Claire Norowzian Throws Us into the World of Wicked for LEGO

Claire Norowzian’s latest advert film for LEGO is an homage to the playfulness of childhood and the wondrous new LEGO sets inspired by the new release, Wicked! 

Claire directs us unto a colorful world of witches, where the only limit is your imagination. Claire’s direction and VFX skills are, as always, cutting edge and pull you into the project with bright visuals, bringing an escapist world into reality. Her work for LEGO perfectly encapsulates that magic found within LEGO worlds and maybe even inspires you to go see the new Wicked film! 

Credits:

Agency - LEGO

Agency Producer - Jayne Harrington

Creatives - Mya Rydman & Edmond Dukaj

Creative Director - Scott Selkirk Neilands

Executive Producer - David Z Obadiah /Kinetic Popcorn

Producer LT - Martynas Mickėnas / Strictly Baltic

Director - Claire Norowzian 

Directors Agent - The Visionaries

DOP - Pieter Snyman.

Choreographer - Supple Nam

Production Designer - Aurimas Akšys

Costumes Designer - Monika Solominė

Production Manager - Urtė Aškelovičiūtė

Location Manager - Vilius Kalaušis

1st AD - Lukas Lukoševičius

VFX & Grade - Freefolk

VFX Producer - Cheryl Payne

Grade - Marty McMullan

CG Lead - Reece Weldon & Matt Fisher

Flame - Vinny David

CG Generalist - Jansen McCord & Ilaria Colavito

Animator - Ting Liu

Nuke - Cerys Steenhuis

Grade Assist - Edward Webb

Edit House - Stitch Editing

Editor - Philip Currie

Sound Design - Gez Lloyd

Music -Arian Grande (Popular)

Casting -Tree Petts Casting CDA CSA

Mum - Amber Cameron

Daughter - Nina Rose Galano

Simmons & Kamaz Bring Moncler’s City of Genius to London

Simmons & Kamaz drop a new work for Moncler’s City of Genius brand, their newest collection soon to traipse the streets of Central London. With this series comes a celebration of high powered collections, allowing signature artists to have their effect on the brand.

Simmons and Kamaz perfectly capture the fast paced city life with jump cuts and closeups that catch your breath, as the camera rushes past some of London’s most iconic landmarks. The contrast between light and dark emulates the reflected silhouettes seen previously in the Moncler Genius installation in Japan. 

Immersive projections walk Moncler from the underground to Parliament, illuminating the creativity reflected in the remarkable vision of this directing duo and the Moncler brand. Simmons and Kamaz breathe life into the collection, as their playful use of timelapse and freezes bring the viewer in sync with the pace of the Genius city everywhere.


Directing duo Simmons & Kamaz had this to say about the project: ““Each brief we push to innovate, with our routes connected to London, we felt honoured to bring Monclers City of Genius to the United  Kingdom.”

Credits:

Film direction, Creative direction , DOP, photography, edit & sound - Simmons & Kamaz

Production Company - ELF TV & Film 

Producers - Erinn Fitzgerald and Ross Campbell

Camera Operator - Tobias May

Digital Handling - Tom North

Photography- Simmons & Kamaz, Maddison Blackwood 

VFX - Aleksa Mirosavljević

Grade - Matt Jones 

Talent Agency - Davide Cantelmo at Visionaries UK

‘NOISE’ : CHRIS FOWLES’ COLLABORATION WITH SALVATION ARMY AND THE LERMA AGENCY DRIVES HOME THE HARD HITTING IMPACT OF POVERTY ON FAMILIES 

Chris Fowles’ knack for emotive storytelling & directing performance is on full display in his latest film for The Salvation Army and the Lerma Agency. The film showcases the burden eldest children and parents take on to support their families, whilst highlighting that such mental weight can be eased with the support of Salvation Army.. 

Poverty is an extremely urgent issue, on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US, 5.4 million children provide care and support to their family, many living below the poverty line. Parentification of older children left to care for their younger siblings often matures them too quickly, leaving their childhood and friends behind to aid their overworked parents. 

Yet with the help of agencies like the Salvation Army,  hard working families are able to receive hot meals and mental support. In the UK alone, the largest food bank had 35 locations in 2010, and now has over 1,300, providing widespread assistance year round and especially leading up to the holidays this time of year. 

