Weezer, Andrew Dominik and ‘Taxi Driver’: The Work That Made Daniel Fletcher
Beginning his career as a creative researcher and designer, Daniel Fletcher has since developed commercial, television and feature film projects with renowned filmmakers from all over the globe.
Daniel has collaborated several times with AACTA Award-winning and Palme d’Or-nominated director Justin Kurzel. He was director’s attachment to Kurzel on his debut feature film ‘Snowtown' (2011) and joined him again as director’s assistant on 'True History of the Kelly Gang' (2019).
As a director, Daniel has worked across multiple genres for leading domestic and international brands including Telstra, Sydney Opera House, Jacob’s Creek, Domino’s and Colonial First State. In 2022 he developed and crafted a suite of films for refugee and migrant social enterprise Welcome Merchant to celebrate World Refugee Week. Recently he directed a hard-hitting campaign for Yfoundations, to raise awareness of Australia’s youth homelessness crisis.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Daniel> ‘Buddy Holly’ by Weezer. Such a smart, simple idea, and so playfully made. It introduced me to Spike Jonze, who I soon came to adore. Weirdly enough the clip was included on the installation CD for Windows 95, which is where I first saw it.
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Daniel> In terms of advertising, it might have been Levi's ‘Reborn’ directed by Andrew Dominik. The Bill Henson lighting, the post-punk soundtrack… It was probably the coolest ad I’d ever seen. There was an artistry to it that I hadn’t encountered in many commercials before.
LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…
Daniel> ‘Taxi Driver’. I rented it as a teen while working at my local Video Ezy. I’d never seen anything like it; it felt so adult, complex and dangerous. It opened me up to a new world of cinema. I think listening to Martin Scorsese’s DVD commentary made me want to be a director.
I also love Lynne Ramsay’s short films. There’s a masterful economy to her storytelling, with beautiful attention to detail.
LBB> My first professional project…
Daniel> I was a camera operator on a hip-hop music video straight out of uni. We shot inside a Darlinghurst nightclub for 22 hours. None of us had any idea what we were doing.
LBB> The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Daniel> I’m not really a fan of these AI-generated commercials popping up. I think if someone chooses to use a tool like AI, it should be serving an idea that’s already strong. Most of the AI-driven work I've seen is mediocre – and would be with or without AI. I wonder if people are getting carried away by the shortcuts it offers, while losing sight of what makes good creative work in the first place.
LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…
Daniel> I love the spots Steve Rogers did with NRMA and Bear Meets Eagle on Fire. Beautifully crafted, and completely in service to an elegant idea. Generally anything Steve touches is worth watching.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Daniel> In 2008 I was director’s attachment to Justin Kurzel on his feature film debut ‘Snowtown’. At the time I was assisting full-time at Cherub Pictures, and Michele Bennet (EP) was kind enough to allow me to accompany Justin to South Australia for a few months.
It was an immersive education: location scouting, street casting, rehearsals, and staying by Justin’s side right through the shoot. It was also quite formative for me, personally. I think I came home a different person.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Daniel> With the generous support of my Rabbit family, I made a series of short profile films for Welcome Merchant, a social enterprise that elevates businesses run by refugees and people seeking asylum. The subjects were skilled, hard-working professionals (and also incredibly lovely people). It was important to us that we frame them as stories of passion, not hardship. They are humble little films, and I’m proud of how they represent the breadth of skilled migrant-led business that exists in Australia.
LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Daniel> There have certainly been projects where the final product wasn’t perfect, or even a great reflection of my tastes… but I try to learn something every time. When I first started directing, I was nervous about projects that didn’t exactly reflect the path I wanted to be on. But I think with experience you better start to identify your entry point: What’s my way in? What’s something within the idea that specifically appeals to me? Or, what’s something I can try that I’ve never done before?
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Daniel> We recently worked with Ogilvy and Hogarth on a campaign for Yfoundations, calling attention to the youth homelessness crisis in Australia. The statistics are startling, and there’s currently no targeted plan by our government to address the issue. The idea – which needed to have impact – was to draw an uncomfortable comparison between survival reality TV and the stark reality of experiencing homelessness.
Tonally, that presented a big challenge: how do we stay sensitive to the issue and those affected by it, while retaining the potency of the core idea? Our first step was a detailed consultation process with Yfoundations and its representative council – who have lived experience of homelessness – to make sure the stories were represented honestly and with dignity.
Everyone involved in the project – the team at Ogilvy, Hogarth, our brilliant production partners, the cast and crew – approached the project with great empathy and care. I’m very proud of the final result.
If anyone wishes to learn more about the issue (and sign the petition), please head to yhmd.org.au.
