The Work That Made Me: Kevin Bolger
Kevin Bolger’s love of film started early, enjoying indie classics like Cinema Paradiso and Il Postino as a kid with his older brother and devouring Steven Spielberg titles at Blockbuster. He took that burgeoning love to film school, where he worked for both NPR and PBS and found a couple of commercial and music video director mentors. He began making short films and music videos, developing his own style working with diverse casts and capturing authentic moments with prominent emotional emphasis.
Whatever the format - commercials, music videos, short films - he connects to his audience through feeling and prides himself on finding the human side of every story. Kevin has directed commercials for the Utah Jazz, Delta Airlines, Athleta, Lululemon, Marriott and many others. His work has been honoured with Addys, One Creativity and Telly Awards.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Kevin> Growing up, music videos were always on in my house. I feel like seeing directors’ names under the title made them feel important and mysterious.
The first ad I saw that made me see it as an expression of art was probably the Levi’s 'Go Forth' campaign. It was poetic and abstract, and made us feel, rather than tell a literal narrative. It felt like a truncated Terrence Malick film. It was bold, had something to say about being cool, and what America symbolised even if not reality. Lots of big abstract ideas in that campaign.
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Kevin> The ad that made me think ads could transcend the form was the early work of Martin De Thurah, without a doubt his work on some brand I don't even know called DNB 'Our House'. This film had all the great lived-in production design, almost a supernatural theme, and showed the flaws of a family. How often would a brand have that bravery?
Also, out of film school, discovering that feature directors, who I loved, also made commercials. These commercials from Michael Bay, Tarsem, Jonathan Glazer, Michel Gondry, demonstrated how far we could push the medium if we were passionate and had vision. Commercials and branded content are an incredible journey with different crews in different cities around the world. They pose an amazing creative challenge to tell a burst of a story in short form with the same attention to craft that goes into film and episodic.
LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…
Kevin> I see directors' entire bodies of work as something to revisit over and over. I love ripping through big stretches of a filmography. Wim Wenders, Mike Mills, Sofia Coppola, Derek Cianfrance and Wong Kar-Wai, for example. I admire and learn something different every time I revisit their work. I can't name only one film when thinking about directors.
Books - I think directors should be reading nonstop. The best thing I’ve read this year was 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow' by Gabrielle Zevin. It's so moving and is told in such a grounded and heart-breaking way. The ending is elegant and simple, and it absolutely killed me.
The same exact thing can be said for 'Stay True' by Hua Hsu.
LBB> My first professional project…
Kevin> The first thing I ever actually got paid for was a Kickstarter video for a leather bag. It was a handmade real quality piece. And I had points on the actual fundraiser. I shot it, edited, wrote and directed it. I would refresh that campaign ten times a day to see if I could break even on it. I had no idea what I was doing but I sure did try and make something feel a certain way. I filled it with motorcycles, cameras and fresh faces for casting. I was on to something.
LBB> The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Kevin> So far, I haven’t seen something that reached the “I’m angry” level. The extremes in feelings for me vary from reacting to something that is made with care and love, or cynically and without meaning.
LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…
Kevin> The Facebook ads by Mike Mills. They are full of small moments that cut through. They are specific in their observance of friendship and love. I see snapshots of them in my mind all the time. Like, when a group of friends jump into a pool at midnight. Or even more so, two friends are chatting in a café when one sheds a tear … she wipes it away. That wipe was so well observed. Actors want those tears to last but real people don't want to be seen crying in public. I thought that was a real moment. Small but deeply influential.
I get jealous of tons of films I see from friends and directors. Constantly. Unhealthy? Inspiration!!
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Kevin> I can find something in every film I've made that got me closer to the truest version of what I want to make. Anything from a single shot from a whole day to an entire film. However, Toyota changed things for me because the brand was trying to break out of the typical stories they historically told. No big rah-rah, muscular car shots. This one was all about people’s reactions to where the cars can take them.
The other was the complete opposite end of the spectrum. That film was for Andis. It was low budget, and we took on the project and shot all over Los Angeles and Utah. We ended up making it work, and the shoot was six days. The creative director Austin Lane was very invested and championed what we were doing. He really cared. We were desperate and dying to make something special.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Kevin> Sometimes it's harder than others, but there's without fail a moment or scene in every piece of work that makes me feel like my collaborators and I have achieved something special. Even on the most challenging films.
Personally, I’m very proud of the film I made for my partner's business 'Normal Ice Cream'. We made it in the height of covid with almost no crew and it was a love letter from her to her customers… and from me to her. It's the only thing I could work on and contribute to her at that time. Looking back on it, it was a scary and somehow very meaningful time.
LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Kevin> Cringe is a little strong, but when I first started directing, I thought I was onto something special every time. But in retrospect, it wasn't all great. On the flip side, enthusiasm goes a long way when you’re getting started in this career.
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Kevin> I recently directed a film for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That's like the New York Times of the south. They have this incredible history of journalism and democratic ideals. The film is about the past and the future and coming into a new generation of news readers and creators.
The film tells the story of Atlanta with all its fraught history and the changing progressive future. I loved how we were able to show small details and texture of the city. It’s not out yet but coming soon. It’s always gratifying to be involved with something so topical, like freedom of the press and the First Amendment.
