The Directors: Groves Brothers
Anton and Damian Groves are brothers and a directing duo. Interested in art and storytelling from a young age, they found their voice in filmmaking and their drive to explore new forms of visual language and experimentation has always been at the forefront of their craft, boasting a reel that covers live action, animation, table-top and anything in between. In 2007 they founded their own production company – Studioset – with a group of like-minded creatives, and ever since have been directing stories through film, music videos and commercials, having won a selection of awards and screened in festivals throughout the world including Cinequest USA, Short Shorts Asia and at London’s BFI. In February 2020 they won the Canal + Best Youth Film with their short animation ‘Opinci’ at the Clermont Ferrand International Film Festival. They are currently developing their debut feature film, ‘King Wray’.
Name: Groves Brothers
Location: London
Repped by/in: Johnny Foreigner in UK, Studioset in Romania, Gloria Krass Agency in Germany, Go East Creative Management in Eastern Europe / Middle East / Asia.
Awards: ADC, Berlin Commercial, Miami Fashion FF, Sapporro IFF, Clermont Ferrand IFF, Filminute
LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?
Groves Brothers> Scripts that are concept driven, simple with a clear objective are the ones we enjoy pitching on. There’s nothing worse than an idea that lacks rigour and is fraying at the seams – because it will always undermine the end result. If we aren’t excited by a script, we always try to adapt the concept or interpretation or both (!) until we are!
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
Groves Brothers> The very first step for us would be to decode the core idea / objectives of the brief. What does the client want to communicate and how? Then we ask ourselves – what original take can we bring to the table? And then – what medium would best serve the story / concept? We love to experiment visually, and are open to live action, animation or anything in between – as long as it fits and the brief permits. Once we have answered these questions, the most important step is storyboarding, the actual visualisation of the ad, from the first frame to the last - our most creative moment of the process. Then it’s all about presenting and selling our vision in the best possible way so we actually get to make it happen..
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?
Groves Brothers> If the brief is missing a bit of context / background to the brand, then of course research is essential – like a filmmaker who must know their audience, a basic understanding of the market is a must when directing a campaign. Usually, we will dig online for information / past campaigns / brand books etc, and if we still need context then we approach the agency.
LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?
Groves Brothers> Regarding heads of department or cast, it really depends on the nature of the ad – sometimes our relationship with actors takes precedent when we are directing a film that must resonate emotionally – like our ad for LIDL, while on technical shoots a good relationship with the DOP is essential – like our film ‘TIM’ for Mark Roberts Motion Control. Saying that, the constant relationships that need attention are with the agency and client. Without trust and faith from them, it becomes an uphill battle, and we can end up with an amazing piece of film - that communicates something totally wrong and off-brief.
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?
Groves Brothers> We love to experiment visually, so our preferred projects are usually those that combine different media, and push creative and technical boundaries. With our passion and background in film, projects that have a cinematic narrative quality to them are also very attractive to us. The best example of these two sweet spots combined is our feature film in development – ‘King Wray’ – where we have chosen an experimental hybrid animation style to tell a dark story about an iconic musician’s ill-fated comeback. Hopefully coming to a screen near you in the next two years ☺
LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?
Groves Brothers> When collaborators see us planning a filming down to finite detail they sometimes think it kills the creativity and possibility for improvisation / spontaneity on set. But for us it’s actually the opposite - it helps us be more creative – because instead of worrying about the shoot, we know we have a solid plan to fall back on, relaxing us enough to be open to happy accidents and improvisation.
LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so, how have your experiences been?
Groves Brothers> Not directly, but usually the effects of which knock on down to us through the producer forcing us to cut out something or other. We’d say it’s important to optimise a production, but not to the detriment of the final product – which usually means separating the must-haves and the nice-to-haves..
LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?
Groves Brothers? When filming our short ‘Chop Cup’, we looked for a decrepit industrial hall as a location, as we wanted to create a real contrast between the colourful design objects and the textured surroundings. We found the perfect setting – an abandoned ex-factory - but unfortunately two days into the setup a distinct smell of dog s***t started to appear ☺ We realised that at night stray dogs were coming to do their business on our set, and because of the locked nature of the filming and the fact that nothing could be moved, it was too late re-locate. Even though we cleaned it away every day the smell remained, so at some point we just gave up and embraced it!
LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?
Groves Brothers> We believe being a successful commercials director is half creativity / visionary and half diplomat. It doesn’t matter how great your vision is if you can’t communicate and convince its benefits to the agency / client. Often this means compromising and having to let go of certain things in favour of others, but protecting the core idea is something essential for us. Luckily we are two, which always helps!
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?
Groves Brothers> With such a quick turnover in advertising, its essential to renew vision and talent to keep things fresh. And we are all for new approaches to the medium - often people who turn to directing from unrelated backgrounds bring something new and unexpected to their craft. Apprenticeships and mentoring onset are certainly valuable, although we believe the best way to teach is by example – especially since when shooting there is rarely time for anything else!
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?
Groves Brothers> For us the pandemic period was fruitful because it encouraged introspection and made us remember why we started on this career path in the first place. Revisiting our passion for film and storytelling set us on a new path that has also helped inform our advertising careers and given us a new drive towards cinema.
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)?
Groves Brothers> With a lot of campaigns spilling over into online, more and more we have been asked to shoot for vertical formats as well as the classic wide. It’s difficult to please both, especially since repeating takes onset kills the rhythm - so usually we frame for the destined format, and then crop for the rest in post-production.
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)?
Groves Brothers> We believe visual experimentation is our forte, so it’s essential that we stay informed about new technologies and developments on the market. The recent AI explosion is fascinating for us, and although we don’t think it’s ready to use solely on a project (yet!) – we definitely believe in its ability to aid directors with visualisation. For many recent treatments we’ve used AI to communicate a specific mood or atmosphere that was otherwise impossible to obtain.
LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?
Groves Brothers> King Wray Teaser – this film preview represents our love for visual experimentation, going out on a limb to find an original and hypnotic look for our debut feature.
Lure – a Berlin Commercial VFX winner, this unconventional fashion film combines live action with post-production for a surreal and primal journey through Ioana Ciolacu’s ‘Hunter’ collection.
Tiff 2020 – This ad for a film festival boasts our ability to adapt to a brief and create something both authentic and relevant – with a Fellini focus, the festival wanted us to touch on story of the pandemic through the famous director’s perspective..
Tiff 18 – This ad for the same festival was all about coming of age, for their 18th edition. We wanted to make a dynamic, youthfully dark piece that would attract the younger generation to the big screen.
