Craft
Crossing The Generations With Carhartt
Contagious LA director Andrew Laurich creates a beautifully evocative documentary for Carhartt, which looks at the generations of work involved in building a company.
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The rise of the documentary genre in advertising is one that comes hand in hand with our increasing need for authenticity. Branded content work can be found almost everywhere and increasingly we see 'real people' being put into the spotlight. Arguably, this relatable style of filmmaking can be more moving and effective in conveying the core message of a brand or company than the more traditional, fictional form of advertising. In this latest spot 'Generations' for the blue-collar focused clothing company Carhartt, by Contagious LA director Andrew Laurich, the notion of family and legacy is put center-stage to celebrate the five generations responsible for shaping the company as we know it today.
While beautifully conveying the story and message of the brand, Laurich manages to focus our attention on the individual idiosyncrasies of the characters on screen. Having already lensed a previous piece for Carhartt and a number of quirky music videos, commercials, short films and mocumentaries, the director has clearly homed his very individual, evocative and subtly humourous style of filmmaking. We couldn't resist catching up with him to chat about cameras, cowboys and the stories behind good craftsmanship.
How did you get involved in the Carhartt project?
I’d worked with Carhartt on several prior occasions - notably, a short film titled, “Made by Hand” that played at Slamdance. Their creative director, Brian Bennett, approached me last summer about Generations. His pitch: “I’ve got a project you can’t refuse.” He was right.
How were the subjects chosen? Did you help shape the direction or did it come from the agency fully-formed?
I was fortunate to have a lot of freedom in the selection process, but Carhartt definitely got the ball rolling. For me, it ultimately came down to families that have overcome significant hardship, whose business are largely blue collar in nature, and whose day to day is active and kinetic. In other words, I knew that a family accounting practice probably wouldn’t play well for camera.
What were the first stages of the production? I imagine that with documentaries like these you need a fair amount of pre-production research and discussion before the shoots can take place.
The first step was certainly to find the right families. My production company, ContagiousLA, spent a few weeks casing the internet and doing phone interviews. The interesting irony is that the generational blue collar tradesmen don’t really advertise online. So it took some digging.
How were the shoots? How long did you get to spend with the subjects?
The shoots, themselves, were as exhilarating as they were brief. Because the budget was tight for the scope of the project, our production schedule was like a hyper-caffeinated road trip. I think we spent a little over a day with each family across Michigan and California over the course of a week and a half. I’ll credit producer Natalie Sakai for pulling rabbits out of hats on this one.
What purpose did you have in mind whilst shooting the films? Did you have to steer the subjects in certain directions, or did the ‘story’ of the piece come out of the edit?
As a whole, I wanted the films to feel like a post card to the family business. In ways, “family” and “business” paired together kind of struck me as an oxymoron. So I tried to get at the hardships that inherently exist in trying to keep a tradition going. Ultimately, it’s a story of resilience.
The first step was certainly to find the right families. My production company, ContagiousLA, spent a few weeks casing the internet and doing phone interviews. The interesting irony is that the generational blue collar tradesmen don’t really advertise online. So it took some digging.
How were the shoots? How long did you get to spend with the subjects?
The shoots, themselves, were as exhilarating as they were brief. Because the budget was tight for the scope of the project, our production schedule was like a hyper-caffeinated road trip. I think we spent a little over a day with each family across Michigan and California over the course of a week and a half. I’ll credit producer Natalie Sakai for pulling rabbits out of hats on this one.
What purpose did you have in mind whilst shooting the films? Did you have to steer the subjects in certain directions, or did the ‘story’ of the piece come out of the edit?
As a whole, I wanted the films to feel like a post card to the family business. In ways, “family” and “business” paired together kind of struck me as an oxymoron. So I tried to get at the hardships that inherently exist in trying to keep a tradition going. Ultimately, it’s a story of resilience.
How was the edit? We understand that for documentaries there tends to be miles of film for each minute on screen.
I’ve heard the shooting ratio on narrative is typically something like 5 to 1 and that with non-fiction it’s like 50 to 1. I think that’s accurate in my experience. Fortunately, I work closely with a skilled craftsman and good friend in that department, editor Randall Maxwell. After watching the dailies, we hammer out an outline and try to formulate a thesis before actually diving into the physical cutting.
Elements of the America you shot (particularly in ‘The Rankins’ episode) has been immortalised in Westerns – was there a certain pressure to capture the natural beauty in an authentic way? Can you also tell us about the choice of shooting on both C300 and Super8?
You certainly want to capture the subjects’ world in a way that reflects their passion for it. With the Rankins, we got a little lucky in that the sun perfectly back lit the cattle drive - which was the visual heart of the piece. Also, cinematographer Scott Uhlfelder is a wizard with light. So I’ll credit him and God. I wanted to shoot Super8 not only to give the films some visual texture but also to invoke a feeling of nostalgia. Family history is an integral element, so we used old film to introduce an archival quality. We shot the rest on two C300 cameras, which have an amazing latitude and are ergonomically suited to run and gun style filming.
I’ve heard the shooting ratio on narrative is typically something like 5 to 1 and that with non-fiction it’s like 50 to 1. I think that’s accurate in my experience. Fortunately, I work closely with a skilled craftsman and good friend in that department, editor Randall Maxwell. After watching the dailies, we hammer out an outline and try to formulate a thesis before actually diving into the physical cutting.
Elements of the America you shot (particularly in ‘The Rankins’ episode) has been immortalised in Westerns – was there a certain pressure to capture the natural beauty in an authentic way? Can you also tell us about the choice of shooting on both C300 and Super8?
