The Directors: Patricia Gloum
Patricia Gloum is far from a conventional filmmaker. Her chic, surreal taste for topsy turvy storylines, enchanting aesthetics and savvy scriptwriting reveal a wonderfully weird world that is all her own. Based in New York City, born in Boston, raised in Paris with Greek and Spanish roots, Patricia’s work feels like a lovely mishmash of different ethereal urban influences. Her artistic, deliberate, visceral films continually evolve through experimentation with technique and nonlinear forms of storytelling to create “little pieces of moving art”. Awards include LGTBQ love film festival, Mexico Fashion Film Festival, Bokeh film festival.
Name: Patricia Gloum
Location: NYC BASED
Repped by/in: Fresh film prod UK
Awards: LGTBQ love film festival, Mexico Fashion Film Festival, Bokeh film festival
LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?
Patricia> The element that sets one apart from the other, is when there is a vision the brand wants to achieve and they have a particular pleasant aesthetic that resonates with my hybridnes of cultures, my edginess, I like that, especially if they trust me with my ideas and aesthetic choices with a highly stylised touch. I weirdly also have this fantasy of directing a commercial fully storyboarded, where It isn't my idea, where I'm an executor, to feel I am a chameleon and can please the client by morphing into what their needs are. I have never done that yet.
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
Patricia> I don't have an exact way of doing, each one is different. I go to do research about the brand, check a few of their videos. I then like to go do something different, listening to music for example, or go do activities, letting my brain run freely with short thoughts come to my mind, writing them down because they usually have the right ideas in them. I like talking to creative partners about it, it’s stimulating to have conversations and debate about what can happen. Then I go into the moodboard phase, pulling images. I love storyboarding, so I go make that too. I let all the images and writing be all over the place, take a step back, breathe and start choosing and sorting all the info. And Bam! A beautiful treatment comes out!
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?
Patricia> All you mentioned is very important for me because the brand already knows what their public is and it’s our duty to dive into their world, understand their strategy and apply it. Go sometimes read the comments as well of their users, even go buy the product and taste it if it’s reachable.
LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?
Patricia> If it’s the creative team of the brand or agency you are referring to, I want to make sure we are all in sync, workflow, and enjoy communication. Working in tandem and exploring all creative aspects prior to shoot, to run the set smoothly with a solid team and make a banger spot.
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?
Patricia> It is a tough question to answer. I am drawn to many different subjects. Being passionate about moving images, lot’s catches my attention. Even looking at the security camera in the subway hypnotises me. And as I grow, I see myself creating and touching all unimaginable subjects. For the Patricia Gloum I am today, I can tell you that I live for movement and emotion, I want to create CGI commercials propelling an athlete to interact with 3D obstacles for example, or film the life of a person that has changed people's lives. The course of a life on an island, a field, a nation. Even film inventions that have made an impact on society.
LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?
Patricia> They often think I'm a lot into Fashion because I have a lot of Fashion films. I’m an experimentalist commercial and enjoy not having a category. I just directed a hot sauce commercial and I LOVED IT!!
LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been?
Patricia> I have not but I would love to! I get consulted all the time!
LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?
Patricia> Running out of time, quickly revise mentally the full story, edit it in my head, cut, cut cut and keep the key elements to make the full story and solve the visual puzzle.
LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?
Patricia> I first layout and explain to them why I want to protect the idea, then let feedback come in. I find it helpful to not get attached emotionally and I ask questions to understand their point of view and their reasoning. In general teams want to be open and collaborative, we just need some time to figure out the best outcome.
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?
Patricia> Yes ! It’s way better to learn on the field, all apprentices are welcome. I like mentoring and do this with people that surround me.
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?
Patricia> I have felt the pandemic from the inside and got to dig more within myself. No new habits, except having a mask on set haha.
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)?
Patricia> I make sure the story can fit in a 1:1 or 9:16 while keeping a beautiful framing for 16:9
LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work?
Patricia> I can’t be happier! So excited for the present in the future. As stated earlier I am an experimentalist, I thrive on blending techniques, generative data, interactive storytelling/ I am all about it, bring it on! Talking about technology, I co founded a company called Braw Haus where we exhibit digital art, video map brand spaces and experiment with techniques such as Augmented reality, Avatar creations based on real humans and 3D clothing to name a few.
LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?
Patricia> Tough Question! I am not sure this will showcase my best work, especially that some hot new stuff is coming out soon I can’t show them yet. Below is an attempt:
Caraa- bags commercial - Client let me use green screen and blend filming techniques, it was so much fun to do
Do u For U - Loved the thrill of filming fast movements, felt audacious, full of energy, filming genderfluid cast, showcasing and working with diversity is something very important for me.
Muri Apa music video - Creating a 3D world mixing it with real footage, playing with the rhythm of the music madam me love this.
MCM bag commercial - I got to fly to Seoul to film in the studio of the creators and loved it. I get thrilled to travel for work, getting to know their culture, and getting to film the process. I love this video too because MCM lets me be experimental with this type of edit. Even though it's an old video I still feel it’s modern.
