Peer Review: Bonnie + Alison

Who are three contemporaries that you admire?

Tusk - Another directing duo that we are huge fans of. Their stuff is just super cool, and we love the visuals in their projects. The colour and lighting are all so intentional and arresting. Also, they are nice humans, which makes everything better!

Nick Stoller - We are huge fans of his movies and series. The way he weaves humour and heart is something we strive for. We recently shared an office building with him and saw him on the elevator and Alison tried to say hi, but Bonnie stopped her because she didn’t have a plan beyond “Hi, you’re my hero.” We are still in a fight about this.

The budgets are higher now (though not according to our line producer), but we still try to focus on the story and humour first.

Tim & Eric - What we admire about their commercial work is that all their spots are infused with their signature quirkiness, yet they are still grounded in a cinematic aesthetic that is uniquely tailored to each campaign. Tim & Eric are able to integrate their own brand without letting it overshadow the actual brand they’re advertising. We reference their work a lot in our briefs.

Please share 3-4 pieces of work that exemplify great directing. 

Michael CeraVe. This is a great example of a Tim & Eric spot that we love because it successfully executes the elevated aesthetic of a high-end cosmetic / perfume commercial really well but is still perfectly bizarre in that signature Tim & Eric way.

We love being on set, surrounded by talented and creative people, and setting a tone of positivity and enthusiasm

Nick Ball's Jumping Through Hoops for Tangerine. This spot is visually arresting in a time when a lot of commercials tend to look similar. We love the mixture of practical and VFX and commitment to the bit that delays (but also intrigues) the viewer to the brand reveal at the end.

Sean Baker's Anora. We love Sean Baker as a filmmaker and his latest film was no exception. All the characters in Anora are captured with such a gritty intimacy, rendering them heartbreaking and hilarious all at once. Anora felt more ambitious than his previous films. The world felt bigger, and he navigated huge tonal switches with ease. 

What do you like most about the work that you do?

We love being on set, surrounded by talented and creative people, and setting a tone of positivity and enthusiasm. Our favourite thing is hearing that someone from the crew or the agency had a great day on our set, that they felt included and inspired.

Being able to speak directly is the only way we are able to function so well in creative high-pressure situations.

What was your journey to becoming a directing duo?

We started out as a writing duo, and we sold a branded web series concept to a startup that offered us approximately fifty cents to produce the series ourselves. Since we didn’t have enough money to pay a director, we decided we’d give it a go! 

The lighting was bad, the production design was non-existent, but spots turned out funny and well paced, and garnered a decent amount of views. That was a while ago, and the budgets are higher now (though not according to our line producer), but we still try to focus on the story and humour first.

How do you balance your own personal inspirations and creative visions when working on a project together?

According to some historians, we’ve been collaborating for approximately 12 years, so we have gotten pretty good at merging visions. We know each other’s sensibilities and are almost always aligned. At this stage, if one of us has an idea that the other person doesn’t like, chances are it’s not that great of an idea or we just haven’t explained it thoroughly enough.

We’ve had to learn a lot by doing, which is exhausting, so if you’re reading this and want to be our mentor, please DM us.

What is one thing every directing duo needs?

A fully charged taser. Just kidding! Like in any other relationship, good communication is key. Being able to speak directly is the only way we are able to function so well in creative high-pressure situations.

Above: Trailer for Sean Baker's film Anora.

Did you have a mentor? Who was it?

We have always wanted a mentor, but never found one. We’ve had to learn a lot by doing, which is exhausting, so if you’re reading this and want to be our mentor, please DM us.

We have had many people who helped us along the way though! Johnny Eastlund at Liquid Death has always been a cheerleader of ours and our manager, Brian Steinberg, never gave up on us, which is really nice of him.