Archer’s Mark Signs Directors Robin Mason and Ben Woolf

Archer’s Mark are delighted to announce the two latest additions to their Director roster, Robin Mason and Ben Woolf.  

 “We were incredibly excited to bring both Robin and Ben in over the summer.” Comments Head of New Business at Archer’s Mark, Sarah Cutler:  “They both have such a rich career history which presents itself as a truly unique style in each of them. We look for directors who have a flair for story-telling, who are passionate about their work and who are always looking to the next creative project. We’re pushing the boundaries of what we can produce for brands content-wise and with Robin’s experience with long form broadcast series and record labels and Ben’s background in theatre direction, (not to mention their commercial experience) they couldn’t be a better fit for the way that we work.”

Robin Mason began his career creating content for the major record labels, allowing him to establish himself directing documentaries promos and live shows for artists such as Bastille, Emile Sande, The Vaccines and Brian Ferry. He then moved on to shoot for Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s Got Talent and double Bafta-winning BBC series Our War. His commercial work includes films for Expedia, Converse, ASOS, Miller and Visit Denmark.

Commenting on his decision to transition back to short form Mason says: “One of the main reasons for diving back into short form is my enjoyment of the craft in that medium. It’s completely different to broadcast which can be pretty chaotic due to the volume of material that needs to be captured – and really the craft in broadcast lies mainly in the edit suite. I’m a man who likes to plan so I am drawn to the artistry and imagination being in pre-production. At this moment I’m just keen to make more content and further develop a voice and Archer’s Mark seemed like a great fit. They’re really focussed on supporting their directors through their commercial and long form ambitions. For example, a number of their directors are developing features which is encouraging, as it keeps the balance of Art and Commerce.”

Recent Work : Strictly Come Dancing & Expedia (Bermuda)

After working as the director of Strictly Come Dancing’s long form broadcast for the past three series, Robin Mason transitioned to direct the 2015 promo commercials for the show this year. 

The commercials are shot before the celebrities begin dance training, and with fifteen big stars - from a variety of backgrounds, with extremely tight schedules - directing the commercials can be a challenge.

 “Creating the commercial for such a show is a privilege and for me it was about ensuring that the shows image was upheld and protected whilst trying to capture the imagination of new viewers. Having worked on the show it gave me an understanding of what values were important and in what areas we could push the creativity.”

Working with Archer’s Mark, Mason also recently directed the first in Expedia’s ‘Explore’ Experience for Bermuda. The project consists of a journey through the island to showcase the number of different activities on offer there. Completely shot from point of view, the experience gives consumers the chance to create a bespoke pathway, tailoring the film to their preferences.

Robin Mason Explains: “The Point of View approach, married with the user’s interactivity, was something that Expedia and I were excited about. We felt it gave the user a real sense of being transported somewhere. In terms of the feelings, we were really trying to maintain a sense of curiosity and adventure, the notion that anything was possible, that through your choices you might stumble on something amazing.”

Ben Woolf

Ben Woolf has more than ten years of experience in commercials, working for brands including McDonalds, Nissan, Heineken, Nokia, Lastminute.com and Expedia. His awards include Best Short Film and Young Director Award (Cannes Lions Festival); the Best International New Director (Kinsale Sharks); Best Short Film (Kinsale Sharks). He began his career writing plays for theatre, after being scouted by film producers he was launched into the commercial film world early in his career. He continues to work with both disciplines recently releasing a west-end musical and a science comedy show in Edinburgh.

Commenting on his future goals working in both commercials and theatre, Woolf says: “I’d love to cross over more between the work I’ve done in theatre – directing performance – and in commercials. I have an interest in shooting live performance and dance so I’d love to explore those worlds more.  I was drawn to Archer’s Mark because they support creative projects and they have great people at every level.  They genuinely want to make the best work possible, regardless of the format or shape of the project.  They’re growing very quickly and have already built a stellar reputation that I hope to be able to contribute to.”

Recent Work: Expedia

For his first project with Archer’s Mark Ben Woolf directed Expedia’s latest film in their ‘Explore’ experience. Taking consumers through Athens, Greece.

Explaining how the film was kept cohesive in style throughout the different pathways, Ben Woolf comments: “As the whole film was shot from a single POV, it had a pretty clearly defined look in terms of style.  We just tried to push the creative possibilities of each situation.  The fantastic DP, Kit Fraser, suggested shooting with a camera system called the Codex Action Cam.  It is incredibly lightweight and shoots great footage.  We were also lucky to work with an actress, Eleni Miariti, who was up for the challenge and didn’t seem to mind wearing a climbing helmet with a camera stuck onto it in 40° heat on the top of the Acropolis!  It did take some working out to get eyelines, shadows and framings right though! We structured the sequences so that a viewer could make different choices but always had a satisfying combination of different outcomes.”