Capturing the Essence, Rhythm and Beauty of Others with Parker Hill

Parker Hill is an LA-based writer/director and photographer with a passion for telling stories that explore ideas of home, belonging, connection and girlhood. Parker graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and now works across narrative and documentary stories.

Her debut feature documentary, ‘CUSP’ (Sundance, US Documentary Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmakers), was released by Showtime in 2021, and garnered nominations from the American Society of Cinematographers, IDA Awards and Cinema Eye Honors for best cinematography. Hill was named as one of Hollywood Reporter's Next Big Thing: 10 Documentary Filmmakers Speaking Truth to Power.

As a commercial director and photographer, Parker works with brands to seamlessly weave the emotional with the visual, and tell stories that feel honest, vibrant and poignant. Named in SHOOT magazine's New Directors Showcase, Parker's branded style resonates and has connected with several brands including Ford, ESPN, CVS, and Netflix.

As a published photographer, her work has been featured in The New York Times, Pro Publica, and several online magazines including Kodak's podcast ‘The Kodakery’.

Name: Parker Hill

Location: Los Angeles

Repped by/in: Frank Content/Canada, Tomorrow/USA

Awards: 2021 Shoot New Director’s Showcase

LBB> What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director? Any trends or changes that open new opportunities?

Parker> It’s been exciting to see a wave of nostalgia brought into a lot of ads, which is right up my alley. I also see a lot of incredible sound design used lately – ways to draw audiences in quickly and direct their attention to what’s important. I love when the social campaign is integrated into the same look as the commercial. As someone who often shoots stills alongside directing, it’s a lot of fun to think about how to deliver the creative in so many forms.

LBB> In what ways does your background in photography impact your directing style and approach?

Parker> There’s so many! Most of my photography work is documentary, so I’ve really honed the ability to make a space or a world look beautiful as it is, without bringing in huge lights and tonnes of people. It allows me to work with smaller teams sometimes, and we can be flexible and nimble without sacrificing any quality or beauty.

Second, I think it has taught me how to tell a story with a frame – how to block actors and use light and colour so that you can get a sense of the narrative immediately.

Another way would be my passion and dedication to colour. I love to make things colourful, I love to use light and production design to make frames feel with how they look, and I’m meticulous at times with how to shoot something to be able to bring those colours to life in the post-production process.

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

Parker> The scripts that immediately feel elevated to me always have an energy and a rhythm. They’re building in a direction, and when I read them, I can already picture the edit. I think short-form storytelling is all about the arc, and I love when I read the momentum already on the page. It gives me so many ideas of how we can bring that to the screen.

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

Parker> The first thing I do is write a second-to-second playbook for how I see the spot. Then, I think about any topics that need their own standout explanation for this creative, before hunting down visuals. I used to spend hours wasting time looking for visuals first, but for me, it really must start with the writing.

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?

Parker> I love to understand the brand’s presence, especially in the market the spot is going to be for. I try to absorb everything I can find: past campaigns, social presence, the visuals and tone that the brand is going for. I also ask a tonne of questions on the first couple of calls – it helps me feel connected to the client and agency’s vision, so we can all bring it to life.

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

Parker> The DoP, the creative team, and my producer. I’m a very visually focused director, so I love to be in lockstep with the cinematographer and the creative team and craft the world together from the beginning. I believe a lot in ‘the workflow creates the work’, and so I love getting really specific in prep so we can all be flexible and find happy accidents on the day. As for the producer, of course they’re on my list, because we have to figure out how we’re going to get it all done!

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?

Parker> I’m drawn to stories that feel grounded, human, and emotionally textured – at times funny or quirky, but always authentic. I love venturing into people’s worlds and capturing their essence, rhythm and beauty. That typically draws me to projects with a documentary edge, filming on location, working with real people, or tapping into real stories and traditions.

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

Parker> A few years ago, I was filming a campaign for ESPN’s SEC Network, and the day before the shoot at a major football game, we found out the president was attending the game, and no one could be on radio or use wireless video that interfered with the Secret Service’s frequencies. It definitely brought some challenges to filming on the field with 120,000 people in the stadium, but we ended up going and filming anyway, before running back, showing the team, and filming again.

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

Parker> I ask a lot of questions and listen deeply early on, so I can understand what the agency and client care most about. That really informs my shooting process, and I’m trying to protect it. But, I also love to overshoot and give us all options in the edit. Sometimes, I think it’s easier and faster to get a few variations than to block us into a corner in the edit.

LBB> In what ways has your experience in documentary filmmaking supported your commercial directing career?

Parker> There are probably too many things to list here. Working in doc has informed so much of my style as a director. The main touchstones that come to mind are making something look beautiful, but using what’s already there. Also, working with real people, having patience, curiosity and compassion for their stories, and getting them to share with us. As well as my shooting style, capturing the moment in a way that feels honest and unrehearsed. Creating the space for people to be themselves.

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)?

Parker> I tend to shoot in a way that allows for the most flexibility in the edit. Not just with variations of takes, but extra things that allow us to tell a story in six seconds, 15, 30, 60, etc. I love to think about creating frames that tell a story in an instant – the way we block it and light it – so that the dynamic is easy to read and sink into. Of course, I also tend to centre punch things, making it easier to know how the cutdown formats will look!

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

Parker> This spot for Texas A&M captures so many elements that I love to bring to commercial filmmaking. We filmed with a real crowd of fans and got to see their authentic energy, as well as scripted scenes working with actors. I love how the spot builds and the different elements work together and build with some lighthearted humour.

‘CUSP’ truly captures my filmmaking ‘essence’ at its best. From the cotton candy Texas sunsets to the intimate verite style we shot with, this is a coming-of-age feature documentary which premiered at Sundance in 2021, and won a Special Jury Award from Emerging Filmmakers (released by Showtime). The film feels almost nostalgic, capturing adolescence during a fever-dream summer, and weaves together the beautiful and heartbreaking universal experiences of girlhood.

This Ford Escape campaign was so much fun to craft, working with a real Ford employee and telling her story. I think it blends my love for lifestyle storytelling alongside a more product-heavy spot.