From VFX to SNL: the Diva-lution will be televised

I do a lot of stuff, but, mostly, I consider myself a director." It’s a simple answer to a less-than-simple question.

Why? Because look up Mike Diva and you’ll find titles that range from VFX artist to actor and editor, YouTuber to musician and producer. This isn’t to downplay his directorial chops; not only has he produced music videos for the likes of Lil Nas X and Doja Cat, whilst pushing our top commercial work through his production companies HunkyDory (UK) and Lord Danger (US), he’s currently a darling of Saturday Night Live and responsible for many of the legendary show’s most lauded recent shorts. And before you ask, yes, he is behind that Last of Us/Mario Kart mash-up starring Daddy du jour, Pedro Pascal. But more on that later.

I just do whatever is fun to me and whatever will be fun to make.

No, to understand what defines Mike Diva as a director, is to understand the very plurality and self-sufficiency which defines his generation of YouTube-bred creators. A generation for which he is a perfect (if far from self-proclaimed) poster boy. 

Above: Diva's acclaimed SNL Mario Kart skit, along with an entertaining making of.

Diva emerged from the primordial gene pool of early-days YouTube making parodies, skits, and music videos - many of which he starred in as well as produced. But it was out of this DIY-based necessity that he quickly sharpened his VFX skills in particular - something he believes still serves him on present-day projects.

"When I did do VFX stuff, it was out of necessity because a lot of the dumb ideas in my head needed VFX to get them onto a screen. But that means that I can speak a certain language today when I direct. I know how to shoot for VFX; I know what the process is, I know what’s possible and what’s not. I do think that ultimately it helps to know your constraints."

I know how to shoot for VFX; I know what the process is, I know what’s possible and what’s not.

It isn’t just the technical know-how that informs his current approach - he also speaks to the value of being able to call on a network of creators who grew up in the same space:

"My time in the VFX world has let me meet a lot of great people. Take MarioKart/SNL - I was able to bring in some heavy hitters from the YouTube channel The Corridor Crew and have them help out. It probably would have been impossible to make an entire car sequence in two days without them."

Above: An example of Diva's YouTube output, showcasing his musicality, playfulness and wicked sense of humour.

The skit, which plays on dystopian dramatisations of video games, sees Pascal’s Mario attempt to smuggle his own human (read: Princess) cargo across a post-apocalyptic landscape. They run into Luigi, Toad, Yoshi and Bowser - most of whom menacingly declare their bisexuality direct to camera. It exploded across the gaming and pop-culture spheres (13 million views on YouTube and counting) with NBC even featuring its own ‘Behind The Sketch’ piece on the film. 

Despite this success, you could be forgiven for wondering whether a self-starting YouTube polymath would be a strict cultural fit with such a legacy machine as SNL.

[SNL is] a lot like a 24hr film festival - the fun and chaos.

"It’s a total beast but it wasn’t hard to fit in there because I feel that I am good at understanding an assignment. I love to style-match and see, within that, what we can pull off in a limited amount of time. It’s a lot like a 24hr film festival - the fun and chaos. I LOVE chaos. My best work is done in a panic. What we’re doing every week should be impossible, but pulling off the impossible is fun."

Above: Diva's Halo Top spot, "still one of my favourite things I’ve ever done'.

In parallel to his ascendency in SNL’s ranks, Diva has also been growing his commercial portfolio. Anyone looking for an introduction to his style should definitely check out his gloriously uncompromising spot for Halo Top ice cream featuring a disoriented granny being force-fed by a robot [above]. It’s weird, sure, but it’s also laugh-out-loud funny.

"That’s still one of my favourite things I’ve ever done. And maybe the only time I’ll be able to do something like that. It was pure, because it was direct to client - specifically the CEO Justin Woolverton - who happened to be a fan of my work and let me do whatever I want."

I get brought in on these projects where I am told to go nuts.

For every project with this purity, however, there are those where his trademark weirdness falls foul of the corporate process:

"I get brought in on these projects where I am told to go nuts… and then I storyboard it and they say “we love it”... and then I shoot it “yeah that’s great”... then I edit it before it finally gets to the old dude at the top who for some reason hasn’t been involved in the process and says “we can’t release this - it’s insane.”" 

Above: Entertaining work for Old Spice and Axe.

This hasn’t stopped him from working with - amongst others – Axe and Old Spice. These projects he cites as perfect examples where weird is welcomed and the results speak for themselves. In the Old Spice spot, a chorus line of mechanised heads muse on whether ‘hair can feel’. As the song gathers pace - dropping from barbershop into dubstep - the grotesque assembly starts to glitch and self-destruct, only to re-order, culminating neatly in the trademark Old Spice whistled mnemonic. 

I feel that the stuff that I do has musicality in its pacing and I am able to edit things to the cadence of a piece of music.

"My music background has also helped a lot - I feel that the stuff that I do has musicality in its pacing and I am able to edit things to the cadence of a piece of music. I also often write the music for commercial work with my brother, who’s a great producer."

Above: In an alternate universe, this would be Donald Trump's re-election video.

And herein lies the magic beneath the madness; Diva’s work isn’t just weird for the sake of being weird. It’s an unapologetic mashup of genres, disciplines and techniques which almost always results in something you’re unlikely to have seen before.

"I just do whatever is fun to me and whatever will be fun to make. And hopefully, if I can subvert expectations or maybe make something unique, that’s what it really comes down to."

Despite the discipline that organisations such as SNL are clearly having on his craft, growing up without creative guardrails on platforms like YouTube has left an indelible mark on his approach. He is, however, less optimistic for future generations who might hope to follow a similar path - despite the ever-increasing sophistication (and democratisation) of technology. 

When I started out, it was a lot easier to get noticed. 

"It’s definitely way easier to do anything today than it was even five years ago. But there’s also more noise. When I started out, it was a lot easier to get noticed. YouTube also championed real filmmaking and storytelling in a way that the current internet does not. In some regard, it’s harder to have people give a shit about anything you do. We are now in the world of 15-second vertical TikTok videos where you tell one joke, do one bit and that’s it. There’s very little nuance and real storytelling involved."

So what advice would he give the next generation of Mike Diva’s? "There are so many programmes and tutorials that can help you out on the practical side, but ultimately I think that if you make something provocative enough, it can still grab attention."