GoshDamn: “You Have to Tell Each Other When Your Ideas Are Bad”

Great teams are more than the sum of their parts. That’s why the life of a directing duo works so well for Josh Lawson & Dan Vallint-Riggs, who together make up GoshDamn. Whether it be Josh’s decidedly artistic approach, or Dan’s intrinsic capacity to weave an effective narrative, GoshDamn is built on the best qualities in both filmmakers. 

To date, their collaborations with brands include Netflix, Logitech, and Greenpeace. In that work, audiences are treated to artfully-composed shots pieced together by a rhythmic brand of storytelling. Now, having recently signed with Someplace Nice for representation in Canada, the UK-based directors are looking to build on their success. 

To find out more about both their work and their story - including why a chaotic drive around the Italian Dolomites proved to be a foundational moment in their careers - LBB caught up with GoshDamn… 

LBB> GoshDamn, let’s start at the beginning. How did you guys meet, and at what point did you realise that you were going to be making films together?

Josh> That’s a long story - let's do the quick version, and if anyone wants to take us for a coffee we'll tell you the long one.

We met at university on a film degree. The course wasn't super inspiring, so we made a lot of stuff in our free time together. Terrible, terrible films. We then went our separate ways in a professional sense. A feature film for me and the glamourous world of 'corporate' film for Dan. Eventually, Dan persuaded the bosses at his company to hire all his mates and we made some more films together. Slightly less terrible ones.

Then some stuff happened in the middle bit and we both ended up freelancing. Over the years we'd spent so much time running ideas between each other, and critiquing each other's stuff, that we decided we should give this directing duo thing a go.

Dan> Splitting paychecks, people forgetting to book you two rooms and taking turns on the directors chair on set. What's not to love?! Turns out though, that we really do work well together - in almost perfect harmony. And, now, the films are pretty good.

LBB> In what way do you guys differ from each other? What defines your own personal styles, and why do they work together?

Dan> Josh is far more arty and pretentious than me (in a lovely way of course), whereas I think I'm a bit more detail-focused. Josh brings an amazing big-picture idea, and I refine it and shape it into something that works commercially. We aren't miles apart in style though - we both love getting the camera to do interesting things, for example. I think there's always a new way of approaching a brief, even if it seems quite formulaic to begin with.

LBB> Are your influences different, or do you find that you’re inspired by similar stuff?

Dan> I can't help but admire Christopher Nolan's films (except Tenet, no-one likes Tenet). I love the way he structures his stories.

Josh> Well I love Chris too (we're on a first name basis since I worked on Inception as one of the many, many VFX editors. I'm sure he remembers me...), and I think we're mostly into the same stuff. Although maybe I do steer a bit into the more artsy stuff sometimes. 

LBB> In your experience, what makes for a successful creative partnership?

Josh> You've got to be able to tell each other when ideas are bad. And you've got to be able to receive that news well, and move on. Equally you have to be kind to each other and give praise when it's due. Know your partner's weakness, and their strength. Know when to manipulate that for good... or bad, maybe.

Dan> We tend to have quite long and open ended chats about anything and everything. And we live in different cities too, so really good WiFi and a good and comfortable pair of earbuds helps!

LBB> In the time that you’ve been directing together so far, what’s been the most significant or memorable project that you’ve been part of, and what makes it stand out in your memory?

Josh> We were laughing the other day about a film we made. It's a really nice film, but the process was hilarious. It was a cycling film (The Hour) for a brand called HVMN. It wasn't a huge budget, and we thought we could probably produce it and make it happen ourselves. Which is true, we did. Although I was on my honeymoon, so actually Dan produced it. It was such a fun week of shooting, though.

Dan> Yeah I really enjoyed driving a van from the Italian Dolomites to a velodrome in Switzerland, and back again, in a day. Meanwhile Josh swans in, having taken a scenic train through the Italian lakes! He still owes me for that one. We actually think we would have made a bit of money out of it too, but on the way back we didn't understand the rules of the motorways and clocked up so many fines we spent most of our earnings on those!

LBB> Josh, we hear that you have a natural eye for casting. Can you tell us more about what you’re looking for in that process, and how you know when it’s time to call off the search?

Josh> Good question. I think firstly it's if they are fun and easy to work with, and are they offering up a lot of themselves. We love an easy, fun set so everyone has to be on board with that.

It's usually time to call off the search when the producer and casting director tell you you've run out of time and/or money.

LBB> Dan, you have a distinct ability to weave together a narrative. Can you tell us more about your storytelling process, and how you know when an idea is starting to take shape?

Dan> I started out in a job where I did a bit of everything, editing included. That idea of both planning and shooting for the edit has stayed with me, so that when I'm looking at an idea I'm mentally stitching together each shot and asking “Does that make sense? Does it progress the story?” Once that answer is 'yes', I know we've got the bones of a narrative, and then we can start embellishing with the fun visual stuff.

LBB> Is there a particular kind of client - or maybe a type of project - that you’d especially like to be involved with in the future?

Dan> We like to be product-agnostic, as I think you can have fun with the work regardless of what you're promoting. So an ideal project would be a fun, innovative creative for an open-minded, willing client… with a sizable budget. I don't think we're asking for much, to be honest.

LBB> Finally, imagine you had a time machine and the ability to travel back and give your past selves one piece of advice. What would that advice be, and why?

Dan> Bitcoin is NOT a passing phase.

Josh> Move to Amsterdam. It'll be fine.