Keroscene Films 'Go Further To Get Closer' For BA

October last year saw British Airways and Ogilvy bother our tear-ducts with a heartwarming story of a young man's long-awaited trip back to India to visit his mother. With the response to 'A Ticket To Visit Mum' being universally positive, BA and Ogilvy once again decided to mine the emotions of viewers with another rewarding, Indian-based documentary, this time focussing on a married couple's family-filled life.

In 'Go Further To Get Closer', audiences are introduced to an average Indian couple whose family life and non-stop company is taking a toll on the relationship. In a canny move, OgilvyOne enlisted the talents of world-renowned wedding video artist (seriously, check out his wares) Vishal Punjabi. Working with production company Keroscene Films, Punjabi litters the piece with stylish visual flourishes and smart techniques, all the while acknowledging that the central relationship is the driving factor in the narrative.

We spoke to Vishal about his individual style, the popularity of his wedding films and how that informed his documentary form.



How did you get involved in the BA project?

Ogilvy London got in touch with us while I was in the Andaman Islands diving in the oceans while they wanted us to shoot for them up in the sky… We almost missed it but fortunately, they liked our work enough to wait for me to resurface and that's how we got involved in this amazing project. Apparently an art director at O&M added one of my videos to the mood board they presented to the the client and from then on, everything just fell into place!

Vishal, your background in commercials and feature films has led to a recent career in wedding filmmaking. What can you tell us about that?

Most people in love take their weddings very seriously and up until I came into the picture three years ago, wedding film-making was mind-numbing boring videography! My background in commercials and feature films has helped us in creating more engaging films with a flow which is cinematic and engaging. The connection with an audience is so strong, we get millions of hits on Facebook!



Your wedding films have a brilliant, movie trailer aesthetic but with a personal touch. How do you go about creating them? Do you ever have to compromise composing the perfect shot for capturing the moment?

To get the perfect balance between cinematic aesthetics and real life emotions we have to be close enough to the couple to be voyeuristic in our approach without making them feel uncomfortable. It is important and imperative to be invisible. The perfect shot is not necessarily the perfect light and frame. It's the perfect reason. While accomplishing this, the talented people we bring in to film moments are some of the best film technicians in India so rest assured it will look as beautiful as it can be.

What did your style bring to the piece?

For the BA campaign, they needed someone who could communicate the emotions of two complete strangers as they made the journey of their lifetime with the rest of the world. The art director saw an undeniable and promising connection in our films and that's what attracted them to us, I guess. With this campaign, we have made millions experience a love as real and intangible as any other and that's what our style has brought to the piece.



How did you find the subjects for the film? Were they people brought in by the agency, or did you find a couple whose tale matched the brief?

Finding the right couple was the most important part of this campaign- and one that took most of our time! We're so fortunate to have earned access to an audience that is so forthcoming- they were willing to share their stories with us like we were their own! So it wouldn't be wrong to say that we were in the perfect position to find a couple in an arranged marriage that just needed a slight push to fly in love :)

Is this concept of couples never getting time to themselves common in India, or particular to this family?

It's very common for a couple in India to be in love without even knowing each other completely... For which you have nothing but our hectic and social yet unfamiliar lifestyle to blame. The fact that this campaign has connected with so many people says a lot about how many people can identify with this couple!



How did the shoot go? Were you with the couple for a while? How 'fly-on-the-wall' was your approach?

Our approach was completely fly-on-the-wall! That's the best way to catch people off guard on camera... Initially Chetna (the wife) was under the impression that she was being interviewed for a film on life after marriage by The Wedding Filmer so by the time we got to London, she had already opened up to us. Having us on this journey, made them feel comfortable- like friends we travelled London, showed them the best there was and later left them for a holiday of their own!

The film incorporates lots of cool filmmaking techniques and stocks (tilt/shift, 16mm). Do you feel that visual flourishes like this help energise documentaries?

It's always inspiring to try something different visually. The use of tilt and shift was symbolic of how tiny their lives and everything seemed in this busy, crazy city. Why would an airline think of these two? The use of high speed was to slow down the pace and give us time to absorb what we saw...

Are you happy with the end result?

We're ecstatic! Pulling it off wasn't easy but now that we're done, and the results are out, we couldn't be more pleased with the response we have received. Insights and numbers on social networking sites (as astounding as they are!) are nothing compared to the warmth we feel, each time we picture the smiles on the couple's face :)



Do you enjoy working on these longer-form projects? Would you like to do more in the future?

Definitely! I truly believe that making films for people is the new way of not just documenting but making history and I'd love to do it again and again. It's the only way to stay inspired.

What's up next for you?

A wedding world tour! Can you imagine how exciting that would be?

I'm getting married in the summer. Want to come and shoot my wedding video?

Sure! We can start off the world tour from there ;)