The Directors: Niels La Croix

30/03/2023

Johnny Foreigner

Reps

London, UK

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30/03/2023

Johnny Foreigner director on the DNA of a film, listening to the needs of the client and taking inspiration from the younger generation

Besides his legendary wisdom in food, live-action and lifestyle films Niels directing style is best described as non-conventional. Aside from having a fabulous script to work with, Niels likes to throw in one-of-a-kind techniques like swanky lenses, crazy robots, unique set design, old school celluloid, massive slow-motions, original point of views, overwhelming sound design (or none at all) and persuasive colour grading to maximise the suspense of any film. And because this last sentence is heavy on the stomach here is a shorter version: ‘Whatever the story needs to make it more epic’. Period.

‍The last decade Niels has focussed mainly on food related commercials. But he is still devoted to thinking differently. This results to him exploring other categories as well.

Name: Niels La Croix

Location: The Netherlands (Holland)

Repped by/in: UK

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

Niels> Whenever I read a script which makes my buzzes my mind I’m on it. Usually that means that there is a strong live action part together with an unseen (food) technical approach is where I take the script to the next level. To me a chance to be visually surprising combined with strong performance is the ultimate goal. And humour is always around the corner if possible.

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

Niels> During the agency call I want to feel the energy of the film and what agency + client expect from this project. I also like to create an atmosphere where ideas can pop up by agency and/or me. It’s a collaboration.

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?

Niels> For sure I want to know the product and the strategic goals in order to get the film the correct DNA. During the agency call I normally know everything I need to know.

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

Niels> It’s not one relationship, it’s all of them. As a director you need to listen to the needs of client/agency and merge them into your idea’s which you have to translate to your crew. So the most important relations to me are the creatives, client and the executive producer. This core group makes the film.

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?

Niels> I like premium films that are visually entertaining and have a fair dash of boldness and strong performance form the actors. Together with top production design and some surprising techniques (from shooting on 16mm till 1000fps with a robot) I don’t mind too much which subject it is.

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

Niels> I don’t experience that much misconceptions and if they were there, I don’t mind it that much as I want to focus on the job. Not by what people think.

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

Niels> I do quite often high technical shoots. Within that scope preparation is everything and there should be zero surprises on set in order to have a smooth shoot. So solving issues is something I do ahead. I make everyone aware of the technical side of the shoot come up with solid solutions before the shoot. I trust in my experience and I always aim for the best crew and equipment. Also in order to adapt to requests during shoot if they come from client/agency.

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

Niels> It goes hand in hand. The best situation is that there is mutual trust it starts with the concept of the agency and my vision on top of that. As always there will be challenges along the way but normally it causes no big issues as long as everybody (including me) is aware of the core values of the film. I’m a director of commercials for big brands, not a lone wolf only doing my own thing. It’s a hybrid kind of working that builds trust towards me coming from agencies/clients. So normally there are no big issues.

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?

Niels> Sure, I’m open as I also can learn from that. Younger generations maybe don’t have the experience yet but they have another way of thinking that can be inspirational for me too.

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?

Niels> Remote editing has become a normality in the industry which in some occasions work for me too. I do need an editor I worked with before as I need to know their workflow. If not, I need to be in the edit suite. Remote shooting (me at home) doesn’t work for me. You have poor connection to the buzz of the set and therefore you can’t adapt to situations as I want to.