Top Director: Andrew Hardaway

In a regular column Campaign Brief Asia is turning the spotlight on a hot director. Here, we talk to Andrew Hardaway, an American director on the roster at Indigo Asia Production.

Andrew Hardaway (left) received a 5-year professional degree in architecture from the prestigious Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles. While in school, he worked as a live-action art director and began teaching himself computer animation.

After four-years as a digital artist at Industrial Light and Magic working on everything from Star Wars to Men in Black, Andrew returned to Los Angeles as a feature effects supervisor and 2nd unit feature director. While working with David Fincher, John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, and Mike Nichols, Andrew wrote and directed a series of effects-oriented spots that go well beyond the typical hurdles of photorealism and integration; the spots tell stories that simply would not exist without the use of digital effects.

It didn’t take him long to pick up a shortlist at Cannes in Boards Magazine’s Best New Director Review and inclusion into Shoot Magazine’s New Director Showcase at the Clios. His “Moving Cities” for VW took home a Gold Medal in Execution from the Art Director’s Club, and his spots have been highlighted in Luerzers Archive, Shoot Magazine, ‘Boards, Adweek, and many other international creative reviews.

In your everyday work, what are the largest challenges you face these days working in Asia?

Firstly, the challenges in Asia are very similar to the challenges I have bidding and shooting in the US and in Europe. For my reel, I often find it tough bidding jobs where the client is looking at million dollar reference commercials, but the script at hand has a budget that’s one-eighth that. As a professional, it’s a tough position to be in, because you want to be involved but the post budget assigned to the job doesn’t match what’s been sold to the client. There are no clear answers, but you have to maintain your integrity and propose the lowest possible option that you’re confident matches your reel. A very well-respected EP/owner in Jakarta told me last year, “Hey we’re not magicians nor are we being paid to act as them…” I love this line, because for a brief moment it takes the pressure off. Until the next board pops into my inbox…

How did you get your start in the industry?

I worked as a digital artist long enough at Industrial Light & Magic to realize that I was mesmerized with the entire creative process of filmmaking, not just the post production portion. I started spending evenings and weekends on my first spec commercial. After nine months I produced a film that broke new ground in digital cinematography and vehicle performance. I didn’t know a soul in the commercial industry, so I sent the spot to David Fincher. About three weeks later the mobile rang and it was David calling to say he appreciated seeing the work. The opportunities began to trickle in from that moment onward.

What was your first big break as a commercials director?

A two spot package for a Japanese Honda FIT campaign shooting in LA. Oh, the stories I could tell you about that job! The idea was to have the cars driving on top of European- inspired pasticciere, combined together in post. The car shoot went flawless, but the agency kept firing all our pastry chefs. We went through LA’s “best of the best,” and finally had to hire this young pastry chef that faked a French accent throughout the 16 hour stage shoot. After about 12 hours of shooting, the chef started having a nervous breakdown due to the pressures of filmmaking and remaining “in character.” That was the first time I realized that commercial direction entails lots of things that are not strictly related to the filmmaking. In that case, it required a bit of psychology and mentoring to finish out the day.

What do you love about directing commercials? Tell us about your most recent job and what was involved/the challenges of the job and why you like commercial work?

The best thing about directing commercials is taking a concept and bringing it to life in a way that entertains people. This act of creativity is the very core of what we do, but it’s often easy to gloss over with all the other demands we face. For me, commercials must entertain and engage viewers in some visceral way. If they do not, the ad is not noticed or remembered.

Directing demands the very best I can give in so many areas of life at once – intellectually, socially, and creatively – all wrapped up in a time and cost-dependent plot line. Every job is different and requires heaps of problems solving. It’s the challenge of all these things combined that stimulates me.

Recently, I shot a big effects spot for Tata in India whose script featured eight cars doing very intricate stunts. The challenges came in every direction at once: No shootable locations, no trained actors, and a car that could not do anything resembling the stunts in the brief, and so on. What I did have was a fantastic executive producer (Billoo Sandhu/Cutting Edge Pictures), a dedicated crew, and a wonderful effects company (UPP, Prague). Using what we had, we managed to piece together a solid film that featured 360 degree CG set extensions and a series of highly photorealistic CG cars shots intercut into real car photography.

In the end, the challenges where solved and the client was uber happy, but the road to get there took a great deal of effort and detailed supervision from start to finish.

What appeals to you about working in the Asian market?

I’ve been filming in Asia for about six years, normally about 3-5 large campaigns per year spread among in China, India, and Indonesia. For an American director, I understand this is very rare, and I take a double dose of pride in the reel-worthy executions I complete there. The appeal is the challenge, the travel, the experiences, and the friendships made along the way. There have been many times that I feel I have scouted Shanghai more than Los Angeles. It’s an unbelievable privilege to be able to live such a life and experience the world in such a rich and creative way.

Have you ever ventured into short films or films?

Yes! I filmed by first short film called ‘Roughneck’ last May and it’s now in post. It’s a teaser/pitch piece for a feature of the same story and execution concept. For a self-funded affair, it’s pretty ambitious and I hope people find it engaging and interesting. The film combines my love for dramatic performance, storytelling, and photorealistic visual effects into a 14 minute thrill ride. Estimated completion: Fall 2015.

What’s the three most memorable spots you’ve directed?

1. My second spec commercial, I wrote and directed over a decade ago. For me, “New Mags,” provides a clear reference to what I set out to do as a director: tell stories that would not exist without the use of digital effects.

2. A commercial for Drive Communications in the Middle East. For me, the film serves as a constant reminder of how important shot selection is. In filmmaking, there are so many ways to capture the story and the creative and emotional impression the shots make defines to soul of our work.

3. Again, its about telling stories that use realistic digital effects to enhance a concept. In the original “Moving Cities” script, the concept was clear enough, but it was all about defining the shots, actions, and narrative-driven visuals that plussed out DDB Milan’s intensions. The film took a Gold in Execution from the Art Director’s Club Europe.

What are your favourite three commercials of all time?

1. Noam Murro’s “Damien” for Milk is textbook commercial craft at its best. David

2. Fincher’s “Mechanical Legs” is the perfect marriage of filmmaking skills and post craft.

3. Frederic Planchon’s “Upside Down” for Peugeot remains as the perfect concept/ storytelling/ post execution.

What is your career highlight to date?

I would say the acco
lades are great, but I’m really proud of getting my short film in the can. It was self-produced and self-funded, both of which where extremely challenging to pull off.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people would know.

After ten years of full-time live-action direction, I’ve still got mad skills as a digital artist. I simply cannot get away from the craft of post production. I love it.

VIEW ANDREW’S REEL

Contact: Miles Johnson or Nigel Kenneally.

Tel: +66 818 506 152