'Your Future' Nu

Fernando Nogari directs ‘Your Future’ for Nu.

Shot in Bahia, Salvador.

Words from Fernando below.

What does the planning look like for a project like this?

FN: There was a lot of freedom. We wanted to capture scenes that felt real, authentic, and filled with life. So we spent a week scouting, street-casting, and thinking: how are we going to tell this story through what we’re finding and experiencing as a creative team? This is my approach towards my authorial projects and I was trying to apply this in this ad— to keep my eyes open to what is in front of us. There weren’t too many rules. I didn’t want to do something that felt sophisticated or staged, I was listening to my heart and trusting my eyes.

There weren’t too many rules. I didn’t want to do something that felt sophisticated or staged, I was listening to my heart and trusting my eyes.

How does the approach change shooting for b&w?

FN: This was my first time shooting b&w so I had no previous experience or method. What was useful for us is that we were photographing everything in b&w, from scout, wardrobe fittings to casting tapes. We did this to calibrate our brains and understand how the grayscale works and what it communicates semiotically.

‘Your Future’ Nu

When moving quickly, any advice on covering a scene?

FN: I always try to be small in terms of crew. Silent and small so there’s room for improvisation. If something doesn’t feel right I like being able to propose something else. To be quick on set I generally choose one lens in particular and we go for it. I like to establish a strict point of view for every project so we don’t need to be swapping equipment/lenses all the time. Since I was looking for a ‘still point and shoot photography’ approach here, we shot it entirely with a 35mm K35 on an Alexa LF.

“I like to establish a strict point of view for every project so we don’t need to be swapping equipment/lenses all the time.”

What is the future of filmmaking in South America?

FN: In my humble opinion, the future of filmmaking in South America is based on new standpoints and points of view. Be it women, indigenous, black, brown, or LGBTQ+. For decades there’s been a monopoly of narratives in the hands of a small privileged group so there’s always basically been only one point of view. And South America is complex. Filled with stories and narratives that had either been silenced, exoticised, or exploited. So, the future, in my view, is based on these new filmmakers who are telling their stories from their experiences and perspectives.

“In my humble opinion, the future of filmmaking in South America is based on new standpoints and points of view.”

What are you reading at the moment?

FN: I’m currently reading a book called ‘A Palavra Que Resta’ (The Word That Remains) from a Brazilian author called Stenio Gardel. It’s set up in Bazilian ‘Sertão’ and It’s a love story between two young boys that is brutally interrupted for reasons out of their control.

Fernando Nogari: Director
Gabriel Bianchini: Director of Photography
Marcelo Vogelaar: Editor
Fernando Lui: Colourist
Iconoclast: Production Company