Lerma had this to say about the project: “We’re so proud to share this year’s Christmas spot for The Salvation Army. Ana and her family’s story is one that thousands of people across the United States relate to. One in five children in the US will wake up hungry on Christmas morning. Together, we can change that.”

Director Chris Fowles had this to add: “We had the most wonderful team on this from start to finish - everyone gave it their all and I’m so proud of the final product. Including our lead Alynna who had never acted on camera before - and had to wear winter coats in 40 degree July weather.”


Credits:

Director: Chris Fowles

Production Co: CoMPANY Films

Executive Producer: Ron Cicero

Executive Producer: Richard Goldstein

Producer: Bo Clancey

1st AD: Jeremy Haak

Agency: LERMA

CD: Katie Bernet

CD: Amanda Jackson

ACD / Art Director: Kirstin Mullins

Writer: Brooke Boulter

Art Director: Jillian Morrison

Agency Producer: Bridget Fontenot

Director of Photography: Peter Simonite

Agent: Wizzo / CAA

Production Designer: Marcus Laporte

Casting: John Williams @ The Cast Station

Editorial: Camp Lucky

Post Producer: Jennifer Brannon

Editor: Liza Moore

Colourist: Neil Anderson

Music: Mophonics

Sound Design: JJ Mitchell / crispywav

'32 Minutes to Go': Carly Cussen Brings us a New Film for Luton Airport Express, Inspired by Grime

Carly Cussen combines her knack for directing performance, music videos, subtle comedy and choreography in this playful film for Luton Airport Express. Set in a purple world of transportation, and inspired by grime group So Solid Crew’s song ’21 Seconds’, her transitions transport you straight to Luton’s front door with enticing visuals that leave us eager to jump aboard.

As soon as they told her they were making a tongue in cheek remake of 21 seconds… to sell train tickets…. she was sold!!! Cussen’s clever word play and smashing lyrical narrative showcases the ease of choosing to travel with the pseudo So Solid Crew to Luton, inexpensively and hilariously rhymed. Just set foot in St. Pancreas and arrive at Luton in just 32 minutes but the journey feels like it takes ‘21 seconds’.

Carly had this to say about the shoot: ‘When Leith Art Director Debbie Morgan first rapped the script to me on a video call- I just fell in love with the concept. The creatives’ idea to recreate an iconic song for a train advert really grabbed me. I was given the support and freedom to explore the perfect balance of ‘hip hop video’ and ‘TV commercial’, resulting in this attention-grabbing piece. It’s unusual, but I got the opportunity to work on re-recording the song and to hang out in studio with an incredible cast and team. This allowed us to craft the exact phonic tone we wanted for the piece. The cast were incredible and naturally comedic, so the shoot day was hilarious - you could see and feel the attention to detail the agency put into the work.  We shot on a Luton Express train (turning the set brand purple by replacing the all the original carriage lighting). It’s a performance-led piece so congrats to the cast for absolutely nailing each line. And thank you to DOP Miguel Carmenez for bringing the vision to life! Big up to Producers Jennifer, Amber, and last but certainly not least, Neil, the Copywriter of the stellar creative duo). Can’t wait to see more from the Leith Agency!’



CREDITS 

Director – Carly Cussen

Directors Agent – THE VISIONARIES

Agency: Leith

Art Director – Debbie Morgan

Copy Writer – Neil Mackinnon

Executive Creative Directors – Troy Farnworth & Phil Evans

Account Lead – Ed Brooke

Account Managers – Beth Lauder & Lucy Allison

1st AD – Ben Burton

2nd AD – Alex Tawny

Cinematographer – Miguel Cármenes

Lead Producer – Jennifer Howells

Co-Producer – Amber Hooker

1st AC – Adam Fox

2nd AC – Ernie Griffiths

Camera Trainee – Arla Albertine

DIT – Dan Austin

Playback – Nathan Valente

Gaffer – Edward Smith

Spark – Peter Joslin

Spark – Nik Lekaj

Grip – Alex Bojic-Aguilar

Lighting Desk Op – Robbie Smith

Lighting Trainee – Bailey Lawless

Production Designer – Felix Von Coles

Prop Hand – Tom Watson

Prop Hand – Cecily Arris

Prop Hand – Luis San Martin

Wardrobe Stylist – Neesha Sharma

Wardrobe Assistant – Nicole Ranger

Hair & MU – Jojo Copeman

Hair & MU Assist – Lily Simmonds

Runner – Elliot Lang

Runner – Rene Renak

Casting Directors – Claire Catterson & Suzette Brissett

Cinematographer Agent – Independent Talent

Offline & Online Edit – Dan Austin | Leith Studios

Colourist – Toby Tomkins | Harbor

Music Licencing & Re-Record – GAS Music Ltd.

