Into the Library with Marc Sidelsky
'The Creative Library' is LBB’s exciting new launch. It’s been months - years, probably - in the making and we reckon our re-tooled archive will change the way you work, whether you’re a company looking to store and share your work, or a marketer or creative looking for new partners or inspiration for your latest project.
This isn’t a dusty old archive. It’s an easy-to-search, paywall-free library where all our members can store and share all of their reels and creative work.
To coincide, we’re also launching a new regular feature called ‘Into the Library’ where we catch up with the industry’s most influential directors to talk about their directorial highlights past and present. Think of it as a director’s reel showcase with a big dollop of personality. We interview directors about their favourite commercials and music videos from their reel to find out about how these works shaped them as a director.
Up today is Marc Sidelsky, who was born in Toronto but moved aged seven to Johannesburg, South Africa where he’s been ever since. Marc’s work, for the likes of Volkswagen and KFC, embeds itself in the funny, fashion-forward and magically musical. Shooting around the world, he’s even had the pleasure of working with Chuck Norris, one of his heroes. He shares some of his most memorable pieces of work with LBB’s Nisna Mahtani.
Dearly Beloved - Close Encounters
I’ve always been music-obsessed and loved the art form of music videos, but had never made one. When I lived in Toronto, I used to always go see my friend Niva Chow, perform with her band, Dearly Beloved. Once I was back living in Johannesburg, I reached out to her and she told me they had a new album in the works. She sent me a few tracks to see if any stuck. From the get-go, I loved the energy of ‘Close Encounters’. I sent her a treatment and they dug it.
The video hung heavily on finding my two leads. I didn’t want to pull a ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ and have 30-year-olds play high school students. But there was also the sexualized content – so I wanted actors of a legal age. Finding Franklin Solomons was a godsend – he was about to start film school. He was quiet and unassuming, took his role very seriously and was unbelievably true and subtle on camera. And he still had braces on his teeth for a few more months!
I found the only American-style school bus in Johannesburg for the shoot, it belonged to a guy who owned an armed security company. He had it for fun – company picnics, apparently – it wasn’t very good on the open road.
When times get tough on a shoot, I mentally transport myself to the first day of THIS shoot.
It was extremely hot and the inside of the bus was a furnace. With the bus’ thick steel frame, the picture signal wouldn’t shoot to my iPad, so I had to watch the action over my DP’s shoulder, on the camera monitor. There wasn’t an assistant director, so I was choreographing the background, high school kids, trying to watch the lead’s performances, the framing…all in this heaving old bus, that kept breaking down. I survived it. I can make it through anything.
I was very happy with the final product. It won ‘Best Music Video’ at Ciclope Africa and was shortlisted at Kinsale. I’d love to make more music videos – just need to find that right marriage of song and narrative.
Vodafone - Showmax
I’m a huge consumer of film and television, so a project for a streaming service, with the genre ‘in-jokes’ is right up my alley. Showmax has a large offering of shows and the in-house creative team was open as to which characters/shows would have the best visual and comedic potential for the commercial. We shot for two days at the State Theatre in Pretoria. Sometimes I really just love being in a single location for a couple of days. You get comfortable in the space and don’t have to keep eating into your shooting time with location moves. Sometimes, the adrenaline of the location moves is vital to the energy of the shoot.
There were many parts to cast on this one – none more important than the role of the director. Daniel Janks did a wonderful job, he’s a magnificent genre guide. The creative team were fantastic and I clearly remember how chuffed they were at the first offline viewing. In fact, they were all ex-Ogilvy creatives and their kind endorsement led to the next project. It did win Gold at Promax for ‘Best Integrated TVC’.
KFC – Whenever, Wherever
It was mid-December when this brief came in from Ogilvy Johannesburg. The creatives originally had a low-tech execution in mind. I came back with a bold, surreal and strongly art-directed interpretation. I pushed the humour, visually and tonally into a zone that excited me. So much would hinge on finding the right actor, who could own the screen, with deadpan charisma. Fortunately, I found my muse, Sechaba Ramphele, who I would continue to shoot with and write for.
It was a great process, everything just clicked. The agency were awesome and the client was willing to push. I was personally very proud to have created a piece of work, for a major global brand, that felt unique and very representative of my point of view as a director. It was a hugely successful campaign and won for ‘Art Direction’ and ‘Music/Sound Design’ awards at the South African Loerie awards. What I remember very clearly was finishing the project, I was elated but exhausted and was heading off for a much needed family holiday in Cape Town, which leads us to the next project.
Shelflife – Stüssy x Nike
I’ve always been a sneakerhead, but living in South Africa, I would always find the more interesting models or collaborations on overseas trips. But when the local boutique, Shelflife, opened; the game changed. It started with an outlet in Cape Town and then expanded to Johannesburg. They built a big online store with a huge social media following. This was all the brainchild of Nick Herbert, the founder and creative director. I managed to get a hold of Nick via a mutual friend. I kept pestering him – telling him we should ‘do something together’.
