A 2 Minute Video About a A Life Lived Outdoors as Told by Andy Anderson for Skinvivia

Andy Anderson’s recent campaign with Skinviva, a new non-invasive treatment for skin cancer, required an abundance of sensitivity, as most pharma campaigns do. Because of this, he knew he wanted each element of the video and stills to work in service of telling the story; from the use of natural light, to the casting, to scouting the perfect location, he wanted it all to meld to create the most authentic story, told in a 2 minute spot. 

Living in Idaho, Andy knows people exactly like the subjects of this campaign. He has worked with and lived among ranchers who have developed ailments because of the nature of their work. His emotional connection to the subject made telling this story authentically a priority and to translate the story of these specific ranchers to members of communities with which any viewer can connect.

Andy has always been interested in how he can communicate the human condition through his work, telling stories and making images and films of people from all walks of life. We spoke with Andy to learn more about why he feels that this project is different from any project he’s done before.

What was a memorable moment for you on this shoot?

The most memorable thing about thing was the complexity of the shoot. I casted, scouted and directed this entire project. I had this location in my rolodex of locations ever since I worked this ranch about 17 years ago on a different shoot. I already had a relationship with the family that owned and operated this land and although I scouted other locations in Oregon, I knew as soon as I got this job that I wanted it to be at the Imperial Stock Ranch. The people in this spot are real ranchers. This subject is really important and I knew that to tell the story as authentically as possible that we needed real ranchers and their families. It was really special to return to this place and work with the family again. 

The lighting is beautiful in the video, what were you inspired by when shooting it?

Skin cancer is cause by sun exposure over time. I wanted to take that and use it to tell a deeper story. How can we show how harsh the sun is on ranchers who are outside all day, every day? We didn't try to reduce it, rather we embraced it. We only used the natural light. I also was inspired by the landscape. I thought that the harsh, sun-beaten high desert landscape reflected how our skin is affect by the sun. This was another reason why I wanted to be in Central Oregon at this specific ranch. 

What do you hope people take away about you and your work from seeing this project?

A lot of times shoots are separate by having a director and photographer sharing the set. I have an incredible production team and my DP is a very good friend of mine. We are able to work in tandem to ensure that the look of the stills and motion are staying consistent. Collaboration is incredibly important on set, even more so when we're shooting stills and motion simultaneously. Since we've been working together for so long, we can read each other's body language and be efficient with shooting both together. I think that's so important and not always possible. 

What was one thing you learned on this shoot?

How important the casting process was. I did all of the casting myself. I knew I wanted to use real ranchers and not models. In the end, this decision was truly the secret to the success of this project. Their honesty and kindness led to an earnest feel of the campaign that I think will connect to a wide variety of people.  

Follow Andy on Instagram for more imagery from a photographer living life committed to the outdoors.