EVERYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY

Part of BBH’s recent brand campaign for UOB involved shooting three very different scenarios for print. This time, it was up to Chris Sisarich, our NZ-based photographer, to bring out the best in the talents, as well as the essence of the brand.

(Coincidentally enough, Chris has always admired and wanted to work with UOB, so he was stoked when this job came along!)

For this campaign, Chris didn’t want to shoot a series that was full of in-focus, high-definition shots. Instead, he wanted to create images that felt somewhat ‘found’ – more film and editorial-like. And getting that look and feel relied on many things falling into place – location, lighting, talent, set design, wardrobe, and a tight production team. Just one element out of place could potentially compromise the whole campaign. But it all worked out in the end, thanks to Priscilla and Chunyi, the dynamic duo who spent hours researching perfect locations.

Separately, each of the three scenarios also came with its own set of challenges, but as we realised after the shoot – because hindsight is always 20/20 – that all these made the shoot and the resultant images all the more rewarding!

The Stylish Septuagenarian

Groovy grandmas are hard to find. True story. Just imagine your own grandma rocking an outfit that would look just as great on a woman a third of her age (or less) along Orchard Road, with accessories and mirrored sunglasses that a 20-something would be eyeing at the shops, as well as heels that most people her age wouldn’t be caught dead in for fear of breaking a bone (or two). Next, try pointing us in the direction of one in Singapore. Long story short, we hunted for our sassy grandma from Singapore to Thailand, and eventually found her in Hong Kong.

The Confident Child

Children are notoriously difficult to work with. Especially when they have to ‘perform’ in front of a large audience. But our chosen talent wasn’t the challenge this time. In fact, she was a real trooper who absolutely killed it! She aced the delivery of a ‘seminar’ to a bunch of adults, us included, and to be honest, taught us a thing or two in those few hours.

This time, the biggest obstacle was actually finding an auditorium to shoot in. We couldn’t get one where we could recreate the intended scale, but managed to work everything out with a little camera and post-production trickery.

The Unique Rooftop Urban Farm

Despite our reputation as a concrete jungle, rooftop gardens/urban farms are actually more widespread in Singapore than we thought. Unfortunately, finding the right one wasn’t that easy. ‘Too messy’, ‘no view’, ‘bad light’, ‘too small and tight’ were just some of the stumbling blocks.

Then just as we thought we’d found the right one, we were told the day before the shoot that we couldn’t use the space! In the end, we had to convert an empty car park into a makeshift urban farm, and on top of that, contend with fast-approaching rain clouds, wilting plants, and the setting sun. But Chris being Chris, nailed the shoot quickly and just in time, too – before it started pouring!

Overall, this was a shoot that required a lot of well-thought-out planning, and extra attention to detail. But in the end, despite all the hiccups and obstacles that we faced from the time we were awarded the job to the actual shoot day, we pulled it off. Everything just fell into place when they needed to, and we had a really fun shoot (and pictures to show for it too)!

Check out some of the behind-the-scene shots below: