Talking 'bout my inspiration

Emma Branderhorst - Director, Corner Shop

It's hard to pinpoint a single commercial that completely changed my life or inspired me to become a director, as most of my inspiration has come from films. However, there is one commercial that holds a special place in my heart. I first saw it when I was in school, and it had a lasting impact on me. At the time, I believed that my films needed to be big and larger-than-life, but this commercial showed me different. The director, Miles Jay, captured everyday life in such a realistic, simple, yet beautiful way. It proved to me that there is a place for my own super-realistic style of filmmaking, and I found that deeply inspiring. 

What also struck me was how the commercial combined a social impact message with advertising in such a seamless way. It was a fresh perspective for me, and that's why I would choose this one. 

Warren Fu - Director, Partizan

Skittles' Touch The Rainbow is one of those unusual ads that made me want to get into advertising. It took the existing utopian feels of the Taste The Rainbow campaign and completely flipped it on its head, turning it into something dark and absurd. The casting, the comedic timing, the seamless blend of VFX and match cutting, and that fist slam on the desk to punctuate the spot was perfection. I believe this was one of the early ads to go viral online, 99% was possibly due to how much I shared it with my friends and co-workers. Skittles follow up spot Piñata, was just as twisted and hilarious.   

Holly Sutton-Williams, Mid-weight Creative, M&C Saatchi UK 

I grew up in NZ, and like many Kiwi kids I spent my summers at the beach dodging sunburn and seeing which budget ice cream I could get with my $1.50. This happened to coincide with the release of what I still think is one of NZ’s greatest ads. And maybe the reason I got into advertising. Togs, togs, undies took a truth that every demographic seemed to relate to and turned it into a simple and ridiculously memorable film.  

It quickly became part of culture. My family joked about it at the beach, my friends laughed about it at school, and my gran brought it up at Christmas. And even after all these years, it’s the piece of work I go back to when I need a reminder to not overcomplicate things. 

Alma Har'el - Director, Epoch

My first impression of advertising as a truly cinematic medium came in the mid-2000s, when Lowe London (now MullenLowe) and Stella Artois captivated audiences with their iconic Reassuringly Expensive campaign. The spots were funny, irreverent, and felt like entire films condensed into 90 seconds. 

This 15-year series introduced me to some of my favourite filmmakers, including Jonathan Glazer, whose work on Devil's Island (2000) and Ice Skating Priests (2003) taught me how specific casting choices of distinctive faces can elevate a story. 

When I discovered in 2017 that not a single woman had directed a spot in that entire campaign, my collaboration with Stella Artois on the Be Legacy campaign became even more meaningful. It felt like writing a new chapter in a book I kept for so long.   

Susie Booth - Senior Creative, Elvis

Picture this… it’s 2010, it’s Saturday night, and you’ve just rushed home to catch the X Factor right when it was at its peak. The first ad break starts and the whole two minutes has been taken over by a bunch of farmers in white T-shirts passionately singing about yogurt. 

Yeo Valley was the first brand I’d seen that made an ad that didn’t feel like an ad. I remember immediately going to iTunes and spending a precious 79p to download the song onto my iPod shuffle. This was the moment I realised advertising was more than just selling a product, it was about making people feel something. All I could think was… how do I do that? 

Will Wightman - Director, Blinkink

Watching the BBC's The Tapestry by Nicos Livesey for the first time was a real moment for me. It's such an incredibly unique animation technique done so beautifully and painstakingly. As a piece of advertising, the craft and aesthetic also just perfectly encapsulate the message of the spot which is something I really aspire to in my own work. 

Above all though, the tapestry really opened my mind to the possibilities of short form filmmaking. How that insane level of craft, storytelling and attention to detail isn't just reserved for features and passion projects. Seeing that when I was 15 was the moment I feel in love with short form. 

BRBR - Directors, Spindle

Playstation 2 ads were something quite unique, and they left an indelible mark on our psyche. The dystopian, eerie visuals connected deeply with that very specific electric feeling running through the spine every time the start-up chime would sound. We were still too young to know we wanted to work in advertising, even in film… even to know working in film was really a thing! 

But those ads are the first memory of an ad, that really moved us in a deep, unconscious, mysterious way – against those repetitive jingle-ish marketing strategy that we can still sing by heart today and feel like nothing but as a backpack we can’t get loose of. Those early PS ads, still today, keep their power… looking at its aesthetics, there’s something that’s remained deep inside us. Both strange and familiar