How Cesar Velasco Reeled in a Fisherman’s Feast for Gorton’s

The distinctive ringing of a convenience store bell signals the beginning of a whirlwind tabletop tour in this fast paced campaign that transports viewers across America, showcasing just how food has the power to bring people together. 

Family, friendship, love and laughter are wrapped up in an energising, hunger-inducing campaign for Gorton’s, directed by Cesar Velasco through V A G R A N T S and agency Connelly Partners. With an unmistakably bold colour palette and singalong soundtrack, the film never seems to sit still, constantly taking viewers to their next destination - be it the oven, fridge or dinner table.

Taking a look behind the scenes of his directorial decision making, LBB caught up with Cesar Velasco to thaw out the details of his latest work. 

LBB> The film was shot in Austin Texas, where you’re based - how did you infuse your knowledge and appreciation of the region into production, whilst staying close to the brand's heritage in New England?

Cesar> When we first started breaking down the scenes for this project, it became evident that a geographical location which could provide us with various distinct looks was key in order to make everything work. Austin is one of those places that provides such a great amount of different location types all within a 30 minute radius of downtown. Having lived in Austin for over five years and with plenty of filming experience down there, I knew just how much we could get out of the city and its surrounding areas. This helped narrow down the scout with my location manager in a way that helped the logistical limitations, while still taking care of all our creative needs. 

We even ended up shooting the ‘Bodega’ scene at a store location where I had filmed before, so I was incredibly familiar with the space and how to make it work. I find shooting in familiar locations so helpful - I like to feel like I am working in a space where I feel comfortable and familiar. 

LBB> The vibrant colour palette really stands out in this film - why did you decide to emphasise it?

Cesar> Colour is something I'm really passionate about. Life is full of colour; it’s vibrant, rich, textured, and fun. These are sentiments that were specifically true to the nature of the script. Every moment was an instance of people coming together, full of joy, and sharing, in this case, Gorton’s with one another. In an effort to push the idea that these interactions were to take priority over the product placement, we decided to add tones of the brand colours through the frame, accenting in a way that felt organic yet the Gorton’s brand felt present in each of these moments we see in the final spot.

LBB> The ad does a great job of incorporating all of these characters and scenes - how did you give it all a sense of cohesion?

Cesar> We were very intentional about the fact that the product should be part of all these moments, and not the reason for them. This allowed us to focus on the smiles and interactions on screen while knowing our product would then serve us as a visual vehicle through these scenes. I decided to allocate a transition element, in which we would be able to move through the product in an energetic way. Keeping momentum and rhythm going while still feeling organic to the setting of each scenario. Colour plays a strong part in uniting every single world in a larger sense but, ultimately, using the product  was key to tying all these worlds together!

LBB> How important was the music choice in creating this sense of energy, too? And what do you think made it the right track to pair with the visuals?

Cesar> Music is always incredibly important. For this specific spot, I think being able to keep something fun and light was important both for the brand and the overall feeling of the spot. Just as so often happens in life, the music is really a backtrack to the little moments of joy we experience. 

All of which are organic, and to a degree effortless: Being with family and friends, and doing something small but kind for someone you care about, are ‘light’ moments, so the music shouldn’t have to challenge or take away from that feeling, but rather enhance the pace of the edit and highlight the environments we captured. 

This specific track delivers great energy with enough negative space to still allow instances of natural sound, such as laughs and environmental noises to pop through. It also felt right, it felt fun and immediately like the right choice. Dipping the track and adding effects as if it was coming from a car radio also allowed us to play with pacing, and still maintain a sense of fun and energy throughout the whole spot.

LBB> Did you face any interesting challenges during production? If so, how did you overcome them?

Cesar> The main challenge was the amount of scenes and footage we needed to capture in only two days. Being able to collaborate with the VAGRANTS team and my assistant director Jared Dickey, as well as my LP John Rains, in putting together this logistical puzzle without sacrificing any creative needs was key. The collaboration between all of us with our amazing partners at Connelly Partners really allowed us to properly plan ahead for as many variables as possible. 

Being creatively aligned with our agency partners from the beginning, and being able to communicate all needs and production challenges, really helped us be able to set a plan and stick to it. Being able to have so much pre-approved and our plan stay sound and effective on set was the only way we could’ve made some of these seemingly impossible plans happen!

LBB> Did you tap into any of your own memories and experiences to inform these stories of dinnertime escape and nostalgia? 

Cesar> I always do! I think this is one of my strongest assets as a director, I wear my heart on my sleeve and I have a blast doing it. I have a deep passion for life and everything about it, and I really think there is deep value in even the most mundane of moments. I think being able to exercise a deep personal passion in any creative environment is a discipline I love to engage in, and with and is a very important part of my process. 

I try to emote a general feeling in each project, and let that feeling be the guiding star for as many decisions to follow as possible. I believe so many of these little joys we feel are so globally accessible and intimately human, and I love to explore these themes any chance I get. 

LBB> Finally, are there any fun behind the scenes anecdotes you can share with us?

Cesar> When we showed up to our first location on the first day, an off the road BBQ joint that we played for our ‘Dad & Son market scene’, they had changed their sign facing the road to read, “We trust the Gorton’s Fisherman”. The location owners did not have to do anything like that at all but I thought it was very funny and sweet, and sort of set the right tone for the rest of the shoot. We had a blast the whole time and it felt like everyone involved really did as well, even when challenges came up, the smiles and laughs on set were always there and that I think translated to the final spot.