On My Radar: Andy Hall
Not to Scale director Andy Hall highlights influential animations of the 80s, construction workers in 80s Düsseldorf, and a Big Wednesday, as he tells us what's on his creative radar.
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What’s the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently?
Norwich City Football Club recently did a social media post for Mental Health Day. There’s not much to say about the film other than how incredibly effective it was at passing along an extremely important message.
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What website(s) do you use most regularly?
I mostly look at Behance and It’s Nice That as both offer an abundance of inspiration. And then too much time with various sites like the Athletic reading about football and The Arsenal.
What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought?
My son somehow ended up borrowing my iPad which then became his, so I’ve replaced that with the new iPad Pro and Pencil, and also the Paperlike cover which makes it feel like drawing on paper rather than dragging your finger over glass.
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What product could you not live without?
The kettle tap in our kitchen. In a instant I have a cup a tea. It does one thing… perfectly.
What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?
This year, the best film is toss up between two wildly different contenders. The first being Dune 2, which is craft at its absolute peak. And the other is The Zone of Interest, a film that is a truly intense experience on every level.
What film do you think everyone should have seen?
I remember Sunday nights when Alex Cox hosted a show on BBC2 called Moviedrome, which was about cult films. One night, a film came on that completely captivated me, but I had no idea what its name was until my third year of university when I found it again. That film was Big Wednesday, by John Milius. It was epic then, and it still is. It's everything you want your friendships to be about, and if there's ever a film that makes you want to surf, it's this one. Sadly, I don't surf.
What’s your preferred social media platform?
Hmm, probably Instagram, if I really think about it. I don’t post much, but there are gems that you find that lead to other gems and eventually, some dead-ends. However, it can provide amazing inspiration in the most unique places, which is always welcome.
What’s your favourite TV show?
Favourite show... I feel like I should say The Sopranos because it was, and still is, perfect TV. However, with the rabbit hole that is streaming, I rediscovered a show that's similar to The Sopranos, but without the murders and organised crime. It features a quirky mix of characters who become like a family. That show is Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. It's a classic, though only watch the the first and second series.
What’s your favourite podcast?
One of my favourites is Script Apart, it gives amazing insight into the catalyst of films. And Desert Island Discs because walking my dogs while listening to people telling their stories with song tracks is wonderfully familiar.
What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?
When they opened the Academy Museum in LA, going to that for the first time and seeing all these details of so many movies. Its that rare glimpse behind the curtain and the amazing alchemy of the process.
If you could only listen to one music artist from now on, who would it be?
There’s one band I always go back to and have done for forever, and it’s Jamiroquai. I remember first buying Emergency on Planet Earth and it still evokes the same feelings as way back when. And the combo of Jonathan Glazer and Jay Kay easily made the best music video of all time, Virtual Insanity.
If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?
Time; it’s the most consistent part of any process that leads to the best results.
Who or what has most influenced your career and why?
Channel 4 and Claire Kitson in the 90s became the champions of animation and commissioned a five-film series called Lip Synch by Aardman Animation. They made a series of films that were wildly diverse and amazing and made me want to be a part of that industry. And then you realise they made Morph for Take Hart and the thing that first started your curiosity is connected.
Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know.
I’m not going to elaborate too much, but for a brief moment there was talk of me becoming the other voice in the head of Felicity from the TV show of the late 1990s. It was the second season, and a very good friend who was very good friends with the creator, JJ Abrams pitched the idea. Thankfully, he had the good sense to politely decline. But for a moment…