You certainly want to capture the subjects’ world in a way that reflects their passion for it. With the Rankins, we got a little lucky in that the sun perfectly back lit the cattle drive - which was the visual heart of the piece. Also, cinematographer Scott Uhlfelder is a wizard with light. So I’ll credit him and God. I wanted to shoot Super8 not only to give the films some visual texture but also to invoke a feeling of nostalgia. Family history is an integral element, so we used old film to introduce an archival quality. We shot the rest on two C300 cameras, which have an amazing latitude and are ergonomically suited to run and gun style filming.
Whilst at the ranch, did you try to ‘cowboy-up’ and rope some cattle whilst you were there?
I tried, but the Indians got in the way.
Is it hard to balance the observational nature of the docs whilst avoiding too much mawkishness and sentimentality? We can imagine that in other hands they could have come out a little ‘picture postcard’.
It is. Honestly, the hardest part for me in docs is trying to break the subjects of a pre-determined script - that tendency for them to feed you answers they think you want to hear. And any whiff of inauthenticity comes off, perhaps, as looking manufactured. I got a great tip once from Stacy Peralta, a documentarian and idol of mine, who suggested that you ask subjects questions in a way that puts them on the defensive. For example, instead of phrasing it, “do you like what you’re doing?”, you ask, “do you ever quit?” The responses often come more from the heart and less from the brain.
Were there any stories that surprised you? What was your favorite moment of the process?
Yes, definitely. Probably the most striking was from this fourth generation scrap yard foreman. He was once shot on the job by a gangster trying to rob him. He ended up firing back and killing the guy in self defense, and then had to stand trial for murder. After being acquitted, he still came back to work the next month. That’s dedication.
My favorite moment of the process was probably riding on the back of a pickup truck with two camera-men to chase a bunch of cowboys trying to wrangle a hundred or so cattle. That was a good day.
I tried, but the Indians got in the way.
Is it hard to balance the observational nature of the docs whilst avoiding too much mawkishness and sentimentality? We can imagine that in other hands they could have come out a little ‘picture postcard’.
It is. Honestly, the hardest part for me in docs is trying to break the subjects of a pre-determined script - that tendency for them to feed you answers they think you want to hear. And any whiff of inauthenticity comes off, perhaps, as looking manufactured. I got a great tip once from Stacy Peralta, a documentarian and idol of mine, who suggested that you ask subjects questions in a way that puts them on the defensive. For example, instead of phrasing it, “do you like what you’re doing?”, you ask, “do you ever quit?” The responses often come more from the heart and less from the brain.
Were there any stories that surprised you? What was your favorite moment of the process?
Yes, definitely. Probably the most striking was from this fourth generation scrap yard foreman. He was once shot on the job by a gangster trying to rob him. He ended up firing back and killing the guy in self defense, and then had to stand trial for murder. After being acquitted, he still came back to work the next month. That’s dedication.
My favorite moment of the process was probably riding on the back of a pickup truck with two camera-men to chase a bunch of cowboys trying to wrangle a hundred or so cattle. That was a good day.
You’d worked before with Carhartt on the ‘Made By Hand’ film. Did that give you a good indication of what to expect?
Yeah, absolutely. I love working with Carhartt. They’re more interested in telling good stories and being loyal to their customer than meeting a bottom line. And their projects are always chalk full of adventure and road trips. Who doesn’t love a good road trip?
We’ve seen the impressive (and AICP shortlisted) teaser and first episode in the series. What have we got to look forward to? Have you got any plans to make more films for the brand?
There are two other short films in the series on the docket. One about a fishing family in northern Michigan and another about a scrap metal business in Detroit. I’m not sure of the exact release schedule at this point. Otherwise, I’d love to work on future projects with Carhartt.
Yeah, absolutely. I love working with Carhartt. They’re more interested in telling good stories and being loyal to their customer than meeting a bottom line. And their projects are always chalk full of adventure and road trips. Who doesn’t love a good road trip?
We’ve seen the impressive (and AICP shortlisted) teaser and first episode in the series. What have we got to look forward to? Have you got any plans to make more films for the brand?
There are two other short films in the series on the docket. One about a fishing family in northern Michigan and another about a scrap metal business in Detroit. I’m not sure of the exact release schedule at this point. Otherwise, I’d love to work on future projects with Carhartt.
The teaser contained music from YouTube star, musician and friend of SourceEcreative Rob Cantor and you’ve worked on an excellent music video (Old Bike) for him. Is this an ongoing collaboration? Anything cool up your sleeves you can talk about?
It’s been sort of a lifelong collaboration. We met freshman year in high school and started directing plays together. We do have more projects in the works, but unfortunately you’ll have to stay tuned. Does that qualify as a cliffhanger?
What’s up next for you?
I just finished shooting a project for NBC Universal and am releasing a short film I made with Mr. Show’s John Ennis in the next couple of weeks. Otherwise, pitching on commercial projects and trying to perfect my Sean Connery impression. It’s better when you close your eyes.
It’s been sort of a lifelong collaboration. We met freshman year in high school and started directing plays together. We do have more projects in the works, but unfortunately you’ll have to stay tuned. Does that qualify as a cliffhanger?
What’s up next for you?
I just finished shooting a project for NBC Universal and am releasing a short film I made with Mr. Show’s John Ennis in the next couple of weeks. Otherwise, pitching on commercial projects and trying to perfect my Sean Connery impression. It’s better when you close your eyes.
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