The Directors: Ariel Goldenberg
Ariel was born in 1979 in Israel. After moving to Istanbul at the age of six, he continued his school life here. At the age of 18, he was accepted to Columbia College Chicago and studied film producing. After working for a time in the United States, he returned to Turkey.
He started working on different projects as a PA and location guy. After working as a production manager and location manager on features and commercials alike he moved on to the directors team side. Later on with "Equality" a PSA for the Turkish Handicapped Association written by himself he stepped into the directors chair. After receiving positive reviews, he started shooting commercials for many local and foreign brands in the advertising industry. From top beverage to home appliances he had the chance of working with different brand and different product types advancing his underrating of different products and their places within the market.
Apart from these, he was interested in hobbies such as free diving, carpentry and fire walks, and he always tried to and still does broaden his horizons. Ariel, who has been working as a commercial film director for 14 years is also planning on spanning to features and series alike. He is trying to develop series from books he read, features from dreams he has seen and animation from ideas he had ever since he was a kid.
LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?
Ariel> It is always exciting if you get a script about something you are passionate about. May it be cars, drinks, food, clothes etc. But also it is important that the subject and the way the script has been written is engaging. I believe “if what’s on the page is weak, the film cannot be strong” so what really gets me excited is well written scripts that are thought out dramatically and are shootable. I like scripts which have some kind of dramatic build up or some kind of action that requires engaging and exciting shots.
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
Ariel> Well, creating a treatment for a spot is always a challenging process. For one thing I really have to feel the reason why the treatment is being summoned. Sadly these days we are coming across projects where the treatment is being asked just because they can. I believe this issue is becoming a bigger problem within the directors community. But other than that, what I try to do is get as much information about the idea from the agency as I can when we meet for the first time. I try to come up with as many ideas as I can for the script so I can know what direction the agency is leaning towards. Once I get those answers the process begins. I try to make the reader of the treatment see the film I have in mind as much as possible. Some directors make a mood film by editing different shots from different spots. I don’t really believe in that process in general. The reason being is that once the agency or the client sees that mood they can get stuck on what they saw and then you kind of get stuck on without having the freedom.
LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?
Ariel> I think it is always important to know about the brand you are shooting for. It determines every aspect of the spot. The mood, the atmosphere, what kind of freedoms you have or what kind of constraints you might run into. Also it is important to know about the market you are doing the spot for. You have to get familiar with the demographic of the consumer so you can create something they will relate to. If I am preparing a spot for a brand or market I am not used to, it makes sense to me to watch other works that have been done before. That kind of sets the rules of the game you are going to play. Once you know the rules you can start looking into how you can bend or sometimes break them.
LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?
Ariel> I don’t think there is any one person that is more important than the other. As a matter of fact I always say that a directors job is to be able to bring the most talented people together and have the ability to make them work in harmony for the vision he/she has in mind. But if I have to narrow it down I would say the AD and DoP are the key people to make it work. A good AD and directors team can bring the best out in you. The way they see the same vision and feed you with as much material as they can will open your mind. The DoP will have the best insight on how you can execute your vision so that you can instruct the other departments on what they are supposed to do for your vision.
LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?
Ariel> To be honest I don’t think there is a particular genre or subject matter I am passionate about, I am passionate about the job itself so whatever comes my way I try to look at it as a brand new experience. But what I can say is what I am not passionate about. There is a new trend around where instead of focusing on story people are mostly focusing on the technique and way of shooting. Mostly get a wide angle lens on a steadicam or Trinity and just start going around your character or make a fast pull back or push in. I call these the TikTok generation type of commercials. It may be working for the new generation but I do believe it is taking away from storytelling.
LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?
Ariel> Lately one of the biggest misconceptions about me or my work is that I am a “Food” director. This affects other types of boards to come my way. A few years ago I didn’t have one food related spot until I shot my first. Then the flood gates opened but with that the rest stopped coming. The thing is, I like to have a variety of different types of brands that I work or known for. That way I can keep reinventing myself which is exciting. When you are stuck doing one thing, after a while you might end up in a loop which can be non-creative.
LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?
Ariel> Well to be honest I believe this job comes with crazy problems. It is in the job description, and if it is not it ought to be. Every project comes with its own challenges and stuff you didn’t think of no matter how well you were prepared in pre-production. But what I have come to realise is the role of the director in this mayhem. What we do or supposed to do is, keep a cool head, try to focus and make sure the client and the agency aren’t aware there is a problem and solve it accordingly. As for a specific example I would have to say the “Trabzonspor” project as a whole was in itself the craziest problem. We had to shoot four different people in four different continents and four days before we were supposed to leave we still didn’t know who or where those people were. Ohh, and on top of that we had only 15 days to finish the entire shoot which also had some setups here in Türkiye but in two different cities. We knew we were going to NY and Cape Town but we were missing two more places. Three days before departure Helsinki and Bangkok came into the picture and we were off. Basically we were flying one day shooting for two and moving on to the next. As you can imagine the toll it took on our bodies and minds was quite severe. But this is where good planning and knowing what you are trying to achieve comes into play. Panda Films which I am a part of and my producers have an extensive web throughout the world so they were able to mobilise in a very short time and partnered up with great people. I focused on the story, the emotions and Burak Turan our DoP was focused on the visual world. It was a life changing project and it is the time I came up with this quote “A filmmaker is supposed to be in the right place at the right time only to realise that he is in the wrong place and the wrong time which in turn becomes the right place and right time”. I truly believe that when you are there in the moment if you truly have it no matter what happens that will be the right time and place to tell your story.
LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?
Ariel> It is quite simple actually, the project belongs to the client, the idea essentially belongs to the agency. As a commercial director you are there to bring it to life with your twist. But I want to be really clear, at the end of the day we are there for the client and agency. People might hate me for saying it but we are not doing art, we are doing business. With that said, that doesn’t mean you throw your hands in the air and give in to whatever is requested. On the contrary you are there to make sure the project is on track, to the vision that was agreed upon and to make sure the ideas that you have are alive and the project reflects your aesthetic. I do believe collaboration is very important but I just make sure that it is within the boundaries of my vision and if it is not try to understand what it is that is making them do this request. If it is something key then I try to make it work within my world. If it is not then I try to make the best case I can on why it doesn’t work. But I have to admit as I said in the beginning it is the client's project at the end of the day and the client is always right, you have to let them make their own mistakes :)
LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?
Ariel> I think this is absolutely key to the evolution of our industry and not just directing. I try to have a very relaxed atmosphere when I work. In pre-production, I like to work in the office which especially after the pandemic is something people find weird. But I really believe in collaborative work and I work with my assistants and production team in the same office. I constantly talk about the project and what I think and get their input on the ideas. If their idea is better then mine and takes the project a step forward we use that. I try to make the remark as much as I can to the client or agency that it was the assistants idea or someone else’s. I believe if they are on my team and it makes us winners then it is my success and I take pride in working with talented people. I love to have diversity, it just broadens the collective effort which is always great. I do believe in mentoring on set but I believe it is more important to mentor people in pre and post production. If you know the beginning and the end like the back of your hand then the middle is easy to solve.
LBB> How do you feel the pandemic is going to influence the way you work into the longer term? Have you picked up new habits that you feel will stick around for a long time?
Ariel> Basically the best thing that came out of the pandemic is the possibility to have a meeting at any given time. With that it also made people not wanting to come together for a meeting or just to brainstorm. So for me it became a double edged sword. I try to have as much of the meetings as possible face to face when it comes to my crew. I try to make the best of the online meetings as much as I can.
LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats - to what extent do you keep each in mind while you're working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)?
Ariel> Sadly nowadays we have a bunch of outlets where the work is being shown. Ideally you have to shoot for each format because that is the only way you can actually capture what your vision is. But that just stays as a fantasy since no client will be able to give you that opportunity. So what I try to do now is first focus on my own vision and my own format. I try to have some shots which will work in any format, being a close up of the product or the moment it is used. Then I look at the requested deliverables, talk to the post department and camera department to figure out which ones we can handle from our own format with reframing. If we can’t do a reframing then it becomes a new set up at the shoot and it has to be discussed with the agency and client since it will mean it will affect the budget etc.
LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?
Ariel> Call me old fashioned, but I miss the sound of actual film rolling through the magazine. So whenever there is something new I try to not jump on it right away and let the dust settle. I try to find out about it as much as I can and see to my opinion if it is something that will hold on. I am aware of course that technology is what takes us to new territories and makes our vision come to life in a better way. But there is always a catch to these things, in the olden days you had to be a part of a crew or part of a production to have access to the cameras and film whereas today anyone in the street with a smartphone is a filmmaker. So how do we as an industry draw a line? I sadly believe that AI is going to replace many of the creative jobs out there. In the beginning it is going to be replaced by good literature-abled people who can type out the most detailed and imaginative words so AI can create it. But in time AI will not even need those. Other than that virtual production is an amazing tool, that kind of technology is what I believe would take us further in our process. There will come a time where AI is going to branch off and do its own thing and we will be doing something else.
LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?
• Trabzonspor
This spot by itself is an adventure of a lifetime and I believe has the cinematic and docu-realism aspect of film which I enjoy watching and shooting. It also reminds me of what good collaboration and determination can really achieve.
• Netflix
Working with such a huge talent and being able to accommodate his quick thoughts before and during the production was a challenge which I think came out really nicely. On top of that sitting in the actors chair for a small part was also an exciting and quite frankly a scary experience.
• Dacia
This was the first car commercial where I was really set free by our client and agency. Best part was they wanted a “dirty” film. When I heard that I had a grin on my face wider than the Grinch. I wanted to pursue every kind of terrain I could get my hands on. I pushed the car, the crew and myself to the limit.
• Tatile Gidiyoruz
This was the first time in a long while I was going to shoot a short film. It was directed solely on climate change because I believe that is the one and only real threat to the survival of humanity. I tried to show it in a twisted kind of way which made a lot of sense to me, so that’s what I wanted to share with people.