Music Publisher – SONY Music Publishing UK

Sound Design – Finiflex Studios

The Visionaries Host An Unforgettable Night Celebrating Black Cinema with Naomie Harris & Director Sebastian Whyte at All Is Joy Studios!

In Sebastian Whyte’s latest documentary for Sky, Academy Award nominee Naomie Harris celebrates Black cinema in style. During this entertainment special, Harris’ guests curate a watchlist showcasing their favourite movies, characters, and directors from Black cinema. The audience was captivated, moved, and entertained as Adrian Lester, Lashana Lynch, Oti Mabuse, and Trevor Nelson discussed why each film was important to them. 

Hosted by us at All Is Joy Studios, the sold-out screening featured a special appearance from Naomie herself,  plus an insightful Q&A between Director Sebastian Whyte and filmmaker and poet Be Manzini (Caramel Film Club) - which touched on Black cinema past and present, upcoming projects and the broader industry.

Like the documentary, the night celebrated the cultural richness and creative achievements of Black storytellers. It heartfeltly explored the impact of Black cinema while thoughtfully recognising that progress still needs to be made and that many stories remain untold.

Director Sebastian Whyte had this to say about the night: “It has been great to watch the film with an audience and share their experience. The most common reactions have been people telling me they wish it was longer, asking for more episodes, or wanting a list of the featured films! It’s been a fun night; the reaction has been amazing. It’s got everyone debating what their choices would be.”

At The Visionaries, we are dedicated advocates for pioneering underrepresented talent and will continue to showcase groundbreaking work from our diverse roster in innovative and engaging ways. 

Dare to Race: Montirex and Mak Mahmut Akay Challenge the Limits of Physical Activity with 360 Cinematography 

New work from Montirex presents a whip pan- tastic film that takes on the challenge of physical and mental endurance, pushing the limits on the achievable. UFC fighter Leon Edwards and a host of athletes take on one sport to the next, sinking impressive hoop shots and running faster than lighting. 

Directed by the incredibly talented Mak Mahmut Akay, the piece employs daring, swooping shots that provoke a sense of defiance to the restrictions of what’s possible.  Akay’s collaboration with Playmaker Films produces a whirlwind display of strength and fortitude, creating a motivating advert that makes you want to grab your trainers and move.  Mak commented that he had an “absolute blast working with the super talented team”. 

Credits:

Client: Montirex

Agency: Big Group

Director: Mak Mahmut Akay

DoP: Ethan Lodge

Production company: Playmaker Films

Producer: Melissa Massey

EP: Carly Cussen

EP: Kem Ekundayo

Executive Creative Director: Jane Linton

Business Director: Josh Hayman

Senior Accountant Manager: Millie Barker

Head of Copy: Bruce Lawley

1st AD: Kimane Erskine

2nd AD: Rory Purdy

Production Manager: Talor Hanson

Production Coordinator: Kam Ashley

Editor: Kaz Ove

Post Production: The Quarry

Steadicam AR: Austin Butler

Steadicam AR: Justin Theodore

1st AC: Justin McGillivray

2nd AC: Cameron Sealby

Grip: Wolf Wasserman

VHS/MiniDV operator: Karan Teli

Gaffer: Massimo Filippi

Drone Pilot: Barney Clark

Sound design & mix: Sefi Carmel

Art director: Katie Jessica

Art director: Louis Lasa-Tarbuck

Colourist: Andi Chu @Electric Theatre Collective

Head of Colour Production: Oliver Whitworth

Music composer: Andreas Pfannenstill @Melt Music

Sound Operator: Matthew McCabesound

MUA: Bethany Lewis

MUA Assistant: Ruth Pease

Photographer: Ali Yaqub

Digi Op: Phil Hardman

DIT: Darren Blackwood

Montirex

CMO: Amanda Calder-McLaren

Creative Lead: James Arthur Armstrong

Brand Marketing Executive: Jennifer Eckersley

Senior Graphic Designer: Hannah Amelia

Head of Social: Karan Teli

BTS: Luke Rochester

Runner: Ervin Hajdarmata

Runner: Hannah Molyneux

Runner: John Yusuf

Welcoming Camille Boyer to Our Roster!

