In a long-lasting partnership, intimacy and familiarity forms. Just like we form personal relationships, the editing process between a beauty brand and a post-production company that knows, likes, and trusts one other operates on a completely different level to one-off projects. Everything from brainstorming to final polishes become easy – and elevated. A symbiosis eventually manifests that results in stunning high-end video pieces.
Here, we explore the partnership between Fresh Beauty and MOSS, and uncover the many mutual benefits to working alongside each other in solidifying a brand’s video strategy over time.
What a Post-Production Partnership Looks Like
MOSS and Fresh started working together in 2014. Over the course of these seven years, they have grown familiar with each other. They know the ins-and-outs of how the other works; brainstorming, development, production, and post-production has become a dynamic and pleasurable dance between familiar partners. When a deep-rooted trust like this is in place, creative magic happens. The process from idea to finished campaign is faster, more comprehensive, and produces much better results.
Fresh Creative Director Daphne Ascoli said of MOSS Lead Creative Nathan Byrne, “Beyond his talents, Nathan and I can brainstorm together. And he never says no, he always finds a solution for everything. He’s just incredibly smart and passionate about everything he does.”
In the first year of partnership, the Black Tea and Rose pieces were formulated and completed. Looking back at them now, they were the beginnings of an aesthetic that would be carefully and meticulously developed in collaboration between brand and post-production agency over the coming years. This articulation is unique to collaborative relationships that stretch over years, not just projects.
“The beauty of forming a strong partnership is that as an editor you develop a profound and comprehensive appreciation for the brand’s unique characteristics. In essence, you get to know it, intimately. That’s what started in 2014 between Fresh and MOSS, and to this day it’s one of the things I love most about working with them,” Nathan Byrne explained.
Building a Collaborative Brainstorming Process
Because the relationship has lasted for so long, MOSS’ role as post-production partner has also expanded to include the brainstorming stage of campaign development at Fresh. When Daphne has an idea, she reaches out to Nathan to map existing video assets, explain the overall campaign, and brainstorm. Here, the depth and solidity of the partnership takes on a second mutually beneficial form, in that the entire process can be dealt with holistically.
The editor is brought in from the beginning, and because of his years of experience with Fresh, Nathan can weigh in from the get-go. Sometimes, MOSS creates select strings out of existing footage for the creative department, so that they can develop a storyboard. Not only does this close collaboration ensure a more effective creation process – it creates conversation. Two minds working together to achieve the brand’s end goal. Nathan thinks it’s a particularly rewarding aspect of the partnership.
“Taking part in the brainstorming process is one of the most inspirational parts of working with Fresh. It’s thrilling, exciting, and completely natural, simply because we’ve done it for so long. I’m able to quickly understand exactly what Daphne is after and give thoughts on what will elevate the finished campaign from a post-production perspective,” Nathan said.
This has a very practical implication, too. It gives Fresh clarity around which footage is necessary in order to achieve the aesthetic and visuals they’re after. Effectively, the production process becomes more economical and more pinpointed. The brand can work with confidence, knowing that the raw material they film is material the post-production team will elevate as purposefully as possible. By combining creative forces at the brainstorming stage, the partnership adds strength to the whole production.
MOSS’ Meticulous Editing for Fresh
Once a shoot is complete, the cinematographer sends the footage to MOSS, where it is copied to their protected server, and linear tape backups are made. Now, the post-production agency’s 20-plus years of editing experience takes center stage. The edit is structured, consistent, and logical. Harnessing his editor’s training and the familiarity with Fresh, as well as his keen eye for emotive and authentic moments, Nathan launches into the first and most important part of editing: The selects.
“This is my personal favorite section. Every time I feel a moment of authenticity or emotion, I press a hotkey and collect them for my first round of selects – which ensures all shots moving forward feel honest. For me, this is a process of pure joy. Working with the gorgeous raw material, to articulate the beginnings of a truly amazing campaign,” Nathan said.
This time that Nathan and the MOSS team spend with the footage before editing is the most notable difference between their work as studio-raised editors, and self-taught editors. It ensures an intricate and deep feel for the material before the edit commences; a relationship, even, between editor and brand expression, that results in finished edits like Umbrian Clay (2016) and Lotus Rescue Mask (2017).
There are several rounds of selects, ultimately arriving at those final and powerful frames to edit. Once the first edit is completed, MOSS moves onto sound design. For Fresh, this is sensorial, 3D binaural and evocative, to convey as close a connection with nature as possible. Nathan’s understanding of imagery and sound is a second reason the Fresh Creative Director appreciates working with him.
“I’ve worked with him for so many years (…) and what I fell for was the way he matches images to sound. He’s excellent with synchronizing images and music,” said Daphne.
Emulating a Brand Via Video
After the edit has been further massaged and tweaked, it’s shared with the Fresh team and senior executives. While the edit circulates, MOSS spends their time retouching the products and color correcting. This is a post-production agency that takes as much pleasure in the process as in delivering a stunning and elevated video campaign. It’s much more than a project-by-project profession for them; it’s a vocation that’s lasted several decades. Real passion for editing, and so real commitment to the aesthetic, whether it’s a visit to Vietnam (Lotus Youth Preserve, Night Cream, 2018) or roaming the walls of a monastery (Creme Ancienne, 2020). Nathan views it as a natural symbiosis; one well worth putting the time in for.
“There is such immense value in editing with a deep understanding for the brand. The entire working process becomes friendly and relaxed. We are able to bounce ideas off each other and to develop Fresh’s visual communication together – they feel safe and trust our dedication to every piece of work that we complete together. And that’s really quite special,” Nathan said.
The expression has matured and developed over the years, to a strong brand aesthetic and identity that is now resident and clear in every piece of video Fresh and MOSS collaborate on together. This came to a culmination with Fresh Senses, a passion project for both companies released in 2020, that is the epitome of everything Fresh Beauty is. With brand and agency so intricately entwined, every single campaign is a chance to develop the expression and the relationship; to strengthen the long-term video strategy and shape a unique and sustainable creative process.
Recently, MOSS added video production capabilities to their services in order to provide a more comprehensive offering to less established brands. If you want to learn more about how a long-term video production partnership can benefit your brand, contact MOSS or see their portfolio here.
