Face to Face with... Danny Brooke Taylor

Mother London creative director Danny Brooke Taylor has taken up position behind the camera for his first directing gig. This promo for Swedish band Teddybears' track No More Michael Jackson, shot through production company Chief, sees him trail a monkey as he weaves his way through an empty, Neverland-like mansion.

Tell me a bit about Teddybears and your association with them.

Teddybears hail from Stockholm. They wear Reservoir Dogs suits and big bear heads. Their music is a heady mix of dance, hip-hop, rock and reggae. I met Klas years ago when he was directing commercials, and we have been friends ever since.

Have you always planned to get into directing?

Yes, music videos and shorts.

What made this project the right time to get behind the camera?

I saw the title of this track and thought it was really interesting. I had a few thoughts and pitched them to the band. The Bubbles thought complimented some lyrics they were working on, so we went for it.

They say ‘never work with children or animals’ and you’ve ticked off 50% of that on your first try; was there any trepidation about working with a chimpanzee for No More Michael Jackson?

I was more concerned about being cooped up in a room with the editor Rich Orrick for a whole weekend. Sometimes he can get a little ‘over excited.’

Where did you find him and what was the experience of shooting with him like?

The chimpanzee is called Chance. He’s three years old and lives on a farm in Sarasota, Florida. The animal welfare aspect of the shoot was of utmost importance to us, so we were thrilled to see how well he was cared for. He was an extraordinary creature. Deeply affectionate.

What was the hardest part of the shoot?

The fact that we only had four hours shooting time with Chance made the blocking out process critical. It was here that [DP] Dan Stafford-Clarke’s previous experience proved vital.

Will it be long before you get behind the camera again?

I hope not. I loved it. But my day job gets priority.

Who’s your favourite screen animal?

The  dung beetle featured in the recent BBC Africa series. This little guy pushes a ball of poo across a windy desert, backwards. And do you ever hear him complain?