Richard Paris Wilson joins Fight Gravity

Production company Fight Gravity has added another talent to its roster with the signing of Richard Paris Wilson.

Fight Gravity says that Wilson is a director whose work "blurs the line between cinematic poetry and raw, visceral storytelling", with is work "a masterclass in seamlessly blending cinematic beauty with emotional depth". 

Wilson's portfolio spans commercials, music videos and short films and says that, for him, "filmmaking has evolved beyond the pursuit of collecting as many pretty pictures as possible." 

"Somewhere along the line," Wilson continued, "I learned that it can result in cold, superficial work. It’s more important to try and capture the essence of a thing. I used to want to shoot as many epic wide shots as possible. Now I’m more interested in how the mountain looks from inside a river. You collect enough of those kinds of moments and they might add up to something deeper."

Fight Gravity explains that Wilson’s style is "fluid, intuitive, and driven by an obsession with light, shadow, and texture", and the director describes himself as someone who hates mid-shots, loves close-ups, and thrives on textured walls.

"Bringing nature to life has become something I return to," Wilson said. "I’d seen so many pieces that captured nature in a slow, distant way, but that felt removed from my experiences of hiking, stumbling around the woods. I wanted to shoot nature like a Nike commercial rather than a Countryfile episode - fast, immersive, and full of energy."

Wilson isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. One of his toughest shoots saw him in a Spanish desert where it hadn’t rained in a year - until his first shoot day, when it flooded. Add to that a nasty illness and, suddenly, the project turned into something straight out of Fear and Loathing in La Mancha.

"Shooting outside is always a risk," Wilson added. "Never write the word ‘sunset’ into a script unless you’re happy with stock footage, have a very good budget, or are shooting in a Tesco car park. Paul [Cheung, Founder of Fight Gravity] and I have spoken a lot about the kind of work we want to be making. We share a similar vision. As every filmmaker knows, you're much stronger when part of a talented team, so I’m really excited to be part of the Fight Gravity family."

Wilson says he is open to it everything, "from sports, travel and car brands to projects that are visually inventive, emotionally charged, or just downright amusing. I’ve seen great ads for tire companies, watchmakers, suitcase manufacturers and film festivals. Many of the best ads feel like corporate-sponsored works of art. I’m drawn to good scripts - wherever they come from."