Szoboszlai, Konate & Gravenberch Take Over The Bagelry!

Presented by VistaPrint, three LFC stars, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konaté, and Ryan Gravenberch, visited The Bagelry in Liverpool to lend a hand and compete in a friendly cooking challenge. The trio swapped their football boots for aprons as they immersed themselves in the bustling kitchen atmosphere.

Under the watchful eyes of onlookers and The Bagelry staff, the players put their creativity to the test, experimenting with different ingredients and flavours to craft unique bagel recipes, each determined to claim the title of ‘Top Chef’. As the aroma of freshly baked bagels filled the air, it was evident that the competition was heating up. With each player showcasing their individual flair and expertise in the kitchen, the judges faced a tough decision in determining the ultimate winner.

The Brief 📝

As part of their ‘Work Experience’ series, LFC and VistaPrint asked us to come up with an idea for three first team players to test out their skills in a service industry role. We were tasked with setting the players a fun challenge that would allow them to show plenty of their personalities and also be engaging enough to keep viewers hooked for a 10 minute video.

The Challenge 🤔

We needed a location that was off-site but still close enough to the training ground that we wouldn’t waste too much time travelling. We were also after a place where we could set up a challenge quickly and simply, but that also had a lot of charm and personality of its own. After a quick recce day of some locations we settled on The Bagelry, a popular independent cafe in the city centre.

One delicate balance we knew we’d have to strike on the day was ensuring there would be enough people present to enable good interactions with the players, yet not so overly crowded as to make things unmanageable during filming. This was a particular challenge as The Bagelry is normally closed on the day earmarked for player appearances, so we couldn’t just rely on the usual footfall.

We would also have to transform the Bagelry’s kitchen, whilst it was operational, into a functional but relatively aesthetic backdrop for filming.

The Approach 🎥
For the activity itself, we settled on a two-part challenge. The first would be the players creating bespoke, nationality-themed bagels that would be judged by The Bagelry’s Sam and Nat. The second would see the players attempt to convince customers to choose doughnuts personalised with their squad numbers (pre-made by The Bagelry team), ahead of those belonging to their team mates. The player who could give away the most would be the winner.

Having originally anticipated we’d use the kitchen for part 1 of the challenge, we instead decided to keep everything in the action of front of house, to keep things flowing and visually more appealing. For maximum use of time and flexibility, we went with a handheld three camera set up (operated by Callum, Victor and our brilliant freelance colleague Graham Kirk), with the excellent Mark Schofield looking after the sound. We used the ambient lighting of the cafe, supplemented by a pair of FalconEyes flexible LEDs to make sure everything was suitably lit.

To ensure we had a steady supply of customers, but not have the place overrun with excited LFC fans, we ran a promotional campaign through The Bagelry’s own social channels in the lead up, advertising the free doughnuts without mention of the LFC players. We also had crew and promo staff on site and nearby earlier in the day to inform passers by of a ‘special event’ happening later in the day. In the end we had a slightly larger turnout than anticipated but it all added to the fun!

Thankfully the players were into the shoot right from the off and all three were really easy to work with and amenable to direction. Not that we needed to intervene too often, as the nature of the challenge itself, plus the players’ natural approach to the tasks, led to plenty of genuine interactions.

A huge thanks to Josh O’Connell, Jenni Fleet, Rachel Butler, Reuben Rai and Holly Carrington for bringing us on board. In addition, the exceptional team at The Bagelry helped us in every way they could, from giving us a hand with moving heavy equipment to nourishing us with their delicious coffee, bagels and donuts.

Producer - Director: Callum O’Toole

Production Assistant: Natalia Tavini

Camera Operators: Callum O’Toole, Graham Kirk and Victor Goras

Sound: Mark Scholfield

Edit: Callum O’Toole