The Directors: Julia Pitch

Julia Pitch is a director based out of LA, known for her distinctive visual style and artistic approach shaped by her background in fine art painting and passion for cinematography. With an educational background that includes studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Maryland Institute College of Art, Julia brings a unique blend of leadership training and creative expertise to her storytelling.

Julia's directorial work seamlessly merges breathtaking and well-composed imagery with the raw intensity of deeply intimate character studies. Her ability to capture the essence of human emotion is a testament to her artistic vision and dedication to her craft.

As a director and DP, Julia has collaborated with brands such as Nike, VANS, Fila, Coca Cola, Patrón, Vogue, Vanity Fair, LADYGUNN, Issue Magazine, and Refinery29. Her versatility is evident in her commercial DP work for brands such as ASOS, Walmart, Origins, Benefit Cosmetics, and Adidas. In 2019, Julia successfully completed her first feature film, titled 'The Country Club.'

Name: Julia Pitch 

Location: LA/NYC 

Repped by/in: 

Dear Friend/ CANADA 

GREENPOINT 

USA MARKENFILM- GERMANY 

LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them? (what makes a script valuable)? 

Julia> As an artist I enjoy the opportunity to experiment and challenge myself. What sets a script apart for me, is originality and complexity. Scripts with personality- where I am able to instantly visualise a spot just by the dialogue. I am also excited when I align with the messaging and values of the brand, and the words have a meaningful call to action. Any job that has a focus on diversity and inclusion, community, and environmental sustainability feel really good to make. 

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot? 

Julia> Just like cooking a good sauce, prep and marinate. First, I plot out any main takeaways from my pre-agency call. I then create a word bank, listing words that describe the tone of the piece. From there, I’ll do some light visual research, and usually sleep on it. 

I go back and forth between writing and finding visuals that guide the creative, mapping out anchor points in the concept and sort of build out from there. I prefer to write my own treatments, but having someone help with the design portion is extremely efficient- with two people you can just cast a wider net. All of my treatments include talent action and camera direction that accompany the script. That is something I chip away at, and visualise throughout, but usually put on paper last. 

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? 

Julia> Research is always an important part of the process, I need to know the ins and outs of the brand. I will frequently watch and look at past commercials, analysing their old work and their contemporary work in an attempt to understand where they have come from and where they want to go. 

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why? 

Julia> Well, film is about relationships, and my relationship to each person involved with the project is very critical. For most commercials, in a way I have two clients, the agency and the brand’s clients. Communicating well with them, and making the process enjoyable, is of the utmost importance. Although this is hard to pick- I would say one of the most important is my EP/ line producer. They are my partner in working with the agency, and are in between person and the mediator to the creative and the budget. They are on every call with the agency, the person who helps me crew up, and having a good teammate to help bring a project into life is extremely crucial. 

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? 

Julia> I am drawn to work that has a very strong visual and/or narrative style—this can and has carried into a variety of forms: fashion films, commercials. My favourite projects always have a narrative underpinning, where I can translate emotions or showcase a character study. My writing partner, Nikolai Phalen and I, are currently writing a psychological thriller feature film. I am so excited about it. 

What people don’t like to hear, is I like every genre. I had two really influential teachers at MICA: Nadia Hironaka, who is an extremely technical contemporary video artist, who helped to train my eye for design, After Effects, pacing and most importantly- experimental thinking. And Allen More, who was a cinematographer for Ken and Rick Burns, took a more traditional stance to documentary filmmaking. He taught me how to capture the 'Sense of (a) Place,' (A class where our call time was 5am on Monday mornings to capture sunrise in different locations- a college kid will never forget that) and how to bring humanity to our work. He taught us to be very hands on, and even how to edit on steenbecks. I think my work is really a love child of what I learned from those two amazing artist and mentors. 

Ultimately, I worked hard to develop my skills and style as a cinematographer so I never had to be limited, or reliant on other people to execute an idea. Just give me a camera and I’ll take it and run with it. 

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong? 

Julia> I can’t say there are any major misconceptions about my work- but a question people always ask me is if I want to both Direct and DP my projects. The answer is not really. I enjoy DP’ing, and that is how I came up. I also love collaborating with other Directors as a DP- I am able to assist in a creative vision but only focus on the lighting and camera. I’ve learned that on set, the positions have to be fully aligned, but wear very different hats. 

