Peer Review: LIAKH

Who are three contemporaries that you admire?

There's so much incredible talent out there that it feels wrong to single out three people. So, I’ll cut you a deal and mention four. 

Abdou Cisse – There is so much energy and ideas spilling over Abdou’s work. It’s personal, original and gets you moving. The holy trifecta. 

I can’t wait for his debut feature and I’m looking forward to him shaking up the commercial space too. I hope he doesn’t take it the wrong way, but his work has this blockbuster feel – which is a major feat to nail as a young director.

 Satire is a hard genre to pull off without being angsty to the point where people think you’re a big old bummer.

Vedran Rupic – When a director’s work becomes its own genre, I can only say, “wow." Yeah, I’d love to be friends with this guy.  

I mean, I’d love to be friends with all the people I mention here, but I’d really love to ask Vedran how he developed his particular style. His whole body of work is like a book of fairytales that have been infused with a sheet of acid, yet you can still read and enjoy it even if you’re sober.

Kristofer Borgli – Satire is a hard genre to pull off without being angsty to the point where people think you’re a big old bummer.  

I’m not ashamed to say I really dig Borgli’s cynical outlook at the world, because it’s wrapped in this poetic and artful craft… And it’s just so funny when it hits. I hope he comes back to doing ads in the future, which would make the cycle truly complete.

(You’ve probably seen his feature films, but his short form work is equally great).

You take a great idea, and you find the best possible way to make it happen regardless of the amount of money and time you have.

Raine Allen-Miller – What’s the opposite of cynicism? Raine Allen-Miller’s work.  

It’s very inspiring to see a commercial director making a banger of a feature film, whilst bringing her unique style to the narrative form, as well as a lot of her collaborators, along. Rye Lane made me happy about being a Londoner and just happy in general. Her commercial work has the same effect. It’s pure joy – something I’m still trying to learn how to express. 

Please share 3-4 pieces of work that exemplify great direction. 

Is Tropical – The Greeks (directed by Megaforce)

You take a great idea, and you find the best possible way to make it happen regardless of the amount of money and time you have. Then you try to make it your own. To me, that’s great direction – and this film is one of the first things Megaforce created. You can already see the promise, which was fully fulfilled since then. Also, it’s laugh out loud funny and f*cked up, but for a good reason!

The opportunity to make my dumb ideas (and smart ideas of others) come to life in a circle of great people makes it all worth it.

CBS Sports – Teasing John Malkovich

It’s a sports promo, it’s a movie, it’s one of the best “commercials” I’ve ever seen. Not only has Peter Radovich Jr. directed it, he also wrote it – which yet again proves that, more often than not, film is a writer’s medium. Just how good is this – you let John Malkovich take apart the whole commercial process and get a great commercial as a result. I love it so much I watch this film weekly. And I don’t even understand or watch American football!

Coralie Fargeat – The Substance

So much has been said and written about this movie, that I doubt I will add anything new to the conversation. But if we collectively agree that good direction is strong vision and bulletproof craft, then I encourage you to watch the making-of featurette. It’ll make you want to work much, much, much harder than you do already. I promise.

If my “career” is a video game, then I just got out of the tutorial level.

Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino – The Grindhouse

I was way too young to appreciate the full scale of this madness when my mum took me to watch these movies at the cinema. To this day, I believe that committing to the bit without a care in the world is what makes great direction. I can speak for hours about this double bill, but we don’t have all day, so I’ll just encourage you to watch it and then imagine how WILD this experience might have felt in 2007. It’s an event, packed with fake ads and trailers (a few of them became real movies off the back of it). 

What do you like most about the work that you do?  

The people! It’s an isolating and lonely gig at its worst, which makes working with people far smarter and more talented than you, even sweeter. Other people and their ideas became my film school – a bunch of rascals sitting around a table trying to make something out of nothing, laughing and crying at times. It’s pure magic, something AI-overlords will never understand.… So yeah, the people! 

 If I can’t summarise an idea (or any part of “direction”) on a napkin in one sentence (or a digital version of one), I go back to the drawing board.

What has your career journey been like so far?  

If my “career” is a video game, then I just got out of the tutorial level. Now I’m getting my ass handed to me in boss-fights and pick up some legendary loot along the way…. Okay, this metaphor is going nowhere.

In all honesty, it’s been humbling, stressful, and insightful as hell.

The opportunity to make my dumb ideas (and smart ideas of others) come to life in a circle of great people makes it all worth it. If I can do more of it, I’ll be a very happy man.

How has your experience working in agencies shaped your approach to storytelling? 

Agencies are amazing bootcamps for learning the key thing to any creative endeavour – ideas. What is an idea? What is the difference between idea and execution? What makes a good idea? 

[Every director needs] a therapist and a best friend. Preferably they shouldn’t be the same person and BE NOWHERE CLOSE to the industry.  

If I can’t summarise an idea (or any part of “direction”) on a napkin in one sentence (or a digital version of one), I go back to the drawing board and bash my head until I can. This approach has been working so far.  
 
HOOPLA by Crispin Porter Bogusky was my first advertising handbook and still is to this day.  

What is one thing every director needs?  

A therapist and a best friend. Preferably they shouldn’t be the same person and BE NOWHERE CLOSE to the industry.  
 
We all need real talk, reality check and tough love from time to time.