Tailor Blend

Going the Distance with Joe

The Project

Created for Tailorblend, this film centred on Joe: a close friend of our director Lyndon, and an accomplished endurance athlete whose journey includes Ironman races, Comrades and countless hours of training.

We wanted to capture the person behind the performance: the discipline, routine and quiet resilience it takes to keep showing up.

The Approach

The majority of the film was captured during a single morning shoot around Signal Hill and Lion’s Head Road, following Joe through a landscape closely connected to Cape Town’s outdoor culture. We set out hoping for strong morning sunlight, but as often happens in Cape Town, the clouds rolled in and shifted the mood of the day entirely.

Rather than fighting it, we leaned into the softer, changing conditions. The unpredictable weather became part of the fun, giving the film a more natural and honest feel. We also used diffusion, halo and kaleidoscope filters to bring texture and emotion to the athletic imagery.

We later returned for a second shoot at Joe’s home, creating a more reflective interview setting and giving his story space to breathe.

The Challenge

The interview lighting ultimately landed brighter and cleaner than our initial grittier vision, but that became part of the film’s warm, uplifting tone. Balancing the intensity of Joe’s sport with the unpredictability of the landscape and the ease of his personality helped us create a portrait that felt human, grounded and connected to Tailorblend’s world of performance and nutrition.