The Visionaries are thrilled to announce our latest director signing, Camille Boyer! 

Camille is a Montreal-based director with a rich background in production design. Her work, ranging from narrative shorts to eye-catching commercials, is known for its bold graphics and keen sense of aesthetic balance—something she has been passionate about since studying Applied Arts & Set Design in Montreal. This passion was further refined during a special year at the Academy of Visual Arts in Hong Kong. 

Camille thrives on crafting narratives that go beyond the visual, making them deeply felt experiences. Her passion lies in directing actors, drawing out authentic performances that breathe life into the intricate worlds she envisions. With seamless transitions, mesmerizing color palettes, and enchanting set designs, Camille Boyer infuses her films with a distinctive flair that captivates and transports her audience.

Not only has Camille joined The Visionaries roster as a freelancer, but she has also officially signed with our parent company Lemonade Reps’ live action company Twice Pictures.

Davide Cantelmo, Lead Agent at The Visionaries UK, had this to day about the signing: 

"I'm beyond excited to welcome Camille to our family of talented directors and photographers. With her unique visual style and her background as a production designer, Camille brings an invaluable skill set to our roster that I have not been able to find in the current landscape of commercial directors in the UK and beyond.

With a remarkable synergy of talents, Camille is a trusted partner for producers and clients looking to entrust their campaigns to her capable hands. Her dedication to excellence ensures that every project she undertakes is executed with the utmost precision and creativity, delivering exceptional results that exceed expectations."

Chris Fowles’ Latest Film for LU Explores Family, Homesickness and the Significance of Small Home Comforts

Chris Fowles explores the nuances of homesickness, the complexities of familial love and the significance of small home comforts in his latest beautiful film for LU.

Director Chris Fowles had this to say about the project: “The story is about the comfort of home and reaching out to those you love. 

Being set across two countries - neither of which were the UK - it was a long shoot. Telling a story about missing home while being away from home ourselves made the project even more meaningful for everyone involved.

It was important to us that the mum wasn’t a character we were making fun of. She genuinely cares about her son and misses him while he's away in Japan. Her gesture to send him something from home is genuine and heartfelt, even if the younger brother has other plans…

We worked hard to make sure the twist at the end felt natural and sweet. It’s all led by the performances, keeping it authentic and subtle allows us to buy the final reveal. 

Shooting in Tokyo at night with a large, mostly non-English-speaking cast was a first for me, and it had its own ‘Lost in Translation’ moments. But the team there was incredible - it was a lot of fun navigating Japan’s unique filming rules.

I’m incredibly grateful to the French agency and client for trusting me with such an iconic and cherished brand. (They’re not wrong, the biscuits are amazing. The uneaten props were a hot commodity.)”




Credits:

Agency: Publicis Conseil 

Chief Creative Officer: Marco Venturelli

ECD: Maud Robaglia

Creatives: Jean-Marc Tramoni & Marc Rozier

Agency Executive Director: Sylvain Michel

Agency Producer: Charlotte Monceaux

Production Company: Prodigious / Pop Studios

Head of Production / EP: Augustin de Taillac

Producer: Neyla Ben Hamouda

Production Manager: Guillaume Rizo

Japan Service Production Company: TaProd

Director: Chris Fowles

Directors Agent: The Visionaries

DoP: Henry Gill

DoP Agent: Wizzo

Production Design: Irene Marinari

Casting Director: Sandra Toussaint

Editorial: Tenthree

Editor: Beth Roberts

Assistant Editor: Puck van Dijk

Producer: Maya Kilic

Colour: Electric Theatre Collective

Colourist: Andi Chu

Producers: Alex Carswell & George Blomiley

Music & Sound Design: JJ Mitchell






Adu Lalouschek’s Latest Film ‘Behind Closed Doors’ for Alzheimer’s Society Spotlights The Reality of Living With Dementia

Adu Lalouschek created a beautiful 3-minute film for Alzheimer's Society that took over an entire Channel 4 Ad break.

