15 Most Distinguished Directors...
To celebrate 150 issues, shots counts down the 15 most distinguished directors.
In advertising, you usually spend all your time looking for the hot, the new, the next. But sometimes it’s good to look back, to appreciate the old that was once new, to see how far we’ve come.
To celebrate our 150th issue, shots takes a nostalgic trip and browses the industry’s rich creative history to pick our favourite 150 agencies, directors, production and post houses, spots, Super Bowl spots, creative gurus, brands, music videos, online campaigns, shots staff most admired work and most important changes…
From his shots debut in issue 59 for Skoda Motorshow, to his most recent appearance in this issue as a Cannes Contender for Thomson, Bond has set a very high directorial bar. He never disappoints and is frequently name-checked as an inspiration to emerging directing talent.
The co-founder of Gorgeous Enterprises, Budgen is a director with a unique vision. His work is astounding on a technical level, but the techniques never comprise the integrity of the story he’s telling.
If you need to raise a laugh then Bryan Buckley is your guy. Snickers, E*Trade, Budweiser and Dr Pepper have all benefited from the comedic Midas touch of Buckley. His work has impacted both the brands he’s shot for and the industry as a whole. For our money, the Orange Gold Spots are the top of the Buckley pile.
We’ve already mentioned Surfer on the previous page and while that spot might define his advertising career, Glazer is a directing giant in the industry across commercials and music videos: Levi’s Odyssey; VW Protection; Guinness Swimblack; Stella Ice-skating Priests; Sony Bravia Paint; UNKLE Rabbit in Your Headlights… need we say more?
The exacting Gondry has, like Glazer, overseen some amazing work in both commercials and music videos, the best of which is Smirnoff Smarienberg, Levi’s Drugstore, Bjork’s Army of Me and Cibo Matto’s Sugar Water.
A proofreader’s nightmare, maybe, but van Heijningen’s list of credits is hugely impressive and contains some of the most viewed spots on shots.net, including Centraal Beheer’s Witness Protection, Canal+’s The Wardrobe and The Bear and Peugeot The Sculptor.
The two words, ‘madcap’ and ‘genius’, have never been more appropriate. Stories of Kaye’s sometimes erratic behaviour, for many, only add to his aura. Certainly, his brilliant visual genius cannot be denied. Brands such as Volvo, Dunlop, Vauxhall and Nike have all benefited from his being behind the camera.
His spots have appeared on shots innumerable times and the fact that he is as prolific as he is brilliant should be enough to get his name on the list. Work including Xbox Champagne, John West Bear, Guinness noitulovE and the fantastic Supernoodles Wasted Away is proof of the above.
Along with Kleinman, Ledwidge is one of the co-founders of Rattling Stick, and his reel is a remarkable thing. Since winning the CFP-E/shots Young Director Award in 1999 he has been behind some of advertising’s most innovative, interesting and influential spots.
Like Buckley, Middleditch has a penchant for comedy and is rightly lauded for being the man behind some of the funniest spots in advertising. His work includes the oddly brilliant (Carlton Draught Big Ad and Flashbeer), the brilliantly odd (Yellow Pages Not Happy; Sky TV Fish & Chips) and the frankly hilarious (Bud Light Fridge).
A recent sojourn into the features world hasn’t dulled Murro’s appetite for advertising. Recent spots for Lipton, AT&T and PlayStation 4 only add to the impressive list of work he’s directed over the years.
Issue 150's Ad Icon is so deemed for a reason. His reel is full of emotionally engaging and beautiful work and spots such as Vodafone’s Time Theft and the more recent, and brilliant, The Kiss, for the same brand, are proof of that.
From iconic music videos, like REM’s Losing My Religion, to equally iconic commercials for the likes of Nike, Levi’s and Smirnoff, Tarsem Singh’s directorial canon is impressive, to say the least. His commercial output has been more sporadic since moving into the features arena, but spots such as Bottle for Smirnoff, Good vs Evil for Nike and Levi’s Washroom still remain high advertising watermarks.
The Scandi collective is ever present on shots and it’s easy to see why. Their output is not only impressive in quantity (at the time of writing they are the director most featured on shots) but also in quality. They have influenced a host of fellow directors and helmed a cavalcade of creative work.
Wilson’s first appearance on shots as a director was with FriendsReunited’s Kids in issue 72. Unlike FriendsReunited this director has gone from strength to strength. Playful work for brands like Coca-Cola, Heinz and Boots sit alongside emotional epics such as John Lewis’ The Long Wait and Always a Woman and St John Ambulance’s Save the Boy.
Connections
powered by
- Director Tony Kaye
- Director Danny Kleinman
- Director Ringan Ledwidge
- Director Paul Middleditch
- Director Noam Murro
- Director Frédéric Planchon
- Director Tarsem
- Director Traktor
- Director Dougal Wilson
- Director Fredrik Bond
- Director Bryan Buckley
- Director Frank Budgen
- Director Matthijs van Heijningen
- Director Jonathan Glazer
- Director Michel Gondry
Unlock this information and more with a Source membership.
Membership
