a bit of shade and that lovely dappled light that fell on them through the trees.

Ben gets Reaction Shots of Mark.

Although we had not exerted ourselves too much on that workout we were all still quite sweaty and sticky.

The Beach Body Boot Campers went off into their cottage to prepare a lunch from Charlotte’s recipes.

In the tea room we mingled with the smartly dressed visitors that had come to gaze at the splendour of the Abbey.

I wonder if the lack of people sitting too close to us in the busy cafe was anything to do with our now dry but bedraggled look accompanied by the undoubted collective aroma?

A short rest and another minibus ride allowed our lunch to go down before we all resoaked our hair and T-shirts with a new outpouring of sweat.

It was another walk, this time up some very steep climbs.

I filmed the guys going for it with Kevin lending loads of encouragement. It was hard work.

Kate, Joanne and Adam on the Way Down Through the Pretty buttercups.

It was worth it when we reached the end at Tintern Old Station and had a chance to rest.

A Couple of Bewildered Locals are not Quite Sure What all the Fuss is About.

At least it was worth it for us crew because we were allowed a little ice cream and coffee.

Joanne. Kate, Ben and Kevin were sensitive when it came to lapping up the creamy treats.

They discretely scoffed theirs inside the cafe.

Kevin Gets Tweeting in the Cafe.

Adam and I on the other hand were not so thoughtful as he licked his cone and I slurped my coffee under the gaze of the Boot Campers who were restricted to a bit of fruit and water.

They did of course give us a good natured hard time.

Courtesy of Bose we had brought a little set of very loud speakers with us for the next event.

Kevin and the guys had a great time doing a bit of a dance workout to thumping music.

Kevin Chooses his Music.

I had a great time throwing the camera around trying to get shots full of energy, showing the guys having a hard but fun time and that could edited in fast and furious cuts.

Ben Goes in for a Close Up.

Buzzing with the endorphins produced by exercise and music we were a noisy bunch, but could never out do the hyper singing and dancing Kevin in the minibus on the way back to the cottage where Charlotte was waiting with more ingredients for Mark and Chris to cook for dinner.

We went off to shower and grab a last sitting for dinner at a restaurant “not far away” that had been recommended.

We were all very hungry and not being able to find the little Cherry Tree restaurant easily even although we were getting directions from the people in the restaurant and both Adam and I were using the handy compass App on our iPhones to guide us was a tad frustrating.

Ben and Stuart had left the hotel quite a while after us.

Kate was in constant touch with them relaying directions to them as the four of us tried to find the elusive restaurant.

Oh how we laughed when we walked in to the restaurant once we had doubled back a couple of times to find a grinning pair of smug producers and a restaurant owner not even barley trying to conceal his amusement.

I’m glad the meal was good!