Featuring people with real lived experience of dementia, the campaign film highlights that even though dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, all too often the realities of the condition remain hidden behind closed doors.

By launching the campaign film during the broadcast of Anna Richardson: Love, Loss and Dementia - a groundbreaking documentary which also confronts the devastating truth of the disease - we show that stories matter.

Adu Lalouschek, reflecting on the project, emphasized the significance of having an entire ad break dedicated to a cause of this magnitude. He noted, ‘having an entire ad break to tell a story like this is unheard of, so we wanted the nation to sit up and pay attention. This is a portrait of Britain and the nearly one million people who are living with dementia behind closed doors.

Credit List


Production: Red Studios

Client: Alzheimer's Society 

Executive Producer: Ben Padfield

Director: Adu Lalouschek

Head of Production: Polly Morgan

Producer: Geoff Gedroyc

DoP: Howard Mills

1st AC: Rob Stanton

PA: Loretta Wonke

Talent MUA: Michele Baylis

Post Producer: Tarik Hakserver

Editor: Phil Lane

Composition: Alex Wells

Online: Bubble TV

Featuring: Vicky McClure, Anne-Marie Duff, Anna Richardson, David Baddiel, and Meera Syal. 

Leo McCrea's Latest Film for Saga Cruises 🚢

Leo McCrea has us dreaming of escaping the dreadful UK weather and embarking on a Saga Cruises adventure!

Turns out Saga Cruises is everything we thought it was… and more!


Credits:
Client Saga Cruises
Agency VCCP
Production Girl and Bear
Director Leo McCrea

Directors Agent The Visionaries UK
DOP Charlie Grainger
Cam Op Olly Wiggins 
Sound Dom Ollerenshaw
Editor Jon Dean 
Producer Rory Calder 
Associate Creative Director Elias Torres 
Associate Creative Director Daniel Glover James 
Production Manager Tosin Lepe
1st AD James Dyer 
Gaffer AJ Sworn
Wardrobe Nil Tomakan
Art Director Kate Stamp
Hair and Make up Claire De Graft

The Visionaries Welcomes Award-Winning Still-Life Photographer Patrice de Villiers

We are delighted to welcome the exceptionally talented still-life photographer, Patrice de Villiers, to our roster!

For Patrice the art of still life is making the inanimate, animate, to create an emotional connection between the work and the viewer. Her first commission was for The Sunday Times magazine, a series of food portraits, which led to finding her creative voice & she’s worked with them ever since.

Having studied photography, film & english literature at university, shooting mainly portraits & fashion, post graduation she spent several years assisting a still life photographer. Inspired by the creative possibilities of a blank canvas to fill, Patrice began to dedicate her passion, dedication to craft and the pursuit of creative excellence to the art of still life photography.

Since then, she has wrapped cars in pasta bows for Ford, dressed crab claws in stockings for a Las Vegas superstar hotel & draped pasta over rock stars for her personal charity project ‘LoveMusicLoveFood’ in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust.

Her images have been described as elegant, playful, sensual & exquisitely crafted. The creative process often begins with concept scamps & Patrice has this to say about her work 'In many of my images, I like to explore the relationship between often seemingly unrelated objects, always trying to shoot in a way that will surprise and delight so the pictures are sometimes conceptual, sometimes purely observational or a combination of the two. And if the final image is arresting, dynamic and beautiful then my efforts, thoughts and observations, have been worthwhile.'

Patrice is currently working on several collaborations including a luxe African gin brand & a series of images working title “Alice in CoCodeMerLand’ alongside set designer Lee Flude. The next commercial stop is back in Milan for a new food client creating the look for desserts, all about luxurious textures & delicious beauty.

A reputation built on producing iconic images has led to collaborations with clients such as Selfridges, Eurostar, Harrods, Westfield, Amazon, Financial Times, GQ, Rolex, The Observer, British Airways, Toyota, Land Rover, Heinz, McDonalds, Gaggenau, Godiva & working with Marcel/Intermarché on the most awarded food campaign in advertising history, Inglorious Fruits & Vegetables. 

