Microsoft

The Result

We reckon we’re part of the #anywheregeneration; we’re constantly on the go, away from HQ, like the influencers in the films we take satisfaction in doing what we do – bringing life to an idea is a great starting point for anything – and during this series of films it was especially evident; we filmed in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Korea in a space of 4 weeks.

The Brief

Bonsey Jaden really helped to refine the approach and helped explain what #anywheregeneration meant to the brand and the viewer. We loved how the content wanted to explore the individual stories with a focus on what makes these people so interesting to the viewer, it felt that the brand and the product was a natural inclusion in their day-to-day and this approach really appealed to us, no hard sell here.

It seems that today many brands want in with influencers but want a finesse that resonates with their brand that even for some of the most advanced influencers can be a stretch, furthermore – as in the case here – brands want a consistency across multiple pieces of content, AND it’s here we seem to feel at home; bringing a bit of insight, a few processes and of course some creative to a project that looks and feels the same from one piece to the next, which in turn reiterates the brand throughout the viewer’s journey.

Pre-Production

Freelance Director Alistair Harding was our go-to to lead the project because of his aesthetic, because of the meticulous nature of his approach in pre-production and because he is a real Chum, who is fully across our processes, capabilities and production approach since working as a Producer, Writer and Director at Hurrah previous.

Normally we would be tempted to make this type of film without a script as sometimes the delivery of a script can feel contrived, instead we would often opt for a conversation between protagonist and Director looking for relaxed sound bites. But because of timeframes and the project process we had to script the influencers, so it meant Alistair had to write a script that felt genuine to each of the individual influencers participating whilst hitting the right note for Microsoft; this meant understanding each of the influencers to a point that they felt at ease talking to him, revealing their inner thoughts and understanding who they are; something which Alistair is an expert at.

Post-production

Alongside Alistair we included the very talented Director of Photography Russell Morton; freelance Chum who has his hands in most films we make. With Russell and Alistair being supported by our in house team of producers we felt we had our bases covered for all the challenges that the project could have presented.

Four countries in three weeks meant we clocked up some serious air-miles but getting the filming aspect in the can early allowed us to keep to the timeframes requested, it also meant a little less congested post production.