Interview with Sophie Hooper from Team Saatchi and Drew Gardner on the new Klyp campaign
October 5, 2012 by Manfrotto
Filed under Experience
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MSOX: Hi Drew and thanks for your time… We really enjoyed your photography work on the Klyp Adv, and we wanted to ask you what was your first thought when you were assigned the job, and what has been the challenge/challenges during the whole shoot.
Drew Gardner: I was very excited to get the Klyp project and I would to say the biggest challenge was the train shot. Firstly where to get an underground train carriage from at quite short notice. The first choice was one which was in use but we rapidly came to realise that cost and logistics would be challenges so we started to explore the possibilities of using a decommissioned tube train carriage and which was up-to date. We were lucky enough to find one which had recently been decommissioned and was owned by a group of railway enthusiasts. It was perfect. Having sorted out the location the next challenge was the lighting. Giving the photo the right 'look and feel' meant we had to supplement the lighting, we opted for KinoFlo's and speedlights, a bit of an unusual combination but it worked really well as the big challenge on a train is that there is nowhere to hide the lights.
MSOX: What's been your approach – either creative or psychological – to the assignment?
Drew Gardner: The brief for the ad was to capture a moment that could have been missed, the challenge was to create that moment. Working closely with the Saatchi & Saatchi team we ran through a number of poses which gave just the right look. A joyous moment which would really make you take notice and tell your friends about it if you saw it on the tube. The model was fantastic to work with and was easy to coach to get a beautifully animated 'jump'
MSOX: Any funny episode you can tell us about the Klyp shoot, either during its planning/preparation or during the actual shoot.
Drew Gardner: Well it was really odd shooting on a tube train which was not on tracks, it really played tricks with your mind – particularly when we had totally blacked the carriages out. It was very disorientating. Think of being on a tube train and being able to open the doors at any moment and getting a cup of tea.
MSOX: Which photographers (ideally living ones) do you most admire (or even envy)? If not photographers, which artists or people from other fields serve as inspiration for you? Do you compare your own work or career with others? Have you achieved what you set out to, or are any major professional goals left… close, distant or unattainable?
Drew Gardner: I admire many photographers from many different disciplines, Annie Leibovitz, David LaChapelle and Gregory Crewdson. I Love the work of David Burnett too, very different to the others, but a master of many diverse photographic formats. I try
not to compare my work to that of others, I try to do my own thing, we are all individuals after all. Like many others I have too many goals to achieve and too little time. My biggest goals I am most probably not even aware of yet.
MSOX: And now let's speak a bit with Sophie Hooper.. Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi. Hello Sophie and thanks for your time. Let's start with a simple question about Klyp campaign. What was your approach to the project and to the definition of the target of the campaign?
Sophie Hooper: For the past three years, Manfrotto has been developing its product range to create products for ‘Social Recorders’ – people who have been attracted to photography entry level cost digital cameras (often in their mobile phones) and who use images mainly on social networking sites as an important way of staying in touch with family and friends.
Prior to launching the Klyp, Saatchi & Saatchi conducted research amongst Social Recorders to identify specific groups of people who would find it an attractive proposition. The most important group we called “Identity Matters and good Timers”.
These people see social media as a way of ‘advertising’ to increase social interaction, so they regularly update their Facebook profile and picture. Picture quality matters a lot to them – they are ruthless about editing out any photos which they don’t think are flattering.
Our approach to the project was to demonstrate that, with a Klyp to attach an LED lighting unit to your iPhone, you can achieve great pictures at the touch of a button
MSOX: What is the creative idea behind it, and how did you develop it?
Sophie Hooper: The creative idea focuses on the campaign theme ‘Klyp it or miss it’. It’s a simple side-by-side product demonstration of an iPhone picture taken with and without a Klyp. The male and female models featured in the campaign were chosen specifically to represent our young, chic target audience to whom ‘identity matters’ – people who want to look good in pictures.
In particular, we wanted to show how using a mobile phone camera indoors without additional light can lead to rather dull and flat images. With an LED light, the images are brighter, sharper and more clearly defined. Using the same model for both shots highlights the enormous difference this can make.
The headline “Want better looking friends?” was chosen to be provocative, yet very much in keeping with the behaviour of our target audience, who always want to look their best in front of their friends – particularly on screen.
MSOX: What was the toughest challenge?
Sophie Hooper: The biggest challenge was to create a fair demonstration without resorting to camera trickery as the shots were taken on an iPhone with and without a KLYP unit except for the train shot.
MSOX: Thanks a lot Drew and Sophie!
