On My Radar: ​Fausto Becatti

What’s the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently?

I’m coming at this question as a director, so it’s less of an idea and more of an execution, but I loved this spot for AirPods Pro. Especially the music, a brilliant cover and recording of The Pixies’ Where is My Mind?.

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

YouTube; I'm probably addicted but maybe that’s not the worst. I definitely go down rabbit holes of deeply random subjects. I also love reading about movie news and have been reading the JoBlo website basically since the internet existed.

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

I just bought a Leica Q3 and it’s been an amazing tool to inspire me to keep shooting all the time (and to work with on set). The Germans seem to know a thing or two about building a camera. 

What product could you not live without? 

My MacBook Pro. Basically, my whole life is there. That’s a boring answer, but the honest truth. The fun answer is pizza, but does that count as a product? 

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year? 

Triangle of Sadness; dark, smart, hilarious, genius performances and power shifts.  

What film do you think everyone should have seen? 

Requiem for a Dream. A maddening, deeply affecting dive into addiction. With a soundtrack that will never leave you.  

What’s your preferred social media platform? 

Instagram; it’s the bane of my existence because it’s a time-killer, and it can also be bad for self-esteem. At the same time, it’s brilliant for sharing creatively, finding inspiration, and connecting with like-minded people in the industry. @FaustoBecatti  

What’s your favourite TV show? 

Hard pick, but probably The Sopranos. I watched it fresh for the first time recently and I was blown away by the performance of James Gandolfini. It made me wish I’d experienced the ending on old-school TV when it was released, and then everyone talked about it the next day. I also just love the mobster genre. Either that or it’s got to be a show about nothing… Seinfeld.  

What’s your favourite podcast? 

The Director’s Cut - A DGA podcast. I love hearing and learning about the process of different directors. It’s always incredible to understand their paths, inspirations and approaches. Blows my mind how one director might be absolutely militant with rehearsals, and then another might want to shoot 3/4 takes and just find it on the day. There’s no right way, but I love hearing the different approaches.  

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently? 

The Thierry Mugler show at the Brooklyn Museum. I didn’t realise the depth and vision of his creativity, and his boundary-pushing nature. I loved the lengths that he went to in creating such original and unique work across multiple mediums. It struck me in this new AI age of Mid-journey etc. how he was creative and groundbreaking. Pure, raw expression. 

If you could only listen to one music artist from now on, who would it be? 

What’s with these difficult questions, huh? This one is really hard because I listen to music all day, every day. But… probably Radiohead. They have such a diverse catalogue and are always evolving, and I read this question as still being able to listen to their new releases!

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

Again, I’m coming at it from the perspective of a director, who works on one slice of the business. So, with that in mind, I would say that I would love to see true equality coming through in the pitching process, for the right reasons and not just for optics. Championing more people who maybe don’t present as the obvious choices.