Director’s Brief: 12 Questions with Alexis Odiowei @ Vantage Pictures
Director’s Brief: 12 Questions is a new Q&A series from Campaign Brief Asia that shines a spotlight on the broad mix of talent shaping Asia’s commercial directing scene. Kicking off the series is Alexis Odiowei of Vantage Pictures.
1. Describe your directing style in one paragraph?
My directing style blends physical humour, uncanny situations and visually stimulating cinematography. I’m always trying to create little moments that make you chuckle while watching and hopefully leave a lasting impression.
2. Was there a specific ad that made you think, “I want to do this for a living”?
There was no one particluar ad that made me think I wanted to do this for a living, but there’s lots of ads that stick in my mind when I think about what I love about advertising when it’s done well. Some of themm are Tango – Orange Man Advert, Guinness – The Surfer, Cadburys – Gorilla, Sainsbury’s – 1914
3. What’s your all-time favourite TVC?
My all time favourite TVC is probably Guinness – The Surfer. I think it’s a visual masterpiece that powerfully captures the brand messaging and draws on themes of struggle, patience and triumph, making it not only incredably memorable but also relatable. Many ads today are inspired by other ads but this commercial’s inspiration was art and literature.
4. What’s your all-time favourite TVC/Campaign from your country?
Well the Guinness ad is my favourite from my country. My favourite campaign from Asia is an ad that was produced for Lunar New Year in Vietnam for a local TV station. It is a great mix of traditional Vientamese culture, contemporary dance and stunning imagery.
5. In your experience, what’s the secret to a smooth director-agency-client vibe?
I think trust is the secret to a smooth vibe among all the parties mentioned. When we have trust amongst all parties there is less second guessing and the creatives are allowed to do what they need to do to make something magcial.
6. Where do you go (or what do you do) when you need to recharge your creative batteries?
This is very important for me as I am director, but also a production company owner so it’s sometimes hard to find time outside of the commercial production sphere. Downtime from directing doesn’t always equate to downtime from the industry, as I still have to be concerned wih the day to day of my business. However, I try to make time for a few things to recharge creatively and also more generally. Creatively I embark on personal projects outside of the commercial sphere. I usually try to keep these projects small so they can be completed in a timely manner and it also takes me back to that DIY feeling early in my career of just shooting with friends.
I’m also an avid martial artist and have been engaged in some form of martial arts training since I was a child. My current passion is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I train 3-4 times a week and compete 2-3 times a year. This gives me another passion completely removed from directing that allows me to be artistic in a different way.
7. Ever had a happy accident on set that turned out to be a game-changer?
I think the best happy accident, or I guess stroke of luck I’ve had, was when shooting with a poodle. We had a shot where we crash zoom into the poodle after it has gotten a silly haircut. Somehow the dog just understood the comic timing and it tilted it’s head with a bemused expression on it’s face just as the crash zoom landed on it. It just fit perfectly with the emotion we were trying to create.
8. Is there a mentor or person who has had a big impact on your career?
My Uncle used to take me to the cinema a lot as a kid and I would just always be watching movies with him. So I would say he was the first person to really open my eyes to fimmaking.
9. What’s the next big thing in commercial filmmaking? Explain.
I think with the rise of AI I think there will be a return to real stories. I think audiences will want to see more human stories and there will be a big shift towards branded documentaries and maybe even some more longform documentaries connected to brands.
10. If you could direct a dream ad for any brand, which brand would you choose?
I think over the years I might have been Nando’s biggest customer so I think a commercial for them would be one way of them paying me back for my patronage. Otherwise as a martial artist I would love to make a commercial for the UFC.
11. If you could give one tip to an aspiring TVC director, what would it be?
I would advise two things; 1 try to become knowladgeable in a specific area of the industry. A lot of great directors come from other backgrounds. Whether it’s an art background, acting post-production or cinematography, this can really help inform the style of director you become. 2 Just start directing whether it’s music videos for a friend or making a short film or whatever it might be.
12. What are your top 3 ads you’ve directed?
These are the ads that people seem to enjoy most from the ones I’ve directed.