26. 08. 2024
electriclime° are delighted to have brought Indigo Bates on to our director roster for representation throughout ANZ, APAC and MENA.
A British/American female director, Indigo was born and raised in London, but has spent the last ten years across multiple cities, including Paris, Buenos Aires and New York.
A globally-recognised commercial filmmaker, she has worked on major campaigns for brands such as Western Union, Moët & Chandon, NordicTrack, Adidas and many more.
Balancing her time between commercial and narrative work, her short films have screened at international festivals in NY, LA, Mexico, London and Edinburgh.
Check out our chat with Indigo below.
How did you get started in the industry?
I got the bug in NYC after uni. A good DP friend of mine, Fred, came to town for a shoot. He had a day off and said ‘Indi, I have 24 hours and a camera. Write something and let’s shoot it’
And that’s what I did. I found a location, enlisted an actor, and wrote a little script that could make the most of what we had. After a while everyone was throwing ideas out left and right and Fred told them all to shut the hell up and asked me what I had in my head. I’ve been answering that question ever since.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Inspiration can come from anywhere. I feel most inspired when I’m travelling, seeing and feeling new things. The stories that get me the most are always love stories. Ideally when there’s some unrequited element, or past regret or impossibility to them.
What’s your favourite part of the filmmaking process?
The happy accidents. It’s incredible what can happen when you have a set plan, a tight deadline and an incredibly talented crew, and then things go slightly awry. You can’t plan for it but you can be ready for it when it happens. The accidents make the process feel more like a living breathing thing than some job I need to execute on.
Or maybe I just like putting my trust in really smart individuals and seeing how we can creatively problem solve together. Maybe I just love the adrenaline of being on set. Or discoveries in the edit. How many favourite parts am I allowed to have?
As a pianist yourself, how important is music in the filmmaking project and what it adds to your commercials and narratives?
Music is often the first thing I think about when I approach a new project, it really helps me figure out what tone I’m going for and what kind of emotion I want to convey. I get a huge kick out of working closely with a composer on original scores, both for ads and shorts. Creating playlists for narrative projects also really helps my writing process. I’m always shazaming eclectic tracks that may be the perfect mood for something at some point in the future.
Why are you looking forward to joining the electriclime° team?
I’ve admired electriclime°’s work for a while – it all feels super cohesive to me; exuding a true love of the craft. I’m excited to start working together in new markets alongside such an A-team of filmmakers.
Describe your filmmaking style…
I love the little things – the human moments caught on film that feel truly relatable. I don’t believe in spelling things out for people; if I’m trying to tap into some universal truth then it’s going to come across in the minutiae. Drama and humour live and die in the details. Movement excites me, flickers of expressions that convey so much with so little, cheeky humour that makes a scene memorable – quotable even. You’ll have to watch and see for yourself!
To see Indigo’s work, click here.
LOCATION | LONDON
TIME | 17.19
51.5072° N, 0.1276° W
