Inspiration from the Advertising World

Posted on by Thomas

The more I work in the commercial genre, the more enchanted I become: maximum story economy and maximum style in short projects with broad audience reach. I even love the accountability that working with clients brings to the process. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own ideas that we need someone who’s not in the room to tell us that it’s not working. Some recent spots I found inspiring:

Director/DoP Lance Accord delivers yet another brilliant Star Wars-themed spot, this time for BBH New York. Superb VFX by The Mill. After 37 years, the Star Wars franchise still gives me goosebumps.

Strong directing from Salomon Ligthelm and superb cinematography by the talented Khalid Mohtaseb. Agency: Publicis. The Buick brand has atrophied so dramatically in recent years—I didn’t even know these cars were made anymore. Precisely the kind of bold design necessary to revive a sinking product line.

My favorite kinds of stories are stories about misunderstood creatures. Audi continues its advertising success in this spot directed by Stephan Wever (Stink) for Razorfish. DoP Cezary Zacharewicz and the German animation studio Sehsucht delivered the impressive imagery.

Volvo’s “Vintersaga,”directed by Gustav Johansson and produced by New Land, is a mesmerizing paean to winter. Niklas Johansson‘s 35mm cinematography manages to take the bleakness of Sweden’s snow and darkness and transform it into an incredibly seductive landscape.

The view from Kostava Street: hustle and hustle and the great unknown.

2 thoughts on “Inspiration from the Advertising World”

  1. Interesting… I am Khalid’s W.C. guy and I believe he is one of the most talented (and frenetic) guys I have ever worked with. Khalid is an immense talent, with integrity and a unique aesthetic, not to mention a very good friend.

    It is nice, though not surprising to see another DOP (yourself) I hold in high regard appreciate Khalid’s work.

    The best appreciate the best after all and the best show no fear in expressing their appreciation of the art. Even if it is recognized in others.

    Cheers A

    Reply

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Published by Thomas

Thomas Burns is a Los Angeles-based director and cinematographer working in both the fiction, non-fiction and commercial genres. He holds a Master's degree from Stanford University's graduate program in documentary film, where one of his films won a Student Academy Award, and his work has screened in national broadcast and in film festivals around the world. In 2002 he was nominated for the John Seitz Heritage Award for outstanding work in the field of motion picture photography, and in 2009 received the award for Best Cinematography at the European Independent Film Festival in Paris. In 2009 Thomas also received a Fulbright Scholarship to produce a collection of large-scale photographs in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia that explore memory and the post-Soviet condition in the South Caucasus. Thomas hosts cinematography and film production workshops for students and industry professionals both internationally and in the US.