Drake Doremus' 'The Beauty Inside' Keeps Brands Content

Drake Doremus' 'The Beauty Inside' Keeps Brands Content

The art of delivering a satisfying piece of filmmaking with brand involvement is a tricky one to achieve. With much 'branded content' work, the 'branded' aspect seems to take precedent over the 'content', leaving viewers with little more than a slightly longer commercial. However, through his episodic film 'The Beauty Inside' for Intel and Toshiba, B-Reel's Drake Doremus not only managed to create a compelling reason for consumers to engage with the brand, he also created a heartfelt piece of genuine drama.

Ostensibly, 'The Beauty Inside' is a charming love story about two people who fall for each other. However, wrapped around the core of the tale is a sci-fi premise so tantalising it's amazing it hasn't been seen before – what if every day you woke up in a different body? Not the easiest of sells to a client, but the folk at Intel and Toshiba were obviously confident enough in the agency (Pereira & O'Dell) and the Sundance-winning director to give it a punt.

The risk paid off, with 'The Beauty Inside' picking up 3 Silver Pencils and one Bronze Pencil at The One Show in the Online Films & Videos category and also in the Best Use of Social Media/Facebook category, the coveted Film/TV award at the SXSW Interactive Festival, two Golds and a Silver at the Art Directors Club, and Best Branded Content at the previous The One Show in the Autumn. Added to that list were 2 Gold CLIOs picked up a couple of weeks ago. Phew!

We took the most recent win as an opportunity to chat to Drake about the film(s), the process of creating work for online consumption and whether he sees himself working in the form in the future.

Your work on 'The Beauty Inside' has been picking up a lot of awards including a couple of Gold CLIO's last month. Did you anticipate this level of recognition when you were making the film?

Definitely not. To be honest, this project was my first sort of foray into the commercial world, so the reaction to the film was definitely surprising and exciting. At the end of the day, I was just trying to make a film that resonated with me and felt genuine. The fact that it really touched people the way it did was cool and unexpected.

How did you get involved with 'The Beauty Inside'?

I got a call from my agent about this project that seemed really interesting and had a cool concept. I then got on the phone with B-Reel and they said: "We'd like to pitch you to the agency." And I said: "Oh, that'd be great. I think the project has a great concept and could do something interesting." They pitched me to the agency and then it started rolling from there. I had never heard of anything like it, so it was exciting to try to something totally different.

The determining factor, for me, was the fact that it was a really interesting love story in a metaphorical sense about who people really are on the inside and who they want to be. It was a great opportunity to try to do something really deep and really meaningful.

The project was quite sci-fi in its concept, yet actually plays out as an indie romance. Was it difficult to juggle the genres? Did you see it as a genre-based piece at all?

Gosh, that's an interesting question. I honestly tried to attack the project from a much more human and basic level, and from an emotional standpoint, I guess you could say, and from a tonal standpoint; as opposed to a genre standpoint.

It definitely is sci-fi in its concept, and when I think sci-fi/indie romance, I think of 'Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind' and things like that. So I mean, it's a cool sort of realm to be in. That movie was actually one of my main inspirations and references for 'The Beauty Inside'. It had some of the elements of suspension of disbelief that the audience was going to have to go through in order to really be inside of the movie. So with that said, that was definitely a gold standard that we were going for.
 

The film played out episodically, with opportunities for viewers to get involved between installments. How much of the narrative was mapped out from the outset and how much was dependent on the interaction?

Once scripted, the whole thing was mapped out by B-Reel, and the user-generated content that came in was hand picked, directed and filled in all the week of release. The actual story and the online narrative was highly calculated and planned out with the digital team at B-Reel prior to cutting and putting together each episode. In a sense, it was really shot and made like a film; it was all shot and executed at once.

The film was a brave move for the brands, as it doesn't really contain any direct reference to the product or 'hero shots' of technology. Was this part of the attraction? Did the agency have to step in at any point?

Absolutely, agreed. That was actually one of the most difficult parts of the project. We wanted it to feel organically integrated within the narrative; as opposed to winking or smiling at the camera and saying: "Hey, check out our cool product." It was definitely something I didn't want to do. I wanted it to feel like it functioned naturally and so did the agency and the client. But I think that's the thing that took the most time to shoot because they were very particular about how they wanted it to be shown; and I was too.

