CASE STUDY

Remote directing: on a coffee farm in rural Brazil

A Brazilian film crew from Story Productions shot footage for a corporate film for leading global food & beverage business Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), with remote direction from The Gate Films and comms agency Bray Leino in the UK.

Date: 2021  

As one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of agricultural produce, Brazil is often in the spotlight for corporate videos commissioned by food and agri-business clients. Story Productions has filmed on farms in rural locations far and wide in Brazil, from family-run farms in Goiás in the Centre-West of Brazil for global chemical company BASF, to fruit farms in Espirito Santo to showcase the logistics of exporting fresh produce on behalf of American Airlines Cargo.

A man holds a giant strainer while separating coffee beans
A drone operator sits while the DOP operates equipment
Story Production crew prepares the equipment on a coffee farm in rural Brazil

Our latest rural adventure took a small Story Productions crew to the remote interior of Bahia in the Northeast of Brazil. Our client, The Gate Films, had been commissioned to create a corporate video for ofi, a leading food & beverage company that supplies ingredients and solutions to customers worldwide. The focus of the shoot in Brazil was a coffee farm, one of ofi’s suppliers.

Watch the final ofi video


The scenes we shot form part of a broader film, written by Bray Leino and directed by Matt McDermott, using footage from around the world to showcase in a very sensory style how ofi innovates at every level of their business. Whilst we can’t reveal much more than that, suffice to say that Matt’s treatment for the film involved a detailed shoot list that required plenty of bird’s eye footage captured from above with a high-end cinema-quality drone.

TECHNICAL SCOUT


Ahead of the shoot, Story Productions arranged a technical scout to travel to the farm and planned a number of key production details, including road access, location distances, mobile phone reception and energy supply.


The scout was essential in helping us define key details of the shoot, including the need for a generator as well as internet dedicated links with wifi routers.




REMOTE DIRECTION


Matt McDermott directed the shoot from the UK with a very clear idea of the precise style and framing of the shots he wanted. Given the complete lack of phone signal on the farm, we arranged high-speed internet access by locating the closest telecommunications tower and setting up the latest streaming technologies like the far-reaching Teradek video assist to provide Matt and the wider team with a live view of the camera feed.


A streaming technician from Story Productions set up the equipment, testing first thing in the day to make sure the crew had sufficient bandwidth for the live stream.

A drone flyes over a coffee field on a farm in rural Brazil

Another key piece of information that the meteorological report gave us for the shoot was the position of the sun throughout the day – vital for knowing where shadows would fall when filming bird’s eye with the drone. This was factored into the puzzle of planning the shot list for the day.

You can't predict the weather

Despite the most rigorous production planning, one variable that is unfortunately beyond our control is the weather, especially in Brazil where the tropical climate of the Northeast can make the weather wildly unpredictable. What we normally recommend to our clients, when their shoot depends almost entirely on exterior footage, is to invest in a detailed meteorological report. The Gate Films requested this, and as a result we rescheduled the shoot and managed to dodge a tropical downpour in exchange for a day with blue skies, giving our client the best chance of capturing the shots they needed. Another key piece of information that the meteorological report gave us for the shoot was the position of the sun throughout the day – vital for knowing where shadows would fall when filming bird’s eye with the drone. This was factored into the puzzle of planning the shot list for the day.

A panoramic view of a coffee farm in rural Brazil
A view of the fields on a coffee farm in rural Brazil

Filming in the remote locations in Brazil

Even armed with an up-to-the-minute meteorological report, bad weather can still come as a surprise. Story Productions’ English-speaking film crew always factors this in, bringing gear that will protect our cameras and sound recording equipment (almost) whatever the weather. When we shoot in rural locations we travel with spare cameras, lenses and batteries; after all, nearby stores and equipment rental are not an option. Read more production tips for filming in Brazil

Story Productions arranged all on-the-ground production logistics, travel for the film crew, communication with the local client representatives, and equipment hire. Our crew included an assistant director/fixer, drone DOP, Gimbal/camera operator, photography, streaming technician and a driver.

Farm workers along with the Story Producitons crew
Drone operator and camera men on location in a coffee farm in rural Brazil

Production notes

  • The drone used was an Inspire 2 (5.8k quality). We also travelled with a back-up drone.
  • A Teradek video assist provided a live stream of the camera feed in a remote area
  • A detailed meteorological report was essential for planning around the weather
  • The footage was delivered to the client via high-speed FTP
  • A highly skilled and talented drone-camera operator and a streaming technician meant we could deliver the shots needed
  • An on-set bilingual assistant director was able to be a bridge between the shoot on the ground and the director and production team in the UK

Planning a shoot in Brazil? Need a Brazilian crew? How can we help you?

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