Regarded as one of the most experienced creative industry specialists, she has been part of many jury panels, the most recent of which was this year’s D&AD awards, where she was jury president for the photography category & a black pencil judge for craft.

Davide Cantelmo, Lead Photographers’ Agent at The Visionaries, shared his enthusiasm about the new signing: ‘I’m thrilled to welcome this dynamic talent to our family, further enhancing our exceptional roster of photographers. Patrice brings a wealth of experience, refined talent, and an impressive work ethic to The Visionaries. Her photographic eye is just the beginning; you’ll want her involved from the outset to let her creative vision shape each project from start to finish.’

Acrobatic Showdown: The Martians Bring M&Ms to Life in a Thrilling Race, Showing Off Their Live Action & VFX Skills


In their latest visually captivating film, directing duo Martians work their magic by bringing the beloved M&Ms characters to life like never before. This dynamic and playful commercial showcases a thrilling race through the aisles of a supermarket, where the iconic red M&M faces off against a determined young woman. The chase is anything but ordinary, as the girl demonstrates impressive acrobatic moves, back flipping over trolleys, with the cheeky red M&M hot on her heels. 

With their signature blend of visual effects, humour and performance, The Martians create a fun, fast-paced spectacle that highlights the playful spirit of M&Ms in a fresh and exciting way, as well as advertising the chance to win a marvel adventure to Disneyland Paris!

Martians had this to say: “We still can’t believe that M&M’s and Disney trusted two Martians to bring this film to life. It’s even more surreal because these are the only brands from Earth that anyone on Mars has ever heard of. For once, we could actually tell our moms what we did—and they sort of understood.

We’re used to getting puzzled looks from people, but this project took things to a whole new level. Imagine asking the agency and client to picture an M&M’s character sprinting toward the camera, sliding under a shopping cart—while we stared at an empty supermarket aisle on their monitor. Their faces were more confused than any we’ve seen in the galaxy! But thankfully, they believed in us (we won’t say if we used mind control), and it all worked out beautifully.

The shoot took place at Sandstorm Studios in the Cotswolds—the best spaceship parking lot in the UK. We had access to every piece of gear and tech you could dream of. Rigs to hold people mid-flip? Check. Technocranes? Check. Chroma screens? Check. The perfect cast with future Hollywood stars? Absolutely. Sometimes our Martian ideas are hard to envision, but the crew made sure they came to life exactly as we imagined—even when we were speaking with our mouths full of peanut M&M’s.

And just one last word for Red: what a diva.’

Credits

Client: Mars - M&M's

Agency: The &Partnership

CD: James Fernandes

Creatives: Hemi Patel & Fred Barber

Directors: Martians

Director’s Agent: Davide Cantelmo at The Visionaries

Producer: Dillon Palmer

Production: Sandstorm Films

Producer: Josh Archer

DOP: Matthew Emvin Taylor

Styling: Sarah Hackett

Casting: Jessica Jefreys

Post-Production

M&M's Characters: House Special

Color, SFX and VFX: Creative Outpost

Sound Engineer: Tom Lane

Plate Design & Plate shots: Push VFX




Claire Norowzian’s Latest Job for Old El Paso Fulfils the Most Colourful Of Taco Dreams

Claire showcases her impressive directing & VFX talents to bring this Old El Paso ad to life, with vibrant graphics and icons popping up from every direction, paired with dynamic performance and joyful colour saturation.

Claire had this to say: “The dreamy team at VCCP gave us the brilliant brief of bringing Old El Paso’s Street Vibes to life and turning up the dial, quite literally! So that’s what we did. With a talented crew and cast we created a playful film, which we layered with vibrant madness; Collaborating with Coffee and TV to bring the colour and composer Jordan Crisp to create an amped up tune to bring the whole mad thing together!”


