A Pro Synchronized Swimmer’s Daily Wellness Routines & Rituals
For an episode of SELF’s On the Grind series, Condé Nast approached Icon International to provide production services in Barcelona for a film featuring professional synchronised swimmer and 2021 Olympian Rachel Presser.
The series goes inside the routines and rituals of elite athletes, exploring the physical and mental preparation required to perform at the highest level. Rachel’s episode follows the extraordinary demands of professional synchronised swimming and her life performing aboard Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.
For the Barcelona shoot, Icon sourced and provided a soundproofed studio and built the production environment required for the interview and demonstration sequences. We supplied the camera and lighting package, camera operator and sound recordist, together with art department and props to create the different setups required throughout the shoot.
Working within the established visual language of the On the Grind series, our role was to give the visiting production everything it needed locally, creating a flexible studio setup in which Rachel could talk through and demonstrate the routines, techniques and wellness practices behind her performance.
The finished film combines these studio sequences with footage of Rachel’s life aboard Wonder of the Seas, offering an intimate portrait of the discipline, endurance and preparation behind a highly demanding profession. The episode was released by SELF in November 2022.