Powerful new Lowe Singapore film for PETA exposes how the fur industry collects angora

Lowe & Partners Singapore has released an online film for PETA titled ‘Get a Feel For Angora’. The film, directed by Olivier Venturini via Great Guns, has one distinct message; Stop Buying Angora and it shows what rabbits kept for angora wool must endure every three months.

Venturini set about capturing real, honest reactions from volunteers as they were waxed live on camera; reactions that weren’t fake or would trivialize the profound message. The film reminds us of the pain we consciously go through when we decide to have a wax and then juxtaposes it against the unbearable cruelty rabbits go through to produce angora wool.

The film uses real undercover footage filmed on mobile phones from angora farms and merges it with the striking imagery shot in studio to create a powerful spot.

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Olivier comments: ‘Half way into the prep, we had access to the undercover footage of the rabbits being tortured. It was brutal, too brutal to be shown in length to unwilling viewers. We had to cut it down dramatically. The thing that stuck in our mind was the almost human-like screams of the rabbit. It was horrific and was obvious that no matter how much craft we used at the start of the film, it would have to end on this raw, unsophisticated phone-footage. I was keen on this contrast between the rather beautiful but moody imagery that we shot with my DOP Ben Fordesman and the undercover footage. I thought the discrepancy between the sophistication of the waxing and the brutal realism of the torture best convey PETA’s message.’

“When I first read this script Laura Gregory sent me, I thought it was uncomplicated and straight-forward. This was not going to leave anyone indifferent. Animal Rights have always concerned me, and revealing how Angora, which most of us have bought without thinking, is actually collected, was a shock to all of us. It was a perfect opportunity to do my bit and at the same time end up with a film I would be proud of showing”, comments Venturini.

CREDITS

Sound Design: Culum Simpson @ Jungle