The Directors: Ian Isak

Being the son of an artist mother and a circus clown father it seemed inevitable that Ian Isak would go down a creative path. As a filmmaker, Ian Isak has always been committed to telling great stories with a personal visual footprint. His work is dynamic and whether it is energetic or emotional, he always strives to create an authentic nerve with engaging and real characters. Ian Isak's talents have been widely recognised and awarded with accolades from Berlin Commercial, Epica Awards, Eurobest, Shot Awards, LIA, YDA, Vimeo Staff Pick, Creative Circle and more. Recently, Ian received the gold award for direction at The True Award 2022 for his touching work for Cancerfonden.

Name: Ian Isak

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Repped by/in: Giants & Toys (SE+), Honeytrap film (DK), Obvious (FR), Sequoia Content (CA), Chunk (DE)

Awards: 

Won: The True Award, Guldägget, Vimeo Staff Pick, Ad Forum PHNX Awards, Berlin Commercial, Costa Brava Film Festival, Copenhagen Fashion Film Festival, Berlin Fashion Film Festival, Sulmona International Film Festival, Danish Digital Awards, MM+M Awards, Promax Award Europe, Advertising Effectiveness Awards, 

Shortlists: Shots Awards, Eurobest, London International Awards, Epica Awards, Ekko Shortlist Awards, ARFF Barcelona, Epica Awards, YDA, Los Angeles Fashion Film Festival, Santiago Fashion Film Festival, Fashion Film Festival Istanbul, 

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

Ian> It always comes down to the idea and concept and mostly I try to go with my gut feeling as well. Does it feel like something that could work and become a solid piece of storytelling? And does it trigger some emotions while reading it? If yes, let’s go!

The projects I’m most excited about shooting are the ones where I’m slightly out of my comfort zone and where I know I’ll learn a lot during the process. 

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

Ian> I read the board, read the minds of the creatives and then figure out what elements resonates with myself. From there I gather inspiration and references, do research and talk to the people around me to bounce ideas back and forth. If any ideas need to be tested I test — this can be animatics or mood film or technical tests. Then I write, layout, do moodfilm(s), send and cross my fingers.    

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

Ian> To me every process has a new most important working relationship. The creatives are the first, as we of course need to align, but also can pick each others brains and optimise on the script together. During prep I like to bring in my DOP early so we can ping pong all the visual stuff and follow up during the shoot. In post the editor is my best friend. But that all said — nothing happens without the producer. I guess filmmaking is teamwork and it takes a whole 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?

Ian> Actually not. What I love about doing commercials is the broad variety from job to job. My reel is very diverse and I like how every project is different with different approaches for every film. I do though feel most invested in authentic stories - something that feels real - either if it’s energetic or slow and emotional. 

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

Ian> In my opinion a good idea can come from anyone involved in the project. And often the main idea comes from the agency. My job is to develop and better this idea and not so much protect something that is only mine. 

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?

Ian> I love how global everything has become. And I'd wish I was way better to take in aspiring directors. I get a lot of requests, and I started out as a director assistant, so I know how much you can learn from assisting and simply being on other’s sets.   

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)? 

Ian> Normally I just focus on one thing. As I see it we can’t frame every shot for several formats, as this simply kills the flow on set and takes too much time. Of course if the campaign dictates specific scenes or shots for different platforms I adapt, but in my opinion the main output sets the rules for the rest. 

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)?

Ian> Overall I like how everything keeps developing and I try to keep myself in check so I don’t fall behind and miss out on helpful new tools. I think we’ll see more and more technology in film making, but as I see it we still need humans to tell touching stories and vintage lenses to frame them, so technology (hopefully) won’t take over, but work as support.  

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

Ian> Le Fix — Happy Nothing 

This film was my first film where I got to work with some of the best in the business — people I’d been following and looking up to for a while. I knew if the film turned out bad it would all be on me, so the pressure was immense. Back when I started playing around with film I mostly did documentary stuff and for this film I wanted to mix in that genre to make the film feel as real and authentic as possible. I love to mix genres and formats and this film, in my opinion, shows of that skill quite well. 

Unridden — Go Where You Feel Most Alive

I thinks this film shows of how I work with energy, contrasts and dynamics. I’m always aware of how my films flow and try to keep the viewer engaged throughout the stories I tell. If I can keep people engaged for some minutes without them skipping I guess my job is successful. 

Cancerfonden — Hold Me Close

For this film I wanted to downplay the visuals to focus on the story and characters. The script took some time to get in place, as the storyline is quite complex for such a short duration, but I’m proud of how it turned out — especially how the film feels very real and relatable but also has sprinkles of abstractness that is open for interpretation. 

Novo Nordisk — Life Made Possible

In this film I really like how storytelling and visual production value came together. It’s not just the story of a man growing old, but also about how a company has had an impact on very many people lives for the past 100 years. I like how we cleverly tell those two stories without leaving the main character.