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Behind the Work in association withThe Immortal Awards
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How The Spirit of Lola Flores Captured Andalucia’s Soul in a Kinetic Campaign for Cruzcampo

03/03/2021
Production Company
Berlin, Germany
294
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Rekorder’s Erik Morales talks LBB through his spectacular ‘Con Mucho Acento’ spot, and how he was able to communicate a powerful message from the late Lola Flores…

Over 25 years after her death, there is still nobody quite like Lola Flores. The iconic dancer, singer, and songwriter was a true force of nature, known across the globe for what’s been described as her ‘overwhelming personality’ whilst onstage.

And it was precisely that spirit of individual strength and empowerment which Cruzcampo aimed to communicate with its campaign, ‘Con Mucho Acento’. When it came to finding the right spokesperson for its ad, therefore, could there be a more suitable voice than that of the late Ms Flores herself?

Using state-of-the-art technology, Lola Flores has been brought back to inspire a new generation. To go behind the scenes of this powerful new film, LBB spoke to the director of the ad, Rekorder’s Erik Morales...

Above: Spanic icon Lola Flores was synonymous with a strong, empowered sense of self that Cruzcampo channels in its latest spot, ‘Con Mucho Acento’. 


LBB> First of all, congratulations on a great film! What was your initial vision going into the project, and how close is the finished film to that vision?

Erik Morales> Thanks very much! The idea was to portray Andalucia (a region to the south of Spain) in a true and contemporary fashion, avoiding clichés and tourist postcard-style imagery. We wanted to show it as real as possible, proud of its heritage but looking to the future. 

I think the end result is pretty close to what I had in mind but, you know, in the end there are always things that you think could have been done better!


LBB> So what would you do differently if you could go back in time? 

Erik> Well like I say, there will always be something you think of after the fact. In this case, I’d have loved to take one more day of shooting so that we could cover a couple of scenes in a rural environment. 


LBB> The whole spot feels very energetic, with the music driving the emotion of the ad. How much of a challenge is it for you to film something which you know will be cut to music later on?

Erik> In this case, the music was very helpful. We knew from the start we were going to use that song from Califato 3/4, one of the most interesting young bands from Andalucia. I love that track, and I think it summarises very well the core idea of the film. 

Flamenco roots mixed with a modern sensibility gives us something new which is also in keeping the Andalucian identity. I worked on the film with that music in my mind throughout the whole process so, like in a music video, it helped a lot to set the tone and pace of the images.


LBB> What was the production process like? Where did you shoot, and how much of a challenge was the pandemic?

Erik> The production process was fine, with no major problems. The timing was crazy and Pablo (García Acón) did a great job putting it all together.  We shot Lola Flores’ double in Madrid, in a studio, and the rest of the film in the city of Malaga (Andalucia). 

We were actually shooting when the Spanish government announced the lockdown. We managed to finish filming right on the edge of quarantine. The film was edited and post-produced during lockdown via video call, so that part of the process was slow.


LBB> What can you tell us about working with the tech on this spot? How did you find using a voice ‘from beyond the grave’, as it were?

Erik> That was the most challenging part of the film. Metropolitana (the post production house) did  amazing work to make it happen. 

It was the first time we faced such a challenge and, honestly, we learned a lot. From training an actress to speak and move like Lola, watching hundreds of hours of interviews and copying her gestures and expressions, to the process of replacing the face and adjusting it to all facial expressions and modifying the morphology of the actress to adjust it to Lola's, all without forgetting to imitate her voice and her inflections with the help of her daughter Lolita... It was a great challenge, but a very gratifying experience.


LBB> Did anything about that process scare you at all?!

Erik> Well, the first time we saw a ‘work in progress’ of the actress with Lola’s face was very shocking. The great achievement of having "resurrected" an icon like Lola Flores, making her say things she never said is a mixed feeling. Is that moment when you realize that deep fake technology is truly magical but, depending how it is used, potentially dangerous.


LBB> And what made Lola Flores the right choice for this film? 

Erik> Lola Flores is one of the biggest Spanish icons. She became one of the most popular and beloved by the people because of her overwhelming charisma and personality. To have her speaking to new generations about empowerment, and the importance of taking pride in your roots, is such a powerful message. Javier Senovilla and Juan Pedro Moreno, Ogilvy Madrid CDs, nailed it with the idea.


LBB> How did you capture the very genuine and human emotions of people in the film? What did you do to elicit that?

Erik> One of my goals from the start was to portray a real Andalusia, far away from the tourist campaigns, that locals would recognise as part of their environment. Locations and casting were crucial to get that. We did street casting, trying to find real people, avoiding agency models. We were especially looking for people with natural charm and charisma, but who were not familiarised with acting or commercials. We did a massive street casting in Malaga, mostly focused on young profiles. Then, the challenge was to create the appropriate climate for them during the shoot so that they were comfortable and spontaneous. 


LBB> Finally, what's your personal highlight of the finished ad? Is there one moment that stands out from watching the finished film?

Erik> There are two moments that I especially like. The first one is the scene of the girl on a horse. Apart from liking it visually, I think it sums up the concept well. A modern girl, in a tracksuit, riding a beautiful Andalusian horse in the place where the Feria de Abril happens once a year. Modernity embraces tradition. 

The second one is the fried egg, haha! I like it because we filmed it raw, in all its glory.

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