Brian Lawes

Unaffiliated

What was your first professionally directed work and when was it?
My first professionally directed project in the entertainment world was a 60-minute documentary I co-directed in Fall 2021 called Dialogue Lab: America. Commissioned for release in partnership with the National Day of Dialogue in January 2022, the film explores themes of unity and dialogue around polarization in the U.S.

Shortly after, largely due to the success of my short film Lost Kings on the festival circuit, I was given the opportunity to direct my first advertising project––an anti-tobacco PSA in June 2022. Both of these projects, along with the momentum from my narrative short films touring festivals, were instrumental in helping me establish myself as a professional director.

How did you get into directing?
From a young age, I was interested in photography, writing, and acting. But most of all, I was fascinated with movies and the process of making them. I got involved as an actor in local theater productions in elementary school, and then not too long after, I started to teach myself to edit when I got a hold of Final Cut Pro in middle school. This was the final piece to click into place––writing, photography, performance, and now video editing––they all finally combined as I began making films myself.

I hear the stories of J.J. Abrams and Spielberg when they were kids, and I really relate; I was also just a kid who got a hold of a camera, learned how to edit, and became the director for projects with his friends. It’s a dream that started very early for me, and one I’m still striving towards today.

What is your most recent project?
I have two recent projects: one just wrapped, the other is still underway. The first is an anti-tobacco commercial we shot this November with the same agency and client with whom I started my commercial career. They’ve been a great partner to work with, bringing a ton of trust and collaboration each time we team up on a new advertising campaign. I’m also currently in development on my first narrative feature film; I’m excited to see how the project unfolds next year.

What is the best part of being a director?
I find it incredibly meaningful to work with so many talented people from different walks of life, each bringing unique gifts to the project. I love the energy of a film set––the giant machine buzzing around, accomplishing something none of us could have done alone––it’s a special place to be. To stand in the middle of that and watch it all come together to create something singular is quite incredible. It brings me a lot of joy to build the right team, rallied around a great story, and set everyone loose to do what they’re great at. When that happens, and we collectively create something beautiful that connects emotionally with the audience, it feels truly rewarding.

What is the worst part of being a director?
I don’t really think there’s a “worst” part of the job. If anything, the hardest part of the job for me is not always getting to do it. Inevitably, when you find yourself between projects, it can feel like you’re stuck in limbo. In those times, I often turn back to screenwriting or directing self-funded pieces. Returning to the work this way, even if it’s a passion project, keeps me connected to the craft and energized in the act of making something new that I’m emotionally inspired by.

What is your current career focus: commercials and branded content, television, movies? Do you plan to specialize in a particular genre–comedy, drama, visual effects, etc.?
My current career focus is narrative films, commercials, and television. I love them all for different reasons and for the types of stories and projects each medium allows. Having started with indie short films and now exploring directing commercials, I hope to continue doing both. Moving forward, I would also love to do more episodic narrative directing.

Have you a mentor and if so, who is that person (or persons) and what has been the lesson learned from that mentoring which resonates with you?
I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors this year through programs like the 2024 BendFilm: Basecamp Fellowship, Sundance Collab, and the Likewise Directors Fellowship. Those experiences gave me invaluable short-term coaching. I’m also really lucky to have friends and peers who are a little farther along who’ve been helpful to me along my journey. Beyond that, I’m still searching for a longer-term mentor to help guide me with more steady artistic and professional support as I navigate my career as a director.

Who is your favorite director and why?
The ones that first come to mind are Destin Daniel Cretton, Derek Cianfrance, Steven Spielberg, and Céline Sciamma. All unique and different, but each embodies a distinct visual sensibility and a type of storytelling I love. I find that there’s a tenderness in all their films and an emotional urgency that really connects with me in a special way. And Spielberg really knows how to leave room for some fun and wonder while doing it.

I also admire how they use visual language in their films; once again, all pretty different from each other. But there’s an emotional honesty in their work that resonates with me, and thematically, I love what they explore with their characters. I find myself returning to their work often.

What is your favorite movie? Your favorite television/online program? Your favorite commercial or branded content?
Interestingly enough, my list diverges from works of most of my previously mentioned favorite filmmakers. My go-to favorites are Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and Moonlight. Each of these holds special meaning from the times I first watched them, and they’re films I come back to for inspiration time and time again.

Television is harder to narrow down since I’m constantly falling in love with new shows, but ones that come to mind are The Leftovers, Succession, The West Wing, and Severance. I also frequently revisit favorite miniseries like Maniac, Chernobyl, and The Night Of.

As for commercials, I have a long list of favorites over the years. But some of the ones that stood out this year include “Volvo: It’s The Little Things” directed by Marcus Ibanez. I also really enjoyed “VRBO: Small Talk” directed by Miles Jay, and the Burberry campaign directed by rubberband.

Tell us about your background (i.e., where did you grow up? Past jobs?)
I grew up in Oklahoma, spending most of my life in Oklahoma City. As mentioned, from a young age I had a lot of interests that eventually led me to filmmaking. During college, I worked on several films with more experienced filmmakers, mostly in production assistant or entry-level camera or art department roles. Being part of these projects and getting to see how it all works was instrumental in shaping my understanding of how a film comes together.

Throughout my 20s in video production, I realized that I’d only ever get the chance to direct professionally if I started writing my own scripts, and making projects of my own to take to film festivals. This insight prompted me to start reading and studying screenplays, which led me to a more serious pursuit of screenwriting and saving to self fund my own shorts.

I repeated this process several times, ultimately finding the most success with my short film, Lost Kings. The film toured festivals worldwide—such as Palm Springs ShortFest, HollyShorts, and Indy Shorts—and won numerous awards. Lost Kings also caught the interest of the advertising world, connecting me with the agency that gave me my first commercial directing opportunity in the summer of 2022.

Have you had occasion to bring your storytelling/directorial talent to bear in the Metaverse, tapping into the potential of AR, VR, AI, NFTs and/or experiential fare? If so, tell us about that work and what lessons you have taken away from the experience?
I’ve only recently been on set around LED volume walls, and I’ve gotten to experience the incredible range of possibilities working with Unreal Engine and designing worlds in this setting. I haven’t yet formally directed a piece with this technology, but it’s definitely opened my eyes to how seamlessly physical and digital elements can merge to achieve environments once out of reach.

Contact

Website: www.brianlawes.co
Contact Brian via email here