Today on the blog we look at the work of US directing duo Sniper Twins – not just because quite frankly its hilarious work, but we reckon that aspiring directors could learn a lot from their clever approach. The Snipers don’t just help sell brands, they are a brand in their own right.

So you’ve studied narrative. You’ve watched a shitload of Fellini. You’ve almost finished the Maya tutorial on Youtube. You’ve even made friends with that weird musician kid (they’re all weird) ‘cos you need a soundtrack. Hell, you’re even pretty sure where the camera’s ‘on’ switch is. But if there’s one thing a budding filmmaker needs to know more than anything else, it’s how to get noticed.

Sniper Twins – aka Barry Flanagan and Dax Martinez-Vargas – have been working at MTV as creatives for over six years, building up a solid reel of work. but it was when they started doing something completely different that they really started to catch people’s attention. When they wrote, rapped over, starred in and directed Computer Friends, the first music video for one of their own songs, they clocked up half a million hits in a week. They’ve since found ways of incorporating brands into their crazy world, with Hershey’s Chocolate Shoppe, a music video that stars Hershey workers and displays a winning combo of humour, marketing savvy and unrestrained self-promotion.

No wonder they were recently snapped up by UK production companies Independent (for commercials) and Skin Flicks (for music video).

What’s interesting about their work is that they’ve built themselves up as characters in their videos, fictionalising themselves in a way that reminds me of Larry David or even good old Joaquin Phoenix. Plus it just always looks like they’re having a blast. Once immersed in their videos you feel like you already know them – and what talent-spotting production company or ad agency on the hunt for the next big thing wouldn’t want to be part of the gang?

But once they’ve caught your attention, their other less Sniper-centric work also impresses (such as the MTV trailer for The Hard Times of RJ Berger, co-directed with Seyi Peter-Thomas). It seems like the Sniper Twin’s are a good example of the kind of lateral thinking, inventiveness and marketing savvy young directors need these days to stand out. Its not enough to send a reel round production companies, its not even enough to promote your work – you have to be able to promote yourself.

To find out more about Sniper Twins, head over to www.snipertwins.com, or check out the Independent website.