The Craft
Q&As and behind-the-scenes info on the latest and greatest
commercials, shorts and music videos.
How Research Arts rewired its workflow
Research Arts’ surreal experimental film Automatic blends AI tools with traditional CG to explore robotics and machine aesthetics. Here, the director discusses using AI to develop bespoke problem-solving tools, and how new technology can be brought into the animation process thoughtfully and intentionally.
How Tom Green put real people in the picture for Guide Dogs
Stink director Tom Green and Fold7 ECD Dave Billing share how casting non-actors with a vision impairment, their real family members and charity ambassadors, brought an unmatched level of authenticity and emotion to their touching campaign for the UK sight loss charity.
How Matt Lenski used AI to champion humans in The Last Commercial
The Arts & Sciences comedy director imagines advertising’s final bow in a short that finds the funny side of an industry’s existential dread. Here, Lenski tells Jamie Madge how he balanced live-action performances with generated imagery, and why it’s a director’s job to avoid the scourge of ‘Beep Boop Cinema’.
How KDSP and John Hillcoat found the key to therapy
Putting people's internal monologue to music might not be the first thought when promoting a mental health platform, but with its latest campaign for Grow Therapy, KDSP did just that, with heartfelt and humorous results. shots speaks to Brock Kirby and director John Hillcoat to find out what makes the campaign sing.
How hungryman woke the dead
In the second year of its “anti-award show award show”, the production company brought to life another abandoned script and found a brand to run it. Here, Jamie Madge speaks to Dead Ad Society founder and hungryman managing partner Caleb Dewart, director Lena Beug and copywriter Jagger Moore about resurrecting All Grown Up, the creative freedom afforded by doing things backwards, and why some lost ideas deserve another shot.
How Honda’s dream team revved up some reveries
From puppeteered spheres to smoke-filled bubbles, bringing Honda’s Your Dreams Engineered campaign to life demanded as much ingenuity behind the camera as it celebrates on screen. Director Ryan Chun and Black Kite Studios’ VFX Supervisor Jonathan Box explain how they manifested a beautiful film about manifesting dreams.
How Dermot Malone navigated the RNLI's new campaign
Banjoman Films director Dermot Malone's recent film for the RNLI turned what was meant to be an instructional PSA into a moving story about a young man and the danger posed by the sea. Here, Malone talks about the project, its inception, and what brought him to tears when writing the final scene.
How Vanessa Stachel hand-crafted a queer fairytale for Greenpeace
Director Vanessa Stachel talks us through how her sublime graduation film, The Nymph, created in partnership with Greenpeace, harnesses painstaking practical craftsmanship to personify humanity's destructive relationship with nature in a dark and haunting cautionary fable.
shots co-editors Jamie Madge and Danny Edwards chat to a handful of the production heads, brand creatives, adtech gurus and all-round decision-makers.
How LUMA’s sweet dreams were made from this
Jason Kreher, CCO of creative studio DE-YAN and Caroline Ingeborn, COO of Luma AI, discuss their collaboration on the Luma Dream Brief. This competition to create ads using Luma AI tools garnered entries from 400 creatives who were able to play around with the fanciful work they thought they’d never make.
How Anyrin brought controlled madness to the screen
A new film by director Arran Anyrin Bowyn is a dark, brooding short which explores quiet psychosis, the many layers of personality, and the curation of self. Here, he talks about the challenge of being subtle, the importance of sound design, and the power of quiet hysteria.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, insight and inspiration for the global creative community.
How Ian Pons Jewell made Hornbach's timber limber
A strip of wood might not make the most exciting subject for an ad, but in its latest campaign, Hornbach made it the star. Jamie Madge sat down with director Ian Pons Jewell and Thomas Houthave from audio company Klankwerk to find out the theme behind the beam.
From seed to screen: How Tesco grew its green(s) giant
BBH London ECD Felipe Guimaraes and MJZ director Nick Ball describe the meticulous processes involved in creating Tesco's new hero Plumbert, a character that’s basically a sack of fruit and veg minus the sack.
How Uncommon made sparks fly for Airwallex
Entrusted with Airwallex's first global campaign, Uncommon London created a beautiful, black and white campaign that celebrates the inventive nature of the human spirit. Creative and director Sam Walker talks us through the process, from the spark of an idea, to the completed film.