Exclusive look at the “House of Gucci” viral video

Written by Staff Writer

Editor’s Note — “House of Gucci” is a satirical documentary series featuring people with unique stories. The documentary series seeks to bring these stories to light through surreal interactions and fascinating situations, such as one man’s strange, alien abductions and another’s encounters with the supernatural.

Filmmaker Brian Lin, whose deep knowledge of the luxurious world of luxury fashion brands comes through in the gaudy experimental video “House of Gucci,” said making the video took around $8,000 in equipment and talent.

“I wanted to show that even in the most ordinary surroundings, people could keep up with luxuries,” Lin said. “What I liked about this project was that the community was more than a set I shot inside the Gucci store. People seemed to care about the filming.”

The most expensive expense

This time around, Lin — who also happens to be an actor, singer and musician — was especially focused on shooting in the traditional Gucci store. The Los Angeles native regularly shops at the Italian department store, where he said there is always a “creative vibe” and “interesting intersection of things”.

Hong Kong’s Xiao Qiang sees inspiration in the founder of Italian luxury brand Gucci (JudeLaw) in this unscripted clip from the unscripted series “House of Gucci.” courtesy “House of Gucci”

Lin said it was “impossible” to find similar stores to shoot “House of Gucci” in.

“There’s one location I try to go to every year, but we can’t get it organized,” he said. “I want to do something innovative every year, but it usually takes at least one year to get everything running. I’m hoping to work on this next year.”

“Last year we filmed at Tiffany & Co.,” he added. “But they’re all more expensive than Gucci.”

Image credit: Courtesy “House of Gucci”

The costs of equipment and crew

Lin said it cost him about $8,000 for a single day of shooting.

“I will only spend what it takes to pull it off,” he said. “Like on “House of Gucci” it was around $8,000. I wanted to keep the costs down for myself, so I don’t have to charge full price.”

Image credit: Courtesy “House of Gucci”

The budget for the video included expenses like renting red curtains to brighten up the Gucci store and hiring a cameraman who often changes costumes himself to experiment with different shots.

A lot of the budget also went into the casting process, including who could represent the essence of the luxury brand and persuade their co-stars that it’s worth changing into their guinea pigs’ masks in an attempt to understand the mind-set and lifestyle of the luxury shoppers of today.

Image credit: Courtesy “House of Gucci”

“I looked for people who would ‘look good and act crazy’ — not for life imitating art, but acting it,” he said. “We took into account the additional costs associated with traveling and balancing filming with doing things like school and work.”

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