Behind the Scenes: #BeIndie Directed by Fausto Becatti

NERD Productions Director Fausto Becatti received an incredible response to his new breakthrough piece, ‘Be Indie’, including a 5-star review from notorious advertising critics site David Reviews. Here, we take you behind the scenes of the phenomenally outspoken and incredibly diverse two-minute film…

Created for youth life insurance brand Indie, ‘Be indie’ challenges all expectations to reflect the brand’s ethos of providing a service for those that “live life on their terms.” Fausto worked directly with the creative team to brainstorm and conceptualise the project which focuses on living rather than dying – unlike many other life insurance firms. The bold spot also features a wonderfully diverse cast of street-cast individuals, some of whom were discovered online, which brings an element of authenticity and personality to the film.

Fausto reflects on the process below, saying “we spent a long, long time in the edit, making sure we crafted the best possible piece, sadly having to leave so many amazing shots out of the final edit.” Take a look for yourself…

“We had very challenging setups to create on a limited budget, so this project required a lot of hands-on pre-production time to find the solutions. It also required a fresh batch of faces – not the typical model types – so casting was done by myself in a non-traditional way, using street casting and Instagram to cast mostly unknown faces” recalls Fausto.

“It was a 5 day shoot with a lot of different setups. We played music loudly during filming to get a mood going and create a completely free and alternative way to running the set. Building the human hamster wheel was a highlight, as well as creating the look for the rat masks. At times, we had multiple different cameras running, and a B unit helping pick up certain shots. A 90s VHS camera added some much-needed texture.”

“The amount of footage left on the edit floor is significant which is testament to what a challenging edit this turned out to be. It could have been cut in a million different ways, and we spent a long, long time in the edit, making sure we crafted the best possible piece, sadly having to leave so many amazing shots out the final edit. The same can be said about the music, Pressure Cooker delivered after many days of crafting to capture the right tone and mood. finally, the inclusion of titling and 2D graphic overlays, lots of smaller crafted touches just lifted the final piece into a rich and full piece.”

Watch the full, uncut film below.

See more of Fausto Becatti’s work here.

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