When I was down for my Cape Town holiday, on his turf, I set up an in-person meeting. We hit off and he agreed to see what exciting potential launches he may have on his calendar.
I went back to Johannesburg and the world swiftly closed due to covid. A couple of weeks later, Nick contacted me about a project. Due to Shelflife’s cache, many of the Nike product launches are exclusively available through them. The project was the upcoming Stüssy x Nike collaboration. I told him I’d get a script to him.
In the last couple of years, I’ve worked on a few campaigns for local fashion retailers. I’d begun to ponder the tone of most fashion advertising. Why couldn’t it be concept-based? Why couldn’t it be funny? How about an engaging, stylish, darkly amusing tale where the clothes were integrated seamlessly, being key to the plot? No one needs to see more ads of people posing against a graffiti wall, holding flares or staring humorlessly into the camera. So that was my headspace.
He read the script and loved it. I got my man Sechaba in front of the camera and he hit a home run. I delivered the final film to Nick and he never asked for a single change. Locally and internationally the film was a great success, picking up awards at D&AD, the Clios, One Show, Grand Prix at Ciclope Africa and a Commendation at the Immortal Awards.
The project opened up so many doors for me. Like KFC before, I see it as emblematic of who I am as a filmmaker, but even MORE so, as I created it completely from the ground up. It will always be a special piece for me as it is littered with personal references; my actual dog’s name is Teddy, my brother is the dentist in the film (a job he enjoys professionally – that’s his practice), and I’m not a ‘hat guy’.
Shelflife – Nike MMW
After the success of the first commercial, Nick and I were both keen to collaborate again. I had actually written a script for one particular shoe, but due to covid delivery delays, we had to scrap it and pick another one. The idea was so product specific that it couldn’t be carried over – but time was tight – the launch date couldn’t be moved. I had to write quickly.
The Nike MMW is divisive, most things with a very strong design aesthetic are. You can’t wear that shoe half-heartedly, own it…or it’ll take YOU for a ride. The film is a darkly comic exploration of this idea. I was SO nervous to see if Nick and Nike would buy an idea, where the protagonist decided NOT to buy the product….and thankfully, they did.
I was determined to make something that could exist and succeed, free of association from the first film. I was happy for there to be a kinship with the predecessor but I had no interest in recycling the palette or precise tonality of ‘Stussy x Nike’. Sure, there are other layers which provide added enjoyment if you’ve seen the other film, but it’s not necessary for comprehension.
I feel like tonally, this film is even more adventurous…the humour is even more understated. The humour is often based on the contrast between his grandiose musings and the visuals that accompany them. The first film visually revelled in the ‘poppiness’ of the clothing line…here I consciously sought to create a more monochromatic, brutalist-inspired world.
I think the first one had more obvious ‘laugh lines’ and there is something immediately more comedic, structure-wise, about the back-and-forth banter between the two roommates.
The film again proved popular for Shelflife and won Gold for Direction and Online Film over 30 seconds at the South African Loerie Awards.
IONOS – Aunt Helga
This was my first job in the UK. It was the launch of the German brand, Ionos. From the outset, the biggest task was bringing the brand character, Aunt Helga, to life. We found our lead, Kat, in Berlin. I knew she was the one from the first self-tape. Absolutely key to her creation was the amazing wardrobe department, led by Costume Designer, Charlotte Walter (Watchmen, Belfast). I saw the film as a British TV show from the 90s…as filtered through German Expressionism.
This really was a multi-headed beast for me; there was performance, art department and many post considerations. There were some complicated post shots but a great deal was also done in-camera, utilizing forced perspective. So…lots of time scrutinising monitors.
The couple that played the Wool Shop owners still make me giggle – we were looking for truly eccentric English characters and we definitely found them. I brought home one of the sheep masks from the shop mannequins, for my son; he still wears it. It creeps out my wife.
But most of all, I’m still chuffed that I got Helga’s head, spinning around, in a non-threatening Excorist manner….into the final cut.
Anchor x Spotify – Murder on Mars
This one is hot off the press - my first US job through Knucklehead. Anchor is a podcast creation app that belongs to the Spotify family. I loved being able to create two distinct worlds, visually and performance-wise. For me, the character had to be meek and nervous in the real world, filled with self-doubt, vocally and physically. In his podcast world, he is emboldened and statuesque. The actor, Tireni, was a standout from the get-go. Great face - killer voice.
I wanted the podcast world to be quite specific; the podcaster is obsessed aesthetically with the late ‘50s and early ‘60s sci-fi films - but the plot is pure noir. It was such a fine line - those films have an inherent artificiality….but I didn’t want it to look tacky. Painting the ‘Mars rocks’ in a more dramatic fashion, using matte paintings, and zoom lenses - I dove into the world of Mario Bava.
The turnaround was really quick and I’m very chuffed with the final result. May exciting projects keep heading my way.