It was really striking a balance between what was acceptable for everybody; but for me it was fairly difficult and different because I had never done anything like that before. So my eye was always on: 'let's make it not feel cheesy'; and let's show the product in a cool way that feels organic to the narrative. And I think through some battles and through some really intense discussion, we were able to get there. The concept for the project really did come from the agency, so they certainly deserve a lot of credit for trusting me and backing me up at the end of the day. They enabled me to bring their concept to life – the result, an incredible piece that was meaningful to all those involved and everyone it touched.
 

Unlike much brand-funded content, the pace of the film is gentle and allows time for characters to get established. Were you given many stipulations as to how the story should be told?

Not really. I mean they came up with the concept, which was really cool, and I had an amazing writer that I worked with -- Richard Greenberg, who did a great job of getting inside my head, and understood how I like to tell stories. He was able to structure something that I could really run with. At the end of the day, they hired a filmmaker, not a commercial director. They wanted someone who had a vision.

I don't think it was exactly what they originally anticipated. While we were creating the script, Richard and I just kept trying to push the envelope and try to make something that was artistically satisfying too. We set a high bar for ourselves to try to do what felt right to us and to not give in. The changes that were made and the things that we kind of ran with seemed to really inspire them and they were on-board. I loved that they really let me be a filmmaker for the most part and let me do what I do.

How did Topher Grace and Mary Elizabeth Winstead get involved? What was it like working with them?

I had met Topher at a party about a year ago, and he's always in the back of my mind as: "Oh, this guy would be great for something; if we find the right thing at the right time." When we started casting, this was the project I wanted him in on. And I know Mary because she had been in a friend's film about a year-and-a-half ago and came highly recommended. She just seemed right for the part. Both were great to work with. They had never done anything like this before either, so we were definitely all in the same boat. It felt almost like an experiment we were trying out together, so we were all leaning on each other to get through it and figure it out. Mary and Topher really are just wonderful people who challenge you at the right times and roll with it at the right times as well.
 

How'd you feel when the project ended?

It was kind of sad, to be honest with you. The best way for me to really put it is that it's like any time you make a baby and you give the baby off in the world, it's a little bit depressing; but at the same time satisfying. I mean, it was a long project; we worked on it for about five or six months. It was almost like making a mini-movie and was certainly a full-time gig including everything from writing to shooting to editing. I cut the movie in my house because it felt more personal that way, and that's the feel I was going for.

Although it was sad when my work for the project ended, it was also really satisfying and really touching to see all the people around the world connect with it and be in it. It really felt like this very sort of touching human project in a way; where so many people really wanted to be a part of it because it was important and meant something to them. That was a layer that wasn't expected but also was really satisfying when the project was done.

Do you have any plans to do similar episodic and/or brand-related films in the future? How was your experience on this one?

Absolutely. A year ago I probably would have said: "Abso-fucking-lutely no," but I now I'd say: "Absolutely yes!" I've since worked on 30-second spots too, but I feel much more natural in the longer form, even :60's, so I can give the film the breadth it needs and that I am know for. Making movies has always been my number one thing, but at the same time, I love doing the narrative short form branded stuff, so I definitely hope to do it again.

What's next on the slate for you?

I have a movie titled 'Breathe In' that hits Europe this summer and will come to the States in the fall. I'm also writing something new with a really talented writer by the name of Nathan Parker, who wrote a movie called 'Moon'. And we're working on -- funnily enough -- a sci-fi love story.

I hope to do more branded content projects with B-Reel – and of course the right commercial projects, too. I love working with them because they're so passionate about the right things. And that's what's cool, it's not about necessarily making money and just making shit. It's about doing incredible work that you're passionate about and that you actually want to be making. I think they really have that mentality and it's cool to be surrounded by that way of thinking. They're also different from other companies I've talked to and been approached by because they actually are genuinely in the business for making artistic projects that are satisfying. It's been a cool ride. I feel really fortunate and am still growing and learning a lot from them. I just want to keep making projects I'm proud of.

Posted on 13th June 2013