Inspirations and post-Covid impact; the industry’s new voices speak out

What was your pathway into the industry?

Erica Eng: After college, I moved from the Bay Area to LA, to work and pursue a directing career. I started as an unpaid intern at motion picture company, Spyglass Entertainment, and a commercial production company called HSI Productions. Then, I got my first job as an assistant at a below-the-line agency called The Skouras Agency, where I fell in love with commercial filmmaking. After a few years, I became an Executive Assistant to the VP/EP at PRETTYBIRD, where I learned the in’s and out’s of commercial producing for a couple of years before I moved back into features and TV, working as Michael Mann’s Executive Assistant.

I finally decided to take a chance on myself and quit full-time work to become a freelancer while I concentrated on directing.

During this time, I directed my own projects while learning about the industry through my day jobs, but nothing was “breaking” for me. So I finally decided to take a chance on myself and quit full-time work to become a freelancer while I concentrated on directing. After a couple of years in production, I was eventually picked as one of six directing fellows to participate in the CDDP (Commercial Directors Diversity Program) – a fellowship partnered with the DGA and the AICP. The CDDP program became a stepping stone for me to build my career as a commercial director.

Above: (Left to right) Erica Eng, Luca Hrubizna, Serena Rossi, Brian Broeckelman. 

Brian Broeckelman: I studied journalism in college but quickly pivoted to filmmaking. Two shorts and a spec ad helped me land a gig with a small video production company, Gizmo Pictures, in the Kansas City area. That year working in KC was very hands-on. It allowed me to build a portfolio, which got me in the door with Cutters Studios in Chicago, and eventually onto the roster with its production arm, Dictionary Films.

After graduating, I was so eager to get my foot in the door, I started badgering everyone I could.

Serena Rossi: My journey here wasn’t the traditional route, I came from a classical and contemporary dance background. I did a module on my course where we had to create dance films which is how I found my passion for creativity behind the camera and editing. After graduating, I was so eager to get my foot in the door, I started badgering everyone I could, eventually it led me onto my first job in the industry as a runner at Marshall Street Editors and I worked my way up from there.

Lucas Hrubizna: After graduating from film school in Vancouver I went on the hunt for arts funding to start producing music videos for friends. The budgets, even with funding, would barely cover production and were essentially exercises in sweat equity. So, in a bid to pay my rent, I taught myself how to do VFX work and began feeding myself by adding digital snow into made-for-TV Christmas films shot in the summer. Eventually, a few of the music videos I had been working on after hours picked up some online attention, screened at festivals and won awards, which led to me signing with my first rep, Blink. 

Above: Erica Eng's award-winning short film, Americanized.

What or who in the industry has inspired you?

Erica Eng: While working as an assistant, I would study newly released commercials on Source Creative every Monday. That’s where I fell for commercial directors like Dougal Wilson, Alejandro Iñárritu, Lance Acord, Stacy Wall, Andreas Nilsson, Fredrik Bond, and more. But as a 15-year-old growing up in Oakland, I wanted to be a music video director, so I was inspired by directors like Spike Jonze and Dave Meyers because I wanted to do weird shit like The Pharcyde Drop or Ludacris Get Back (which is strange because my work looks nothing like that as an adult).

I was inspired by directors like Spike Jonze and Dave Meyers because I wanted to do weird shit like The Pharcyde Drop or Ludacris Get Back.

Brian Broeckelman: During my first year in Chicago, I worked as an assistant editor. Cutters has some of the best and most decorated editors around. So  with all the great projects coming in the door, I’d log dailies, but view them  from a production standpoint - how the camera was rigged for a unique shot, what tools were used to create a lighting scheme, the director’s remarks  between takes, etc. Some of the shots coming off those hard drives blew me  away. So then I’d get to see these incredibly talented editors mould those takes into proper edits. It was super cool to see both sides of the process  converge like that.

Above: Brian Broeckelman's innovative spot for Navistar. 

Serena Rossi: A piece of work that really inspired me was Black Swan, I loved the way Darren Aronofosky juxtaposed Benjamin Millepied’s beautiful choreography with grotesque thriller elements to explore the physicality of dance. I’m also really inspired by so many of the people I’m surrounded by, the industry can be tough at times and it’s the people who keep pushing through, creating amazing work and mentoring others that keep me motivated.

I tend to be drawn to directors who are pushing the boundaries of technique.

Lucas Hrubizna: I tend to be drawn to directors in the commercial and music video world who are pushing the boundaries of technique, but doing so in a way that feels elegant and driven by feeling. Directors like Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze inspire me – there is a seamless, understated cleverness to what they do that I find exciting creatively.

Above: Lucas Hrubizna's effects-laden music video for Sad Night Dynamite.

Has the post-Covid trend for remote working had an impact on you? Is it a disadvantage
or an advantage?

Erica Eng: I’ve actually only worked remotely once, and that was in 2020. Most of my work (even in 2020) has been successful in-person shoots with no Covid outbreaks.

Brian Broeckelman: Working remotely has been pretty liberating. I’m able to stay creative in my own home, but it can go stale. That’s why I love being on set. Just watching my peers demonstrate their expertise and specialisation is rad. I’m hyped every time I get to make something with people who care so much about the work they do.

Serena Rossi: Flexible working is an advantage to everyone, vendors and clients alike, it’s enabled us to connect and work with people from everywhere and expanded our horizons. I’ve also found that it’s been really helpful in maintaining a healthy work / life balance.

I love being on set. Just watching my peers demonstrate their expertise and specialisation is rad.

Lucas Hrubizna: During the pandemic I became frustrated with the difficulty of getting a production off the ground, so I took the opportunity to teach myself CGI to eliminate the need for assembling crew. This ended up being a huge creative breakthrough for me, as the production possibilities, especially where resources were otherwise very tight, burst open. Suddenly, I was able to remotely shoot plates across the globe, and then work to create virtual worlds from my home studio in Toronto. This of course is not the right approach for every project, but for me it has been a definite advantage, and actually informed my work creatively.