Credits

Client: Old El Paso

Int. Marketing Direc: Berengere Dupui

BX Marketing Manager: Sarah Douglas

Brand Experience Mngr: Natasha Desai

Agency: VCCP

Business Director: Sean Kelly

Account Director: Ben Wyver

Creative Director: Ciara O’Meara

Senior Creative: Hannah Talbut

Senior Creative: Joanne Boyle

Director: Claire Norowzian

Director’s Agent : Davide Cantelmo at The Visioanries

Producer: Max Thomas

Production manager: Rob Mercer 

Production assistant: Felix Borer

Production assistant: Farihah Chowdhury

DOP: Tim Fok 

1st ad: Dan Precious 

2nd ad: Gabriel O’donohue 

1st ac: Emmy Robinson 

2nd ac: Ada Wesolowska 

Key Grip: Kevin Foy 

Gaffer: Steve Finberg  

Food Stylist: Kate Giovanni 

Food Stylist assistant: Holly Galliver 

Art Director: Vicente Ben 

Prop Master: Lester Hill 

Hair & Make up artist: Nic Marilyn 

Stylist: Jenny Svantesson 

Stylist Assistant: Tas Case

Edit: Philip Currie @ stitch editing 

Grade: Simona Cristea

Animation & VFX:  Ed Kevill-Davies Coffee & TV

Post Producer: Thomas Godsill 

Sound Design: Will Cohen @ String and Tins 

Music Composer: Jordan Crisp

Chris Fowles’ Latest Spot for Scottish Gov Utilizes Virtual Production and Emotive Performance To Outline Just How Easily Tragedy Can Occur On the Road

Chris Fowles kept it simple and effective, using a single evolving shot paired with state of the art virtual production for the Scottish Government’s new speeding campaign. 

Chris had this to say about the project: “It was a real mix of technical challenges and raw emotion. At its core, it’s all about the actor’s performance — that moment right before the crash where everything just freezes. 

As a director, those are the moments you look for, where the emotion carries the whole scene.

We shot this using virtual production, which was tricky with the tight budget we had. Especially with speed changes and motion control. There were plenty of times where the whole team worked through the night together to figure things out. 

But what made this film special to me was the purpose behind it. It’s a cause I genuinely care about, which made the hard work worth it. 

Speeding, especially in the leadup to Christmas, is something that affects so many lives, and getting the chance to create something that could make a difference was incredible.”

Credits:

Agency: Leith

Creatives: Chris Watson & Rufus Wedderburn

Agency Producer: Kat Jordan

Production Company: Leith Studios:

Producer: Jen Howells

Director: Chris Fowles

Director’s Agent: Davide Cantelmo at The Visionaries UK

DoP: Henry Gill

DoP Agent: Wizzo

Gaffer: Ian Stevens

Casting Director: Claire Catterson

Post-Production: Cheat

Colourist: Jonny Tully

Sound Design: Finiflex Sound Studios

Editor: Dan Austin

Visionaries Director Jeremy Haccoun Creates An Incredible Spec Inspired by Lincoln Using State Of The Art AI Technology

Visionaries director Jeremy Haccoun unveils a mesmerising spec spot for Lincoln, showcasing the breathtaking potential of AI-generated video. Leveraging the recently released Gen-3 text-to-video model from Runway, Jeremy crafts stunning, hyper-realistic visuals by describing his shots as he would to his crew. For example, one prompt that could generate similar shots reads:

"A high angle view of a magnificent desert ground: the sand swells, then a buried 'Black Lincoln Aviator Luxury SUV' slowly emerges from beneath the sand, causing a beautiful chaos of sand. Then all this sand heavily streams down the bodywork. Camera movement: start high angle then descend to a low-angle shot, angled up at the SUV glorious at the top of a dune, with sand streaming down the SUV. Slow motion, magic hour, backlit, flares, drifting dust, superb cinematic lighting."

Jeremy was impressed by Runway’s capabilities and meticulously refined the action, camera movement, and lighting through multiple video generations. As AI-driven content proliferates, he was eager to infuse the result with directorial intention close to that of a traditional shoot, while achieving a visual polish so impeccable you’d never guess it was AI-generated.

He then applied his post-production expertise to complete the project single-handedly: editing, compositing the Lincoln logos onto the car, adding a few more sand elements (also generated with Runway), color grading, and upscaling. The project in total took about two weeks to complete—an astonishing turnaround given the high-end finish.

At the Visionaries, we are always keen to find the best creative solutions for brands, and our directors constantly look to the future. In this instance, Jeremy demonstrates that AI, when used as a tool to enhance human creativity, becomes a powerful visual weapon capable of executing an ambitious brief from the comfort of one’s computer.

This is a spec ad not affiliated with the Lincoln brand, celebrating their iconic designs.