Hannah Lux Davis: the high priestess of pop promos
With her knack for crafting blockbuster music videos that attract record-breaking numbers of eyeballs, it’s no wonder pop’s elite are flocking to London Alley director Hannah Lux Davis. Her secret weapons? Impeccable styling, bold choreography - and a ‘pretty gritty’ aesthetic.
The Way I See It: Rhea Scott
From Grammy-winning music videos for the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna to the Oscar-winning short Logorama, Little Minx founder and uber-producer Rhea Scott has built her three-decade-long career in production on a sculptor’s ability to shape raw potential into something extraordinary. As Little Minx celebrates its 25th anniversary, Scott talks to shots about being born twice, the need for more ‘doing’ when it comes to diversity, and why a salmon is her spirit animal.
Diana Olifirova's creative composition
Playful, experimental, impatient and driven, the award-winning Ukrainian cinematographer has brought her bold approach to colour and lighting to bodice-ripping bonkbusters and budget promos alike.
Food’s been framed
From whirling chicken wings to forkable yoghurt, Michelle Pak’s blend of precision and creativity has made her the go-to director for tasty tabletop spots sauced with cinematographic flair.
Border force; the power of creative constraints
From tight budgets to production logistics and legal compliance, are constraints the boundaries of creativity, or its foundation? Selena Schleh talks to industry insiders about the pros and cons of restrictions – both external and self-imposed - on the creative mind.
Daniel Maarleveld’s codes of creativity
Known for blending generative design and kinetic typography, Jelly animator and graphic designer finds creative inspiration in the freedom of coding and the limits of algorithms.
Parv Thind sounds off
Banging on bins, slurping up noodles and making machines chuckle - Parv Thind, partner and sound engineer at Wave Studios, has created some of the weirdest and most wonderful sounds in advertising. Although as Selena Schleh finds out, in an increasingly noisy world, it seems silence can be golden.
Cutting through the noise: Aleah Morrison-Basu
From the Prime Video Ripple to the Eurostar Spark, composer and music producer Aleah Morrison-Basu knows how to create sonic logos that get stuck in one’s ears. The co-founder of Zelig Sound tells shots about the sonic shift from ‘techy’ to ‘organic’, why ads without music only tell half the story, and how to learn sound mixing visually.
Prasoon Pandey’s crusade for concealed craft
As the president of the Film Craft jury at Cannes Lions this year, director and founder of Corcoise Films, Prasoon Pandey, is looking forward to playing detective with his jury. He talks to Selena Schleh about discovering examples of great craft hidden inside “deviously demented” ideas.
Look the other way – the future of accessible aesthetics
From next-generation QR codes to elevated print photography; AI drawing tools to enhanced audio descriptions – Selena Schleh examines how advances in technology are empowering the blind and visually impaired community to create – as well as appreciate – art.
Tal Zagreba’s curious case of creativity
Having channelled his passion for ‘playing with cool stuff’ into an award-winning filmmaking career and a flourishing sideline in AI art, the UNIT9/USA director explains to Selena Schleh how he's looking for new ways to tell stories.
The Way I See It: Henry-Alex Rubin
From early gonzo hits like Whopper Freakout to politically charged work for Sandy Hook Promise, SMUGGLER director Henry-Alex Rubin has parlayed his documentarian’s eye into authentic spots that don’t just win gongs (Emmys, Oscar nominations and more) but seek to bring about real change. He tells Selena Schleh about why he makes ads for people who hate ads.
