The Directors: Danny Sangra
A UK-based writer/director/artist, Danny Sangra is a new wave filmmaker who has honed the art of observing modern life. Danny has created an immense collection of short films and has collaborated with clients such as Burberry, Mercedes-Benz, Samsung, Adidas, Sony, BBC, Nike, Vogue and Balenciaga.
In 2022, Danny was asked by The Beatles to create a music video for their track ‘Taxman’. The launch coincided with the relaunch of the their album Revolver. He recently released an animated short film about an orange, voiced by Zoysia Mamet, who reflects on her purpose in life.
Name: Danny Sangra
Location: London
Repped by/in: Afterhrs. in the US
LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?
Danny> For me it’s the humour. If I see a script or concept and I’ve immediately got a smile on my face then I can’t help but get excited. Typically I get excited about character based scenes. Odd personalities where I can play with the performance.
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
Danny> I try to keep it personal and keep my voice present. Many people have writers for their treatments whereas I feel it would lack my personality in the text. I want a client to know I’m excited about the project. I try not to go overboard with over explanations and keep things concise.
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?
Danny> I’ll do some research but mostly it’s to understand their tone and audience. This way I’m not trying to pitch something that is outside their comfort zone - unless that’s what I’ve been asked to do.
LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?
Danny> It’s usually the producer. We are in it together from pitch to post so I need to know they have my back. On set I’m close to the DoP we’ve got to be in sync.
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?
Danny> Deadpan humour, stylised environments. Something slightly odd and subtle. However I also love dialogue and working with comedic delivery that’s not trying to be fun. Generally I love playing with everyday life in heightened scenarios.
LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?
Danny> Maybe that my work is based in fashion films? I think because I made many comedic fashion films early on. To be fair I do like a stylised world but it’s not fashion based, it’s more considered art direction.
LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?
Danny> I had a model/actor turn up to the shoot after having a chemical face peel two days before. Her skin looked burned and sore. I think she thought we could retouch it but it was a performance piece. I solved it by replacing the model with someone from my crew. They went from art department assistant to lead within three hours.
LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?
Danny> It’s always a little different. Sometimes the brand and agency don’t want to be overly collaborative all the way through the process. When it’s like that, I try to offer as many options as I can for what I think will work.
However, generally I’m fairly lucky, most people who come to me want me for me, so I get to play around with ideas throughout all the stages. Those agencies and clients are the best, they understand the most unique moments happen on set or off the deck pages. The moments you can’t plan for but have to remain open to finding.
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?
Danny> I like to work with a small team where everyone can do multiple things. So when I have people on set who are new, they will often have to do a multitude of things. I think rather than mentoring on set (which can be tricky for an intense job), just having people on set watching and helping and being part of the team gives them confidence. I generally throw people into the deep end as that’s how I learned and I think it’s fine - it’s never that deep.
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)?
Danny> I don’t think about it. I just get bored working one way so I switch it up. If I’ve done too many film projects I naturally feel the need to paint. After a while I’ll have ideas for scripts. If I don't feel like working with a production team I’ll make an animation. I just make the things which feel right at the time.
LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work?
Danny> I like to know about what tools are available. I don’t have to use them but I feel like if you don’t know what these new tools offer, then you miss a chance to create something new for yourself.
I have issues with AI and where it’s heading but that would be its own article I think. I use AI but it’s incorporated in my work as opposed to the entire final product.
My biggest issue with a lot of data driven visuals is that I don’t feel the process once I see it. I think it’s loads of fun for the person who creates it at the time, and there’s an initial ‘that’s cool’ moment, after that, it does very little. It’s very throw away, but so is most the industry now anyway because it all moves so fast.
LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?
Danny> The Beatles - Taxman: I got asked by the Harrison family to make the music video for Taxman but I only had seven days to make it. I barely slept. I'd always dreamed of
making something for The Beatles so this was pretty special for me, especially as they let me do whatever I wanted.
As a Beatles fan it's peppered with details. My main thing was that I didn't want to take any of their existing images, there's a finite amount of material and I wanted to add my own to it. It's the project I'm most likely going to be connected to for the rest of my life.
Mercedes-Benz - A Fistful of Wolves: This proved to be one of my most popular films. I had just lost a car commercial, a few weeks later I got approached to make this film. They said ‘we have this guy Justin and a Mercedes-Benz concept car. Write something’. I knew I wanted the opening to be based on the car while I made a parody fashion film. It made lists on Campaign and Adweek then gained some Clio nominations. It was a fashion film which gained a far broader audience.
Netflix - The Crown: I love working with actors to make it feel like a non-scripted performance. Keeping tings natural and relatable, meanwhile I’m filming on the set of The Crown outside Buckingham Palace. Blending comedy with informative chat. Almost reality, almost fiction.
Balenciaga x MyTheresa: Many of my films are in French because I had a period where I was predominantly making films in Paris. I wanted to see if I could carry off the same type of comedy. The models were not actors but we managed to get a great, well-timed performance. Stylistically I prefer to shoot on a dolly as I like to shift between frame sizes with a move (if time permits). This one has my slightly surreal story line with an abrupt ending. An abrupt ending is always my preference.
