On Monday, I walked in the door of Axis Hairdressing after a 10 year absence. And promptly walked out again. And then walked back in, this time my every move recorded by two cameras.

Now, a film crew isn’t something you usually see in a Canberra salon…but this wasn’t an ordinary day; rather, it was the first day of filming for Episode 4 of Axis’ reality YouTube series, TEASE. It’s a light hearted look at what goes on in the salon and aims to shine a positive light on Canberra, its people, and the hairdressing industry.

We gave you a little taste of TEASE last month, but I was keen to learn more about the series’ concept. When I suggested a ‘behind the scenes’ peek at production, Adam Ciaccia (Axis’ specialist haircutter) couldn’t have been more enthusiastic, saying “hell you can have a cameo!”

A bit of a backstory (doesn’t every good reality show character have one?) Adam used to cut my hair for a couple of years in the early 2000s. He took me from a mousey brown bob to a platinum crop, which I loved, and I probably would have kept that style had he not become too ridiculously popular and unable to be booked in for the once-every-four-week-cut-and-colour demands of my high maintenance ‘do’. After that, I became something of a hairdresser nomad.

So it was something of a reunion. And when Adam says “I never forget anyone,” he’s not kidding. He remembered the style and even the chair where he used to cut it. Oh, and he said I hadn’t changed a bit, which gets him bonus points.

So, what actually goes on in filming a TEASE episode? It’s a surprisingly minimalist and unintrusive operation. The TEASE crew consists of two camera operators, one armed with a small mini DV cam and the other, a digital SLR, and that’s pretty much it. It’s all very natural and unscripted, which makes the slick finished product even more impressive.

On the day of my moment of fame, there were two of us in the salon – Cassie Gillis from PLAY – The Dance Agency, and me. Other footage would be shot the following day on Axis’ weekly training day, where hair models descend on the salon to have their tresses chopped and coloured and styled.

There were two main ‘on camera’ pieces: the consultation, where Adam and I talked about my hair and what he proposed to do (a darker semi-permanent colour to bring out my eyes, and some layers around the front to frame my face); and the ‘reveal’. The process of colouring and cutting was also captured in small snippets, the camera flitting between both Cassie and I, following us from the chair to the basin and back.

As Adam cut, we chatted about how TEASE came about. Like most great creative concepts, it began with the spark of an idea, a chat amongst friends, and enthusiastic collaborators. One day, he was chatting with his mate, Jamie Wilson, founder of Coordinate, and said ‘someone should make a reality tv show about hairdressing’. A couple of months later, Jamie rang, and said ‘c’mon, let’s do this!’

TEASE is obviously a significant investment for the Ciaccias in time and money. Yes, it’s smart marketing, but it really does reflect the passion they have for showing people that Canberra is more than just politicians – that it’s a lively city with a creative soul.