The Fear Focus

War in Europe, looming global recession, food scarcity and warnings of upcoming climate collapse – the world has many reasons to be fearful. We speak to industry figures about global and sector-specific fears; from the changing landscape of advertising to the impact of consumer anxieties.

Talent

Dan Mace: facing his fears

Dan Mace burst onto the scene as a bright new directorial talent. Success in commercials followed, ahead of a triumphant YouTube career and collaboration with a Hollywood A-lister. But fear, anxiety and ego led to depression, alcohol and drugs. Here, Mace discusses not only facing those fears, but how they helped him flourish.

Craft

How Hugh Mulhern forged the future of body-horror

Kicking off March's Fear Focus, we speak to Riff Raff's Hugh Mulhern about how he put together the frenetic, freaky and downright fierce visuals for Hak Baker's Telephones 4 Eyes.

Insight

Fear is the fuel for creativity

Kevin Chesters, CSO and Co-Founder of Harbour, argues that, far from hiding from it, we should be embracing fear as the 'spidey-sense' that lets us know when we're onto something creatively exciting.

Insight

The fear factor

Fear is everywhere – a driver for communications as much as of behaviour, but how brands and creatives are resorting to fear is changing. Tim Cumming spoke to industry pros about anxiety in advertising.

Insight

Clicker bait: The Last Of Us, Carl Jung and the connective power of fear

Strategic Consultant Will Sansom looks at how the HBO blockbuster's philosophy on attachments through adversity can relate to brand/consumer relationships.

Insight

How advertising falls into fight, flight or freeze... and what to do about it

Faced with fear, humans generally have three responses; run and hide, play dead, or come out swinging. But those responses evolved from a time when danger was almost always life threatening. So, how do they relate to today's fears? The Moon Unit reevaluates our fight, flight and freeze responses for a modern world.

Insight

Fear of losing control: how brands can thrive in the creator economy

Conscious Minds CEO and ECD Cam DeArmond explains why businesses shouldn't be afraid to collaborate with content creators in this 'era of influence', where authentic partnerships can be formed to achieve maximum impact.

Insight

Never try, never know: riding the big waves in uncertain times

Fear, explains Sarah Donnenberg, can be crippling, but also exhilarating. It can create doubt, but also opportunity. Here, the Founder of SLMBR PRTY Films explains how she decided to face fear in a bid to embrace success.

Insight

Tony Cullingham's reasons to be fearful

Continuing our frighteningly good series in which industry pros share thoughts on angst in adland, and in general, we speak to the legendary Tony Cullingham. The former Watford Advertising Course leader, now head of BBH London's incubator course The Barn, shares musings ranging from tales of genuine wartime horror, the hunt for brand conscience and his worries about his aggressive eyebrows.

Insight

Jamila Hardy's reasons to be fearful

Continuing our series in which industry voices share feelings of fearfulness about advertising and in general, we speak to Jamila Hardy, a visual artist and producer-in-training at Dark Energy Films, to hear how the younger generation is coping with a worrisome world.

Consumers are battling inflation fears and brands need to fight with them

How consumers are responding to the cost-of-living crisis and what that means for brands

Drink in the change: why alcohol brands need to tap into modern culture

Insight

Fatima Ansari's reasons to be fearful

Continuing our series in which industry voices share thoughts on angst in advertising and in general, we speak to Fatima Ansari, Global Senior Copywriter at Publicis One Touch, who shares her belief that fear can be both friend and foe.

Insight

Rankin's reasons to be fearful

In the first of our frankly terrifying series on what gives advertising pros the jitters – we speak to Rankin, world-renowned photographer and founder of agency Rankin Creative, about the impact of anxiety on society, creativity and the industry in general.

Insight

How to walk the 'fear factor' tightrope

Ian Kammer, a director at Valiant Pictures who recently helmed a psychologically tense short, examines how keeping audiences on the edge of their seats (or even hidden behind them) can prove a successful approach for brands that are brave enough.

The Inspiration Focus

What are the cultural artefacts, random objects, rituals and synaptic sparks that generate fresh ideas? We talk to some of ad land’s most innovative thinkers about creative inspiration. What it is, where they find it and do the AI bots have it too...

The YDA 2024 Focus

The rising stars who won Golds in this year’s Young Director Award share with shots the origins and ideas and behind their films, the production highs and lows and what they’re planning next.

The Music and Sound Focus

With sometimes just seconds to tell a story and set tone, the aurals – as well as the visuals – need to be spot on in ads. This month we sound out the musical maestros and foley funsters worth listening out for.

The Future Focus

What will tomorrow bring? Is creativity, or humanity, at risk from Artificial Intelligence? How will increasing eco-awareness impact consumerism? In a topsy-turvy world seeing fast-moving culture shifts, shots devotes two months to garnering insights from the soothsayers of ad-land on the shape of things to come.

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