The Directors: Ben Reed
A Welsh director and filmmaker who has enabled great campaigns around the world, Ben Reed has recently signed with Toronto-based production house Impossible Studios for Canadian representation. Someone who is always seeking to make playful, funny and unpretentious work, Ben prides himself on his adaptability - always aiming to communicate ideas to the audience in a clear and nimble fashion, while also ensuring agency-client relationships stay reasonable and creative.
Outside of this, Ben is eager to see greater representation in the film industry, and encourages anyone looking for mentorship to get in touch.
Name: Ben Reed
Location: Canada
Repped by/in: Impossible Studios
Awards: Five Vimeo Staff Picks, Special Jury Prize at Sheffield Doc/Fest ’21, BAFTA Cymru Nominee 2022
LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other, and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?
Ben> I think it has to have some playfulness to it for me to be excited by it, but also some simplicity in the communication. I like clarity and I like laughs.
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
Ben> It always starts with the story for me. How do I boil the boards down to their essence, and then how do I develop and enhance the ideas when needed? Usually I’ll find a unique approach by dissecting the scripts this way, rather than spending too much time looking at references. I think it helps me focus on the communication.
LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/don’t have a big affinity with, or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?
Ben> I’ll do some googling and watch previous campaigns (which is not always helpful if a brand is looking to pivot). But I think I rely on the fact that I know the agency will have done its homework and have pinpointed the ‘who’s’, ‘how’s’ and ‘why’s’. I think the director needs to be thinking about how to communicate with an audience in the most nimble and clearest way possible, and not get too bogged down in history and market research.
LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?
Ben> For me, it’s definitely the producer and the creatives. It’s always a collaboration and it’s always about development of the concept and practical problem solving. So, I feel like I need to be closest to these team members as the production process grows and adapts moving forward.
LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?
Ben> I think I want to make work that’s playful, funny and unpretentious!
LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter, and why is it wrong?
Ben> I don’t think I’m well known enough for anyone to have any preconceptions or misconceptions about my work. However, I think I’m pretty adaptable to briefs. Even in my music video days, I worked based on briefs and tracks rather than trying to find a signature style or shoehorn my favourite concepts onto a track.
LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been?
Ben> I’m afraid not.
LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?
Ben> There’s never been anything completely mad that’s had to be solved. But, if I were to choose one, there was a Wise spot I did where a lot of adapting was required. I’d written the idea that the set slides around the actor when she swipes her phone - three different rooms built next to one-another. It proved pretty difficult given the weight of the sets, so we adapted it so the camera and the cast member moved simultaneously through static sets instead. They were rigged together below raised sets with a lot of trusses, with the actor moving on a slither of railway through the sets. It worked pretty well and was a lot of fun to watch in action, behind the scenes.
LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?
Ben> I think you have to have trust in the agency and client relationship. And if there’s any friction there, you just have to stay reasonable and creative. It always works out in the end!
LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?
Ben> It needs to be done. In the UK, the power is with privately educated men, and while it seems - on paper - like things are improving, it’s getting more and more difficult for people without the means to get into the industry and then stay in the industry. I’d love to mentor someone on set; text me if you’re reading this.
LBB> How do you feel the pandemic is going to influence the way you work into the longer term? Have you picked up new habits that you feel will stick around for a long time?
Ben> I’d hesitate to make any predictions, to be honest. Though, I wish people would stop sneezing on me at the cinema.
LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats - to what extent do you keep each in mind while you're working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)?
Ben> It depends entirely on the project and where the priority lies. I think this is where it’s important to work really closely with art directors at the agency - they’ve got the smarts when it comes to this stuff. If you know upfront the formats and importance of them, then you can build it into the approach before you’ve even begun.
LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work?
Ben> I’m not a technophobe (though I am writing this on a big stone), but I’m a puritan in some ways; for me the centre of everything is always going to be the human element, it’s going to be performance, and it’s going to be character. My work’s never been high-tech. I’m not averse to technology, but there’s always someone smarter than me on the team with greater knowledge of how to integrate tech into a project or a piece. So, my relationship with new tech is more of a relationship with people who are experts in new tech. I don’t think you need a subscription to Wired magazine to be a good director, but you do know how to collaborate with others.
LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?
It’s hard to know what to say about your own work, but these three are all kind of different, and I think they’re good.
RSPB:
Pizza Hut:
Good Energy:
