The Directors: Ewan Fletcher

Ewan is an award winning filmmaker based in Edinburgh, working across commercials and branded content. Specialising in character-driven narratives as well as human interest documentary, he loves getting to know a brand and collaborating with a creative team to realise their vision.

Ewan honed his skills as a director and editor through several years working in-house at some of the largest creative agencies across Scotland. In this time he directed TVC’s and branded content for clients such as First Bus, NatWest, Coutts, Royal Bank of Scotland, Medtronic and BRC Imagination Arts.

Ewan has also dipped his toes into the fast-paced world of broadcast. The New Scots, his series of micro documentaries won the 2020 Royal Television Society Scotland award for short form content. Ewan commutes between Edinburgh and London.

Name: Ewan J Fletcher

Location: Edinburgh

Repped by/in: Johnny Foreigner 

Awards: Royal Television Society Award Scotland 2020, Scottish Creative Awards Nominee

LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?

Ewan> The most exciting scripts for me are the ones that give you scope to tell a story visually, where you can see how the narrative can be driven forwards through camera movement, editing or music, in addition to the dialogue. 

Also, I find scripts that have all the traditional elements of great storytelling really exciting: an attention grabbing opening and a resolution with a strong punchline or twist. It’s often hard to quantify why something is funny or why it just ‘works’ but you know it when you see it. 

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Ewan> It really depends on the creative and how far the concept has been developed.

Sometimes it’s appropriate to use the treatment to help develop the story and messaging. Other times this has already been done and you’re exploring the most effective stylistic execution for that spot. 

Generally, I try to keep treatments to the point and easy to follow. There’s a lot of ideas to express, so it helps to avoid too much flowery language.  

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?

Ewan> I think it’s important to understand the strategic and contextual side of any project, even if it’s a brand or market you’re already familiar with. Ultimately, you need to know what the client and agency are trying to achieve and being able to refer back to that overarching goal helps guide any creative decisions you make throughout the production.

It can also be one of the most interesting parts of the job. You get to dip your toe into all kinds of different worlds and industries that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to. 

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

Ewan> Filmmaking is such a collaborative process that picking one individual is tricky. However, you really want to have a great working relationship with the producer

They’re the engine that pushes the production forwards, and they are also one of the few relationships that remains consistent from day one until the end of the project. They know everything that’s going well, and anything that’s presenting a challenge, so it’s a very open collaboration. 

I find that the best relationships I’ve had with producers also tend to be very creative, where they are just as invested in the project as I am and you feel like you’re bringing the film into existence as a team. 

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?

Ewan> I love tight comedic scripts with a strong narratives, particularly ones that subvert audience expectations and resolve with a punchline or a twist. It’s fun to play with larger than life characters and have opportunities to use bold or assertive camerawork.

On the flip side, I also really enjoy documentary projects. Giving someone else the stage to tell their story, building rapport through an interview and getting hands on with the camera. 

It might seem like a weird combination, but I think scripted and documentary projects exercise different creative muscles and I find being able to have a nice mix of the two approaches really satisfying. 

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

Ewan> That it’s somehow glamourous. I’d describe filmmaking as 50% creativity and 50% manual labour! 

LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been?

Ewan> I tend not to have the budget for one. 

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Ewan> The funniest one was probably being on a shoot which was overrun by dozens of inquisitive lemurs (we were in a zoo.) The issue was solved by sacrificing a crew member to become the dispenser of nuts and raisins somewhere far from the camera. I think it was the best day on set they’d ever had…

LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?

Ewan> I try to return to that idea about really understanding what the client and agency want to achieve, or the problem they are trying to solve. 

If you’re on the same page in this regard it makes it much easier to collaborate and also to push back if you feel the project is losing its direction or having it’s message diluted. 

I find you can safely disagree with a client or creative, as long as they fully trust that you’re both aiming in the same overall direction and are aligned in terms of what you’re trying to achieve as a team. 

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?

Ewan> I think it’s probably essential if we want to see more varied and interesting stories and find new ways of thinking about the same topics. I’d be delighted to mentor anyone who felt I had something to teach them. 

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? 

Ewan> I think the speed of communication has improved. Video calls were obviously around long before the pandemic, but now it’s just a habit to jump on a call to discuss ideas, issues or developments really quickly. 

I think this is a particular bonus for the relationships you build with HoD’s during pre-production who are often working remotely or are less readily available. 

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)? 

Ewan> I think the key is to make sure you have a clear and realistic brief at the outset of a project about what formats are the priority, then give those formats the greatest amount of love and attention throughout production. 

What are the key channels that we want the film to have the most impact on, and where will it be doing the heavy lifting for the client?

I think challenges arise if you end up trying to retrofit a project that’s been shot for one format into something completely different. A lovely spot framed in 2:35 probably won’t translate very well onto TikTok…

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)?

Ewan> While I haven’t had much experience with it yet, I’m keen to experiment with virtual production. I don’t necessarily see it as a replacement for location or studio work, but I do think it might offer much more flexibility and creative freedom for those scenarios that traditionally require you to do a lot of compositing, keying or labour intensive rotoscoping in post.  

LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why? 

Ewan> First Bus Be A Little More Car Free 

This was a great campaign to shoot, with all the elements I enjoy: an absurd script and the opportunity to work with some great actors who could be let off the leash. The creative team at MadeBrave wanted something that felt more like a comedic short film than an ad, which was a brilliant brief to get. 

Thank You From Coutts 

This was a fun challenge and felt a bit like a giant Art Attack project. The budget was pretty tight and we pulled the set together on a shoestring (literally and figuratively.) I worked with a brilliant and resourceful Art Director and during pre-production we built out the entire set using polythene sheets to rehearse the angles and make sure we could fit everything into our studio. 

Johnnie Walker Princes Street 

Documentary making is another side to my work that I enjoy. Showcasing the brand new Johnnie Walker Princes Street destination in Edinburgh and helping the team behind it tell their story was a real pleasure.

Royal Bank of Scotland – Ken & Al

I shot these a while ago now, but I loved working on these short films for Royal Bank. The idea was to use two recurring characters to create a series of comedic films that helped communicate some of the more mandatory and – dare I say it – less exciting information the Bank needed share with its customers. Finding ways to inject humour and performance into scripts which were essentially financial terms and conditions made for an interesting challenge.