Judy Hill, executive producer at Nexus London, reflects on a year of learning, thinks that this Christmas a lot of UK brands got it right, and believes that more innovative business models between the advertising and entertainment industries will be waiting in 2015.
How would you describe 2014 for the industry, creatively speaking?
I’d say 2014 has been an assorted bag with a handful of stand out moments. Encouragingly, the latter part of the year has served up the more insightful, truthful and braver ones. I would say that in 2014 the interactive field has had the edge over traditional productions in terms of creativity. I love the way that the recent celebrated film, Honda Type R The Other Side, marries impressive filmmaking with seamless technology.
And what about your own creative performance in the last 12 months?
Overall, it’s been good, in fact Nexus has had a strong 2014. The Stand Up For Cancer two-minute film [below] was great work from Smith & Foulkes for Channel 4. We also launched Nexus Stage prototype earlier this year, which has been really well-received and embraced by brands and geeks alike.
Our recent interactive work with Burberry (a series of interactive window displays for the Printemps store in Paris, below) and Google Made With Code, both showcase that creative storytelling can be enhanced and made unique by using technology in the right way.
We’ve continued to spot and support brilliant young talent – such as Factory Fifteen and Nicolas Menard who shot supercool promos for The Bug and Tourist respectively and the irrepressible Kibwe Tavares, whose short film Jonah won him top accolades, including the prestigious cfp-e/shots Young Director Award in Cannes.
What do you think your own best personal achievement has been in the past year?
Taking the leap from a traditional to a fully integrated production company, I now know my Arduino from my Unity. I’m enjoying pushing my own boundaries, and learning new things every day. It’s good to get outside your comfort zone; technology and techniques are constantly evolving which means I have to as well!
What are you most excited about for 2015, workwise or other?
Workwise, exploring the potential of the talent we house at Nexus, and seeing the creative results of their hard graft and boundless imaginations. We’ve got some great projects coming up. We’re phenomenally lucky at Nexus in that we have a very pioneering culture, and are introduced to new creative discoveries all the time - so I’m probably most excited about this.
Personally, surviving the Congo over the New Year break.
And what are your predictions for the industry in general in 2015?
More immersive ways of telling stories, not just using Oculus Rift, but bringing film and moving image to an audience in unexpected ways.
The progression of real time animation and the implications this has for interactivity in public spaces.
Much more innovative business models between advertising and the entertainment industry where we will see part-funded models emerging and way more diversity in the types of companies collaborating.
Which campaign or piece of work will you remember from this year?
For memorable, beautifully crafted pieces of filmmaking, I would say Sainsburys Christmas Is For Sharing and Ikea Beds. I also loved the exuberance and downright silliness of Three's #SingItKitty [below] and the supporting website was tonally perfect; providing laugh out loud fun for my small nieces and nephews.
Have you worked on any seasonal campaigns this year and what are your thoughts on the bulk of Christmas work that has been released?
As I said above, Ringan’s Sainsbury’s spot [below] stands out for its audacious scale and beautiful craft. It’s an example of the highest level of storytelling that vitally makes you feel something – which ultimately is what any form of communication should do. On this criterion, John Lewis, Boots and even Waitrose’s Ellie (whom I’m very much looking forward to seeing cook up her gingerbread men in The Great British Bake Off in years to come) all do this well.
Along with TV spots for Orange and Talk Talk, we worked on two interactive installations this Christmas; with Burberry, we created the first-ever interactive window display for Printemps in Paris and we created the Christmas tree installation at The President’s Park in Washington.
Working alongside Google, Red & Co and 72andSunny LA, we were asked to take the original project we created for Google Made With Code - inspiring young girls to code via the Made with Code website, using an intuitive programming language called Blockly – and developed this so that the girls could code their own Christmas tree lighting design which was then shown on one of the 56 Christmas trees in front of The White House. President Barack Obama, with the aid of Tom Hanks, launched the installation in early December to great fanfare.
What’s your new year’s resolution, workwise or other?
To buy a cycling helmet, luminous jacket and lights to make my cycle to work and home a tad safer…
And if you had a piece of advice for the creative industry to learn from this year and take into next, what would you say?
A lot of our award-winning and ground breaking work is the result of working really closely with the client from the very beginning – so my advice would be come to us as early as possible! We find that integrated campaigns, which by their very nature run across multiple platforms, have a more creative outcome if the agency comes to us when an idea is at a fledgling stage.
The best results are achieved when we are considered a creative partner as opposed to a production supplier. And let’s not forget the key to everything: TRUST– it makes for bigger, braver and more successful endeavours.
Connections
powered by
- Production Nexus Studios
- Executive Producer Judy Hill
Unlock this information and more with a Source membership.
Membership
