The Directors: Benny Nicks

Benny Nicks was born in Miami, raised in Ithaca, and blames an addiction to jaywalking on his long stint in NYC where he attended Tisch School of the Arts (2004 - 2008). Ben is a writer, director, dop, and editor who approaches filmmaking like a composer might a score, with a deep consideration for the film's phrasing, rhythm and repetition. His practice demonstrates a gordian-like, non-hierarchical entanglement of film's formal elements designed to stress test the medium.

He also likes falling asleep in movie theaters.

Name: Benny Nicks

Location: Montreal / Toronto / New York 

Repped by: FRANK Content (Canada, excluding Montreal market) + Colossale (Montreal market only + New York) 

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?

Benny> Sometimes I feel more like a composer than a director; I often first think in terms of rhythm and sound and look for stories that lend themselves to complex and/or non-linear timelines. Stories that offer space for this kind of abstraction are particularly appealing.  

LBB> How do you use sound design and music to amplify your storytelling?

Benny> Like many directors, I start with a playlist of potential music. As a director who often edits their own work, I’m usually laying the sonic foundation as I’m writing the script, or shot listing the commercial or film, to create total rhythmic cohesion between story beats, character blocking, dialogue, and music cues. I love movies and commercials that compress and stretch time and I seek to do the same in the work I make. 

LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?

Benny> I loved working on the Tennis Canada 'Feel Tennis' campaign. It combined a unique and challenging visual approach with a textured soundscape. We worked on a volume stage in Montreal, prepping all the visual assets prior to the shoot, allowing us to capture everything in-camera. I was working alongside JF Dumais (CD), Shane Patrick (copywriter) and Benjamin Pouteau (art director) at Sid Lee, which was an absolute dream team. 

LBB> In what ways do you incorporate your personality into your directorial style and aesthetic?

Benny> Film has so many variables, I’m convinced it’s impossible for one’s personality not to show face on screen. My first dream job was to be an architect and I find myself organising spaces with a level of obsession you could easily mistake for OCD - this impulse to ‘arrange’ means I’m especially attentive to production design and shot language. However, sitting in contrast to this rather strict formal guide, is a disruptive urge that won’t let a scene stand without inserting some sort of wink or joke. I love films that showcase all the colors of humanity from grief to humor to violence to humility. 

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?

Benny> AI, in it’s current form, is a stand-in technology with incredible predictive powers and can serve pre-production image-generation or pre-vis needs. At this moment, it fails on more complex human-interaction levels so a unique dramatic application is still out of reach. I think a human-generated meme summed it up best: AI has no childhood trauma.