TL;DR: This coffee brand film is part 1 of 3 short films I made for Ethio Gabana, a specialty coffee exporter founded in Ethiopia by Ethiopians. I shot it in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, in 2020.
I was fortunate enough to film Ethio Gabana's brand and story, and I traveled all over the country to do it. More of my directing work is on my brand film and motion page.
Who directed the Ethio Gabana coffee brand film?
I directed the Ethio Gabana coffee brand films in 2020. I also wrote the scripts, shot them as DP, produced them and edited them.
What is part 1 of the Ethio Gabana series about?
The first Ethio Gabana film is all about the coffee, including the history of coffee in the area.
Ethio Gabana used the 3 films on its website, on social, in presentations and across its general marketing.
What does a director learn making a coffee brand film?
Working on the Ethio Gabana film taught me a whole lot about the intricacies of the coffee growing process. Take this for example: there are 2 ways to process coffee. Washed coffee dries in parchment. Natural coffee dries in the cherry. Who would have thunk it!
This was such a dream job to be a part of. I got to meet some tremendously friendly people, see some of the most beautiful parts of Ethiopia, use my skills as a lifestyle and portrait photographer, and eat some delectable fresh grilled goat.
What happens when a brand film shoot falls apart on day one?
Cultural differences can raise challenges you'd never see coming, and on the Ethio Gabana shoot one showed up on day one. We'd been talking with Ethio Gabana for weeks about what we needed and how we'd shoot it, and we thought we were on the same page on everything.
After a long trip there, we were ready to start shooting at sunrise. I walked outside with my camera ready, all excited. Beautiful light, fog rolling in, a guard standing by, and nobody else on the farm.
I can't speak the language, and the guard didn't really understand my crude miming skills, so I got a translator. Through the translator, I found out no one was on the farm that day…or the next several days. In fact, no one would be on the farm the whole time we were filming! Coffee doesn't pick itself or dry itself, yada, yada.
It was funny and a little scary at the same time, and I definitely panicked for a second. But I problem solved. I got the site manager there, and he went back into town, where everybody thought they had the days off, and asked them to come back to work so we could film. I think they were even paid more for their time, so it was a win win.
That's one of those things that just happens in the field. You've got to think fast.
Where can you watch the rest of the Ethio Gabana brand films?
The Ethio Gabana series is 3 short films. Part 1 is about the coffee, part 2 is about the community and part 3 is about coffee farmer Worku Beyenu.
Part 2 of the Ethio Gabana series, Coffee is Community, covers Ethio Gabana's commitment to its community: a clean water pump at each site so the local community has safe drinking water, a school being built at its Anderacha site, and one being renovated near Bochesa, with help supplying educational materials.
Part 3, Meet Worku Beyenu, is about Worku, who takes care of his family by growing boutique coffee. He and his family were kind, wise and welcoming. We filmed inside his house, at his farm and around his community.
How do you hire a director for your coffee brand film?
I'm an Orlando-based director, and I'd like to hear about your coffee, beverage or lifestyle brand. Tell me about your brand film and we can go from there.