On My Radar: Konrad Begg

Director Konrad Begg, represented by FRED Directors, has recently completed a set of stings for Skoda, through Fallon London [below] and here reveals the other car commercial he admires as well as a memorable moment from art class and a distinct dislike of monkfish.

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

I really liked one of the #hibernot Landrover ads from earlier this year [below]. I just feel they capture the feeling of being in Britain in the Autumn/Winter perfectly. Its well shot and the sound design is great.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

Surfline forecast, to check the surf when I’m at home and to frustrate myself when I’m not.

Colossal, to look at new artwork in its many forms and aquarium drunkard for unexpected musical treats. 

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

I haven't actually got it yet but I'm coveting Kodak’s new re-invented super 8 camera. I make all of my home movies on super 8 format. I don't care what anyone says. Film stands the test of time.  

What’s your favoured social media platform?

The pub.

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

Uber.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Question Time. It reminds me not to trust the people in power and to respect those who challenge them. 

What film do you think everyone should have seen and why?

It's a Wonderful Life; its naive and its flawed but its heart is firmly in the right place and I think it is beautiful. This film is my litmus test for people.  

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

In bed, wide awake at 4am thinking about my up-coming film, feeling around for a notepad that is never, nor has ever been there, then frantically typing notes into my phone and texting them to myself. 

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

Lots more work, lots more platforms for the work. 

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

Speaking from a filmmaker's perspective, I’d like it to be easier for people from a broader range of backgrounds get a foot in the door. When I started out I was fortunate that I had some really good friends who helped me. These days it’s tough/impossible to be a runner in London unless you have some financial backup. 

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

I had an art teacher who was a Vietnam veteran. He looked like Captain Custer. He wore his green army jacket to school everyday. He had us in groups of three to create any building we liked by rolling up paper into long cylinders then sticking them together.

Some kids spent days creating the Eiffel tower and London Bridge, they even painted them and stuck little people on. We, however, took the easy route and made a “bombed house”. It looked shit but we were done pretty quickly. 

We informed Mr Henderson that we had finished and asked if he would like to take a look. He did. After a moment of contemplation and sucking the last life out of a rolled up fag (it was the 80s) he asked, “would we like to whip it?”.

We looked on still confused by his question. Had we mis-heard him? No. He grabbed a length of rope from a nearby still life and in one swoop destroyed the tower. We waited for an explanation or a critique. It didn't come. He just wandered off back to his desk and rolled another fag.

I guess what he was saying (by his actions) was that mediocrity is a drag and must be punished accordingly. That or he was just criminally ill-equipped to be a teacher and was struggling too much with his own issues to be fucked critiquing a half-baked piece of shit made by three 11-year-olds. 

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know.

I used to work on a fishing boat gutting monkfish. I still gag mildly every time I see one.