Day in the Life of… Alyssa Boni

I am a freelance director and photographer represented by RSA films/photographic.

I studied graphic design at college and found myself spending most of the time in the dark rooms playing around with film cameras. I realised that I should be exploring this much more, so I went on to study for a degree in photography. After university, I assisted many photographers and ended up being a full time first assistant to an advertising photographer for two years.

After I left my full time assisting position to go freelance, I got the opportunity to establish the photography division at Kurt Geiger's London headquarters. It was challenging at the time, as establishing a department in an international fashion brand wasn’t something I had experience in doing, but I am never one to shy away from a challenge! After nearly three years at Kurt Geiger I thought it was time for me to apply all the experience I had gained and become an independent creative.

Whilst my photographic practice continued to grow steadily, the big break in my directing career came when I directed a TV commercial for Marks and Spencer with RSA Films. This was my first directing opportunity and I won the job based on the strength and relevance of my photographic work, as well as my concept for the film. Since then, I have directed many more projects within fashion and beauty, including More Women - an award-winning political campaign for Elle Magazine's Feminism issue, and the sequel film featuring Rosie Huntington Whiteley entitled Strong Women.

 

 

I love the variety and spontaneity of my job. You may think you know what you are doing that week but it could all flip on its head in a phone call, I find that exciting - the challenge of what’s new and next.

 

My latest films are two beauty focused films for Glass Magazine in conjunction with Chanel make-up. Whenever I shoot for Glass, I seem to always use a subtle hint to the material glass – it’s such a slick and elegant material which sits so well with the tone of the magazine. For this project, I built two large Kaleidoscopes made from different thicknesses of mirrors. We then rigged it up to the lens and played with the effects that you can create from different distances and focal points. Many people have assumed that this effect was created in post-production. I really enjoy experimenting to capture as much as possible in camera, both in my photography and film.

 

 

Every day is slightly different for me, depending on what projects I have on, which is exciting and challenging! I regularly meet with my agent to discuss new briefs and opportunities. Depending on what stage of the project I'm in I could be working on creative concepts for a treatment, or if I'm shooting, my days tend to start pretty early with a strong coffee! I work across studios and production houses all over London.

 

Time management is quite a hard aspect of my job – having your own business you need to wear many hats. There are so many things you need to do to keep everything ticking. It can be hard to mentally shut off from work, and equally to not to feel guilty about it when you do. It's a tough balance to get right.