Behind the Horrors of Home Renovation
Home renovation is among the most daunting prospects for home buyers, owners and renters around the world. No matter where you’re from, or what kind of person you are, stripping wallpaper off the wall (or off ten walls) has to be hell on Earth for most. Obnoxious sanding machines, newly flared-up dust allergies, Victorian piping that just won’t fix itself, lack of good insulation and every other pesky detail that comes with renovating - these are all depicted perfectly in the new KBC Bank campaign ‘Home Renovation Housing & Energy’.
In collaboration with production company HAMLET, the leading Belgian bank aimed to tell new homeowners that they can turn to it for help and trust when it comes to energy-efficient and sustainable home improvements.
So, to depict the real torture of renovation, director Bernd Faass picked three houses of different shapes and sizes to represent the realities of DIY. With not one prop on set and everything shot on location in two days, the ambitious production culminated in a 45-second dynamic and super fun TVC.
LBB’s Zoe Antonov caught up with Bernd to find out more about the creative process and vision behind the project.
LBB> What was the brief for this campaign and how did you approach it initially?
Bernd> Renovation is a very intense process that people go through and everyone can relate to it.
Everyone knows that hitting a sledgehammer against a wall means getting in touch with reality! There's nothing to discuss with the wall, it doesn't get softer by complimenting it or convincing it in a keynote presentation that it will make your home feel much better if it disappears… you have to do the work all by yourself.
This exact truthfulness and authenticity should run through every fibre of the film, but in a humorous way. Lucky for me, I’m going through exactly the same process right now.
LBB> There were so many characters in the film - did each of them have a small backstory? How did you come up with them?
Bernd> For me, it was not crucial to give each character a complex backstory. Instead, I tried to make reality speak for itself, so just before the camera started to roll, I would tell each member of my wonderful cast how I felt being in their ‘renovating situation’.
It was a very personal thing for me, and due to my own story for each scene and sharing these emotions in the very moment, I think I was able to pull them in.
LBB> Did you film on location or did you create the sets yourself?
Bernd> We shot everything on location - basically three different houses, all in different sizes, styles, and states of renovation.
LBB> What kinds of props did you use?
Bernd> We didn't use any props. Everything is real. The dust is real, the wallpaper scene is real. We didn't put the wallpaper there - somebody else did, decades ago.
LBB> There is such great visual diversity when it comes to the various scenes - how did you achieve that and why was it important?
Bernd> Besides the different locations that all added their own texture and atmosphere to the film, I wasn't really chasing a specific style. My DOP, Jens Spöri, and I were always thinking: "How can we make that scene as bold as possible?" The answer was extreme perspectives followed by documentary style shots - but at the same time - making sure each shot retained the human touch.
LBB> What was the most difficult part of the campaign to shoot?
Bernd> Time (surprise!). We only had two shoot days between the three houses.
LBB> And what was the most fun moment?
Bernd> For me, the most funny moment was the wallpaper scene. It really felt like looking in a mirror. I saw myself two months earlier scraping the old wallpaper off the walls in my own house. It was exactly how I imagined purgatory. And the actor really nailed that desperate expression… Probably most people on set were wondering why I couldn't stop laughing.
LBB> Any final thoughts?
Bernd> Never renovate!
