CHICAGO’S TELETECH HELPS A CLIENT HELP THE WORLD
Chicago’s Teletech Video has mastered the use of aerial drones and underwater cameras by way of becoming a full service global production and post facility. But when the shop agreed to film on a remote island in the Philippines, it discovered a land where even the latest technology must sometimes submit to Mother Nature.
The job was for a division of Interface Carpet called Net Works, an environmental and socioeconomic program designed to pay villagers who retrieve discarded nylon fishing nets from the waters surrounding Danajon Bank, home to the world’s largest double barrier reef.
The material they collect is recycled into content for various products, including the blue Interface Carpet tiles that flow underneath a curved wing of the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Interface originally contacted Teletech in search of a photographer for a quick job overseas.
“They wanted to do some b-roll for a press junket,” says Teletech partner and executive producer Chris Palese. “It evolved and we decided to make a larger project out of it.”
Before long, the job grew to include something like “seventeen pieces of content,” according to partner Chris DeWinter.
“It was imperative that we get a bunch of good footage,” he adds.
Besides Interface’s company website, the footage also appeared in online videos and a campaign by Ogilvy Chicago.
Preparation for the journey began with Producer Michelle Kratzer, who arranged for a guide and a translator to meet the crew upon their arrival.
“I was communicating with the Zoological Society of London to coordinate the interviews,” she explains. “They have people on the ground in many of these villages.”
Also on the ground was a National Geographic tour that filmed in the area shortly before Teletech arrived. The experience familiarized many of the residents with the production process.
“The people were already prepped and ready to go on camera,” Kratzer adds.
The crew traveled to places like Guindacpan, where there’s barely enough electricity to power the videoke machines that entertain the villagers every night. Using gas-powered generators, they captured a collective determination that triumphs over the distress lurking amidst the tropical paradise.
Teletech cut the footage with interviews of several Interface representatives, including designers from the company’s Flor division in Chicago.
The video premiered at NeoCon, the largest interior design exposition in North America, which takes place at the Merchandise Mart. According to Kratzer, it was “definitely different than what everybody else was doing.”
“They had a triple booth where it looked like everything was underwater,” she recalls. “All ocean themed and blue.”
A few months after wrapping, the deadliest typhoon in Philippine history swept through the islands. Known as “Yolanda” by people who live in the area, it claimed the lives of more than 6,000 residents.
The Net-Works program, which has expanded to 26 villages, played an effective role in the area’s recovery.
“They were able to use some of the profits to rebuild,” Kratzer notes.
Teletech is currently back in the region documenting the recovery. Watch for the update, including an exclusive video report, in a future edition of Reel Chicago.