The Directors: Mashie Alam
Mashie’s work is, in a word, refreshing. Her distinct style dances with movement, colour, art direction, fashion, misdirection and dry humour. Inspired by global cultures, cinema and architecture. Fascinated by the dichotomy of humankind’s inner and outer existence. Mashie is a bold artist who brings stylish intelligence to every story.
LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?
Mashie> A lot of my projects are shot on 35mm or 16mm. So people assume that I am a purist of some sort when it comes to shooting on film. Truth is: I am not! I just learned to shoot on film during University and got very happily used to it! Shooting on film is not just a 'look and aesthetic' thing for me, it’s a work ethic thing. The attention to detail and love for the craft is quite high and very romantic when shooting on film - it elevates and directly inspires how you approach the technical elements that are common across digital formats too. For example, it makes you use your time very wisely. You rehearse and fine-tune things thoroughly before shooting a perfect take because you want to conserve both film and time. This comes in handy when shooting digitally because you really end up appreciating and being aware of the importance of time, lighting, rehearsing, and perfecting the takes.
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?
Mashie> I pull a lot of my references from fashion photography, editorials, and food as a sensory-stimulating medium. Anything and everything that is dark-comedy, odd, unsettling but at the same time beautiful and sensory. When something is very strange but strikingly gorgeous, you end up feeling all sorts of emotions that range from alertness, fear, and confusion all the way to obsession, laughter, and love! I admire Yorgos Lanthimos, Ruben Ostlund, and Todd Haynes’ work when it comes to that. I love it when a piece of work takes you for a ride and you leave feeling not just one emotion but twenty emotions and also hungry! Stylistically, I am a big fan of static shots and slow zooms...
LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?
Mashie> Scripts that focus on little human things to paint a big picture: twirling the ends of your hair, blowing bubbles with your chewing gum, and doodling on the margins of your exam paper can tell a lot about a daydreamer than having a person just say out loud that they are daydreaming. Visuals can evoke a lot of feelings - they can stimulate all five senses! I love it when the script has room to play and explore visuals without giving away the obvious right away.
LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?
Mashie> It’s very important and almost instinctual for me to become quite close with the creatives who wrote the ad and the scripts. I love hearing why they wrote it, how long they’ve lived with it, how they see it, what they want to avoid, and where they want to take it. That open and collaborative process leads to the best work and sometimes the best friendships too!
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
Mashie> I can’t give all my secrets away on the World Wide Web ;) Just kidding. I start by making the scripts visual right away. I break the scripts down by visually laying out all the beats with references, moving clips from films and spots, and blocking notes. These little things are sort of the preliminary steps of taking something from being on paper and making it work on screen. I love to show people how the spot will play out from start to finish. Breaking it down with clips and visuals on a mood board gives the script a new realm to live in and opens it up for more opportunities and play. I call this process 'scripts to scenes' - it’s how I approach every script before diving into a treatment.
LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?
Mashie> We were shooting a 'sunny and summery spot' in rainy and gloomy British Columbia - the scene was about an outdoorsy guy getting in his truck to go on a long summer adventure. The rain and gloom were not storyboarded, we had no room to pivot to a weather day, and we only had this location for this one day (during the torrential downpour). I looked at the scene and thought very hard about what we were shooting and realised it was so on-brand and probably very realistic and raw for an outdoorsy British Columbia guy to fill his truck in the rain, embrace the wildness of the downpour, and head out on a rigorous adventure - rain or shine. I talked about it with the creatives, and we got super excited about the realness of embracing the rain as we realised who our outdoorsy hero truly was, and then we shot it! Then the sun came out after we wrapped the shot.
LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?
Mashie> I love CONSTANT - I got to show my appreciation for architecture and also the unsettling feeling of chaotic movement in a calming way.
BOREDOM is very important to me - it is inspired by my love of static shots and the French New Wave.
My favourite ad I worked on is IKEA - the creatives, client, and I had a lot of fun with the quirky and pretty direction I wanted to take this in. Also ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to do an IKEA ad - so that was very special for little Mashie.
Lastly, the TACO BELL spot was just a blast to shoot from start to finish - the talent was super fun to work with, and the agency was great to collaborate with creatively. Made some best friends during it. Super proud of it.