Certain projects really do require a division of labour. As a director I have to work with every department, and actors. Not only can it be too much, but bringing on a talented DP really does make for a better video. I work a lot with DP Cory Burmester, and he brings so much to the table. My favourite part of each project is the ideation- the creative conversations that take place. Sharing videos that we think are cool and running through ideas on location scouts. Sure, I could have those conversations by myself… but I got into film because I like working with people. I don’t want to have an ego about it, I want to build something cool with good people. I want the best product possible and I want to have fun doing it. 

LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been? 

Julia> I have never worked directly with a cost consultant, but I have been on a project where the agency had to directly work with a cost consultant. My approach was bidding two projects- one that was budget friendly, and a desired approach that required an additional day of shooting. They loved the desired approach, and brought on a cost consultant to see if they could afford it. Knowing that this project would take the all of the company's advertising budget for the next year is something I don’t take lightly. But then again, I try to approach every project with the same level of importance. In the end, the client was very happy, and by the end of the shooting day, received half a million more in ad dollars- which is always a sign of success.

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it? 

Julia> Well, I would say my Motorola job, although it was my favourite piece I have done thus far, was extremely complex. I think that would need to be an article within itself. And most of my crew, even the production designer, didn’t speak English, so add having a translator on top of it. (My Spanish is good enough to get by). My communication had to be so clear so nothing got lost in translation. I had to know exactly what I wanted- and I think the end result of being that detailed oriented shows. But most of the kinks got worked out in Prepro. 

I would have to say the most unexpected problem I encountered was when I was working on a job with an A list model. They had fired their previous director and brought me in, so there was a bit of pressure to not only perform, but get along with the talent. The talent received a text from a friend and locked herself in the bathroom and cried. Our shoot was daylight dependent, so no time to waste. I asked everyone to leave the surrounding area. I knocked on the door- and I can’t remember exactly what I said to her. Something like- I was going to give her some space to recover. But the shoot was going to have to get done no matter what, and my job was to protect her to make her look as good as possible on camera. I asked her to tell me exactly what she needed to make it easiest for her. I told her I didn’t want our shooting schedule to get rushed. (What we both knew she needed was time for multiple takes.) She came out right away and powered through it. Granted, she took a prolonged lunch and cigarette breaks, but I just let her have it. Keeping the talent happy is my main priority, always. If they are not happy, it will translate on camera. 

LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea? 

Julia> Well, I would say I ask as many questions as I can in the pre-bid call so I base my idea around the clients goals. Ultimately, I know that the clients and agency have been working for a long time on this project, and bringing me on to take it over the finish line is a lot of trust. I want them to be not only happy with the process, but proud to share the finished product. My work around is to storyboard every shot, and have the entire project mapped out before PPM, so there are no surprises. We work on compromises along the way. That way, we are all on the same page. If on set they want to try something out- I try to make it happen- but will tell them if I think it will work to what we agreed upon or what the time consequences are. 

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? 

Julia> The obvious answer is yes to both. Diversity and representation is extremely important. I have spoken a lot about this in past interviews. Now that covid is over, body count on set is less of an issue, and I would be happy to mentor people on set, or just take phone calls to explain to them my process. There are some directors- who are my peers- and we support each other in levelling up, call, and talk through how we would handle certain production problems. I really value those relationships. Even though we work in a competitive industry, and at times we bid against each other, there is always space to help others. Helping someone else, even a competitor, doesn't take away from your work. May the best creative win:) And good karma comes back. 

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)? 

Julia> I have to keep all formats in mind while filming, and this comes into application when shortlisting and filming. Most importantly, the messaging should be able to be conveyed without sound. Of course, sound is a strong addition and brings each project to the next level. 

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)? 

Julia> I take a very technical approach to filming, and that is evident in the camera work in my pieces. I am always excited by new gear and techniques and try to find ways to apply them. I am open to trying all new tech, and I am excited to see what new developments all this technology will bring to both my work and the spheres and spaces where I work. I would love to do a project with an LED wall, or something that incorporates AI visuals. 

I would say it gets complex when brands use AI talent over real talent. I think that real, human people, who have faced adversity for the way that they look, should be featured in campaigns and paid. Being paid doesn’t make their adversity easier, but it helps to move the needle. If you disregard these people, and make an AI bot using their likeness, you’re not distributing your resources in a holistic way that aligns with your messaging. I think there is a way to incorporate AI ethically. 

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

Julia> ● Motorola 

● Crispers 

● Venmo 

● Lukka sabbat