Jumping on the recent Wes Anderson trend that’s sprung up on social media since the auteur’s latest film “Asteroid City” was released, Bella Vecchi, a Creator at VaynerMedia, started an Instagram campaign for Zoom on the same trend which resulted in 414,199 views, 29,328 likes, 35,648 engagements and an 8.6% ER.
We caught up with Bella this week to learn more.
What was the brief?
Here at Vayner we’ve been working with Zoom since April, creating weekly content that celebrates them as a work platform that does much more than just video calls. We usually start our mornings with a brainstorm on daily signals - anything viral or relevant, new trends and culture moments - to decide if there’s anything that we might want to tap into.
On an unsuspecting Tuesday, we spent our morning meeting talking about the Wes Anderson video trend on TikTok, and realised that it could be a good opportunity to romanticise working from home. So we went for it!
How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?
We thought of a few different ways we could tap into the trend for Zoom, and since I was visiting my family in Italy at the time , I offered to take on the task. We settled on making a video that would showcase “My first day working from abroad”.
What was the process behind ideating the concept?
After coming up with the initial idea, I went on location scouting, and took pictures to show the team what I had in mind. My hometown of Milan is a beautiful city rich with architecture and quirks, and I wanted to showcase some iconic buildings, our old wooden trams and antique cafes, in a way that served the narrative well.
I created a mood board with location pictures and outfit options and shared with the team, who approved it. Then I created a script, and once that was approved too I was ready to go.
What was the production process like?
To make sure that we met the trend early on, everything had to be shot and edited in one day. I woke up early to raid my mom’s closet for some vintage pieces that could make me look like an authentic Wes Anderson character, and popped the lenses out of a pair of my grandpa's old glasses to accessorise.
Then I (lovingly) took my mom hostage to film me around the city, and even managed to get her to feature in a scene. Working with her as a camera operator went surprisingly well, even if as a judge, she isn’t exactly an expert in filmmaking.
The way we made it work was that I’d pick a location, grab my phone and decide what framing we needed for the shot. Then I’d start filming and ask her to hold the phone without moving it from whatever mid-air point I had picked - which often involved her having to grab it with two hands and stand in an awkward pose. But hey, it worked! She was (almost) more determined than me.
What was the biggest challenge during production? How did you overcome it?
Time was quite a challenge as I had to style myself, film in various locations that weren’t that close to one another and edit, all in one day.
But by far the most challenging part of filming in public is definitely the public. So many shots had to be filmed multiple times because someone walked in front of me, or looked at me funny for standing in the middle of the road staring at the camera. But who can blame them?
What kit/tools/software were used to create the project?
I used my iPhone and Premiere Pro. I wish I’d had a tripod, but I think we got away fine without it!
What is one funny or notable thing that happened during production?
There is one video that didn’t make it to the final cut where I’m standing in the grocery store bread aisle, staring dead eyed at the camera. As I positioned myself, a woman walked into the scene, looked at me very confused, and I awkwardly shuffled around to pretend that I wasn’t posing for my mom in a silly costume in front of a bread display. A cheesy pop song played in the background as if to mock me.
What’s the main message of this project and why does it matter?
Our aim was to showcase the beauty of remote working, while highlighting the role of our client. In a rapidly evolving world, we firmly believe in the value of workplace flexibility!
How long did it take from inception to delivery?
Roughly a day and half.
What do you hope it achieves for the brand?
We wanted to show off Zoom as the perfect tool for remote workers, showcasing it as a platform that goes beyond just video calls. And maybe encourage more people to work remotely!
Credit list for the work?
Bella Vecchi for styling, directing and editing.
Debora Ravenna for her invaluable role as a cameraman and acting cameo.
