The Directors: Sebastien Grousset

Born in the picturesque city of Paris and cultivated by diverse cultural experiences across France, Spain, England, and the United States, Sebastien Grousset stands as a luminary in the realm of filmmaking and advertising.

Throughout his illustrious career, Sebastien has lent his creative genius to a multitude of high-profile campaigns that have spanned the globe, leaving an indelible mark in Spain, Germany, France, the United States, Italy, Asia, Switzerland, Mexico, and beyond. Among his prestigious clientele, he has been entrusted with the vision of iconic brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen, Telefonica, Coca-Cola, Peugeot, Infinity, and many others.

Sebastien's artistic prowess is characterised by a distinctive style characterised by beautiful narratives and an exceptional command of directing actors. His innate understanding of human behaviour allows him to craft stories that resonate deeply with audiences. His storytelling technique is nothing short of exquisite, creating cinematic narratives that captivate the soul.

Name: Sebastien Grousset

Location: Madrid 

Repped by/in: Logan Industry / USA

Awards:

- CANNES LIONS International Festival of Creativity (France): 2 Gold, 1 Silver

- FIAP (Iberoamérica): 2 Gold & Grand Prix of Design

- NEW YORK FESTIVALS (U.S.A.) 

- EL Sol Festival

- San Sebastian Film Festival Best director

- Chicago film festival

- Berlin fashion film festival Gold

- European Advertising Festival in.

- Honoured at the Art Director’s Club of NYC -Campaign Magazine’s Top 40 Directors of the word -Meribel Festival Gold 

.......Among many others 

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

Sebastien> The element that sets one apart from the other, is the one that surprises you in such a short reading. A script that's not fully closed on the form, where a director can add something to it. 

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

Sebastien> Because of my dyslexia I pre visualise everything very fast, so after listening to the agency it normally comes instantly, so visualise the whole film very fast, or on the contrary it takes me days to find the way. Very spontaneously, no discipline.

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?

Sebastien> It is absolutely crucial to do a full research to understand the emotional relationship between the brand and its customer. To understand this dialogue is where I always start. It should always make sense to the brand.

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

Sebastien> Obviously with the creative team from the agency, this is where it all starts, we are working for them and with them. The better the relationship the better the film results. And it is also how we get more efficiency from the budget. 

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?

Sebastien> I like it all, it's always an opportunity for someone like me, who always digests each project through the stomach to find myself in territories where I might not be expected. This is how we reach something different, that stands by its own. 

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

Sebastien> All my effort goes into suggesting the narrative in such little formats, not only to achieve the story, but the way through it becomes the tone. And sometimes that tone develops throughout the process. So in order to reach a happy ending , it demands more dialogue with an agency that many times we don´t have. To establish a sense of trust, this is the key word. 

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

Sebastien> Always good. Never felt them, which is how it should be. It's an important link between the production and the client. 

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

Sebastien> So many times I could not remember, advertising is very fast and very alive, unexpected is always part of the expected.

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

Sebastien> I will always defend my thoughts, and be extremely honest about them, yet this is a completely collaborative ecosystem, where we are dealing with a lot of people that have been involved with the brand and in the process way longer than us, directors. So the vision at the end is naturally about seduction, and convincing a majority, If you don’t, is that your vision might not be the good one. 

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?

Totally up for that, I love sharing, and after all it's all about education, and we should all participate.

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? 

Sebastien> The pandemic has created a faster synchronicity between the society and the existing technologies, as a society we have opened the door to sudden changes, and have learnt to react to that. This exposes us to. constant changes of paradigms. This is already happening on the technological aspect.

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)?

Sebastien> The format only relates to how we are introduced to the mind of the targeted audience, And how he or she is going to be exposed to the content. That is all the rest once you have the attention of the viewer is to keep him/her in. Seduction, quality.

Today we have all kinds of formats, which are great, from long, to short, to instant, to invisible, to physical, to sensorial. Advertising surely gives you an open mind attitude towards formats. Events are connecting with people in a very direct way, and represent a very interesting new ground for technology and narrative.

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)?

Sebastien> Fascinating, I have been working on virtual production for five years, have completely fallen in love with unreal engine and all its possibilities, and combined with AI we reach a new beginning. We are in a momentum where craftsmanship does not mean anything anymore. Interesting moment, I have been dealing with AI for two years already and have silently integrated it in all my work processes. Today, it is about communicators and how you communicate. Technology is allowing the user to be the new director, script writer… So us, skilled professionals are now competing with super heroes amateurs, personally I think it's a fascinating moment of free competition that can only lead to new territories. AI will open the door to many opportunists that now have the opportunity to hide their lack of talent behind it, but in the end, the vision, the criteria, the choice, the emotion is what will reach or not the heart of the consumer. 

AI is all about education, like in real life, that is why it's intelligent. 

Being able to go inside something virtual and manipulate it in an organic way in real time, is what allows the storyteller not only to keep his/her essence, but to potentate it. It fully changes the production and postproduction process, actually it kills it already. Basically I have prepared myself for the last five years for this moment. Learning so much on how to alter my attitude towards content making. I am now working on many different projects that demand a lot of technology, in filmmaking, new series done in unreal engine and AI, live events that become the new theatre, fashion shows.