Comedy, Technology, and Forging Lifelong Bonds: Inside Scott Pickett’s ‘Hunt for the Perfect Image’

Picking through the origin story of one of North America’s most reliably witty comedy directors, you wouldn’t expect to start in Australia’s oldest mining town. But Broken Hill, in the West of New South Wales, is exactly where Scott Pickett’s unique journey into filmmaking began. 

Having recently signed with Someplace Nice for representation across Canada, the director is looking forward to adding more chapters to that story. His commercial work - for the likes of Google, Apple, IKEA, VW, and many more, is recognisable for its droll humour. Meanwhile, his portfolio in film and TV - as seen on Netflix and Hulu amongst other platforms - ensures he’s got the narrative chops required to craft memorable stories. 

Here, Scott reflects on having his first film judged by Mad Max director George Miller, the extent of the ‘blurred line’ between the worlds of commercial and features, and why there seems to be an ‘endless supply’ of comedy actors coming out of Canada…

Q> Scott, let’s start right at the beginning - what kind of a kid were you growing up, and at what point did you first realise that a career in filmmaking was for you? 

Scott> I grew up in a small, isolated outback mining town 1200 kilometres west of Sydney called Broken Hill. It’s legendary for its red dirt landscape that continues to draw artists, filmmakers, and ad agencies alike. Every year something would be shot there, a few notables include Mad Max II, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Mission: Impossible 2. Furiosa also just wrapped. 

My only exposure to filmmaking was when I was about 10 and our family car was used as background for a German car commercial. Bemused, I watched as they used a taxidermy kangaroo for a shot, which of course looked fake, so they tried out a real one. Unfortunately, as soon as they rolled the camera, it bounced away disappearing towards the horizon, never once entering the frame. Pretty much a metaphor for filmmaking right there. Do things the easy way and it looks fake, whilst making it look real is like herding a kangaroo.

In my teens I was thinking more along the lines of being a painter, a cartoonist, or a photographer. My first film was actually an animation made at high school and it won an award at the prestigious Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney and was judged by none other than Dr. George Miller himself (director of the aforementioned Mad Max franchise and Furiosa). So, looking back at it all, maybe it was meant to be.

LBB> I see from your Instagram page that you also enjoy a spot of photography (especially landscapes and the natural world). Does your photography ever inform your filmmaking, or the other way around? 

Scott> I’m always hunting for the perfect image, be it in photography or cinematography. I’m trying to discover faultless combinations of light, texture, depth, composition, contrast, and colour. It’s very elusive but it’s a thrill to find it. But yes, I’d say the photography informs the filmmaking as there’s a lot more room to experiment.

Above: Stunning landscapes are a regular sight across Scott’s Instagram. 

LBB> As well as your commercial work, you’ve also got a lot of experience in narrative and longform with shows on Hulu, ABC, and Netflix amongst many others. How blurred do you think the boundaries are between commercial and longform - do you find that more brands are looking to pursue ‘branded content’, for example? 

Scott> I would have thought there would be more crossover, but the industry works so differently. They are quite separate worlds. Having said that, there are certainly interchangeable skills that directors can apply. 

Above: Scott’s work in TV and Film includes The Moodys, which was shown internationally across ABC, Hulu, and Sky TV. 

LBB> ‘The best brands are the best storytellers’ - to what extent do you agree with that? 

Scott> I like that. I’d like to think that the best brands behave the best, or have the best quality… but certainly the stories attached to the brands are beyond powerful.

LBB> Over the course of your career so far, have there been any projects - or simply moments - which stand out in your mind as especially significant or memorable? If so, which ones? 

Scott> I was pretty Australia-centric when I won a Gold Clio a few years ago. In fact, I was so clueless I hadn’t heard of the Clios, so in order to get me pumped, my EP explained that when Don Draper won a Gold Clio he was so excited that went on a massive bender that basically destroyed his life. That put it into perspective.  

Above: ‘Baby Faces’, Scott’s spot for Mamia nappies, picked up a Gold Clio. 

LBB> You mentioned previously that “Canada has a great tradition in comedy and storytelling” - why do you think that is? And, for our overseas readers, how would you define ‘Canadian comedy’? 

Scott> There seems to be an endless supply of comedic actors coming out of Canada. Their breadth, depth, and range are a good representation of what makes Canadian comedy, i.e. it’s not one thing. It moves between deadpan, absurd, slapstick, offbeat, and understatement. So, there’s a formidable artillery of tools that Canadians seem to be able to call upon for chuckles.

LBB> The Hold Up was a 360 VR film - are you excited by the potential of that technology in terms of immersion? Do you think creatives will be able to tell better stories as a result? 

Scott> I am super curious about what will happen next in the VR space. There seem to be technical challenges when it comes to creating live action and viewing it, but I suspect soon enough VR content will become more and more sought after, and rightly or wrongly it may become the standard platform.  

LBB> Are there any other tech innovations that you’re enthusiastic about as a filmmaker? 

Scott> As cameras get smaller and more light sensitive, we're not as hindered by "the machine”. We can have quicker setups as there’s often not the scale of lighting necessary and we can create dynamic camera moves more simply. This creates a more free-flowing feeling on set.

LBB> Finally, if you had the chance to travel back in time and give your past self one piece of advice, what would it be and why?

Scott> It can be a tough business and it’s very hard work, so I would try and remind myself to have fun along the way. Relationships with collaborators are often short but there’s still a chance to have a good time, create a positive impact, and build lifelong bonds.