The saying goes that truth is stranger than fiction, but this new campaign from The Lift Mexico directors proves that stories are easily more compelling when grounded in truth. The spot showcases the real stories of six individuals who received academic scholarships from BBVA, and as a result of their opportunities for higher education, they were able to overcome myriad struggles, rewrite their stories, and achieve their dreams.

However, capturing the various stories of these individuals, whose lives were spread out across six different parts of the country was a major sprint. “The most challenging part of this production was visiting all the characters within a very tight schedule and dedicating the right amount of time to each one in order to get what we needed narrative-wise,” said director José Terán. “We had to find a way to make the project visually stunning with limited resources.”

To achieve this goal, the directors pursued authenticity across the board; whether that meant shooting the individuals in their homes or using natural light, both José and Santiago agreed that with truth comes beauty. “All the students in the foundation are real life students, so it was beautiful because we went into their homes, their cities, and met their families,” Santiago added. “It made the project so valuable because everything you see is real; there was no art direction or wardrobe. We just worked with what existed in reality.” 

The personal stories captured in the campaign are certainly moving, but the campaign is all the more powerful thanks to the humanity and creativity achieved through the directors’ collaboration. “Projects like these are magical,” José said. “They become something that has a lot of soul, people make them with their heart set in the right place. The concept, the main characters in the spot and the nature of what the foundation does has a lot of heart and passion in it.”