2. Guy Richie
For those still grieving from the loss of Tony's artistic vision, you can find solace in the cinema of Guy Richie. I know I'm not alone in my belief that Guy Richie is the more authentic English version of Tony Scott (Tony was English, but he adopted a more American style). Their technique compares very well to each other as they both work in highly stylized, heightened formats that tend to deal with subject matter that is male character driven, action oriented (although Richie typically goes the more gritty route with his material). Similarly like Tony, Richie has worked on and off in the world of commercials for many years. Richie also found commercial assignments tailored to fit his personality. Take his BMW car ad from the early aughts. BMW hired Richie to direct an installment in their highly successful series of short films/commercials for their BMW Films production company. Major high profile directors like John Woo, Wong-Kar-Wai, John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, and Tony Scott were commissioned to direct individual short films. The story and tone would vary dependent upon the taste and whim of the director in charge. The only constant would be the presence of Clive Owen, playing a mysteriously cool character known only as "The Driver". In Guy Richie's spot titled "Star", Owen's driver character found himself the chauffeur to a spoiled, mean, little pill of a starlet played by Richie's then real-life wife Madonna (spoiler: she's awful in it). She gets the ride of her life when she steps into The Driver's BMW M5, and by the end of her backseat thrill ride has learned a painfully embarrassing lesson in humility. Despite the awful acting by Madonna, the commercial is a lot of fun and a great example of Richie's trademark gritty, yet accessible style (not to mention the great use of music: "Song 2" by the Blur). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izo0gMDxHxw Now as we said earlier, Richie is seen as a gritty director. Yet, unlike a lot of other gritty directors, he can find work directing spots for mainstream companies. His material may be hard to stomach, but he probably gets a pass due to his British-ness. Add a healthy dose of British refinement to even the most seedy of proceedings, and the overall situation generally improves in stature. This is why, regardless of how low down and nasty Richie can go in his fictional material, he can still attract big name sponsors like Nike, who ask him to direct spots for them. One such ad he directed for Nike is the famous "Take it To the Next Level" spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZA-57h64kE Out of all the commercials on the list this may be my favorite. Actually, as far as Guy Richie goes I prefer this spot to any of the films he's made (including the awful
Sherlock Holmes series). More than a commercial, this is a story. It's the story of a young footballer, who after a particularly good display of small-time footballing, gets a big break to play for Arsenal. We see both the young man's personal and professional high points and low points as he seeks to make a name for himself in the big time. Did I mention that this all takes place in 3:00 minutes (director's cut)? Did I also mention that Richie shoots the whole commercial in one continuous first-person shot? I don't care if it's a commercial. It's one of the boldest, technically proficient, exhilarating pieces of media I've seen. Spots like this make you realize that it's a shame they don't give out Oscars for commercials.