To say it’s been a busy busy busy time for Ben Woolf since he picked up a Young Director Award last year would be putting it mildly. And now he’s working with Skype and agency Poke on what may well be the biggest live commercial project ever. Over March, five artists located around the world will be interpreting Skype messages as outdoor art, with Ben pulling the strings. Laura Swinton catch up with with Ben who also gives us the most useful Cannes advice a young director need ever know: CAMP!
What have you been up to since picking up your award at last year’s YDA?
I’ve signed with the magnificent Pulse Films, won a couple of awards at the Kinsale Sharks, made some short documentaries and continued my career in theatre, working at the National Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse. I’ve also been writing a couple of comedy series and have just started a big international project for Skype with Poke London.
What advice would you give to any hopefuls intending to enter this year?
I had to perform unspeakable acts of physical degradation to get my award. I’d advise other young, vulnerable directors to be prepared for the emotional toll it can take. I’d also say that camping is a good, fun way to stay in Cannes .
Tell me about the Skype project – how did you get involved and what’s the idea behind it?
I’d met with the agency, Poke, a few times about other projects. They’re a very cool young creative company. The idea is that throughout March, five artists from across the globe will be on call to transform people’s personal messages into outdoor art. So you’ll pick an artist on Skype, call them and have your message sculpted into trees in Turkey , taken to the streets of Tokyo , turned into contemporary art in the USA , set free in the Australian Outback or re-imagined by street performers in Barcelona .
It’s an unusual job – what do you think the biggest challenges will be and what are you most nervous about? And most exited about?
I think the biggest challenge will be to keep the local crews and talent engaged creatively with the project throughout the month whilst not being able to physically be in all places at once. There are a lot of technical challenges involved which will be interesting for everyone. It does feel quite groundbreaking, though, which is exciting. And it’s great to be making 500 different films and to make sure each one has its own identity.
Working with a range of local film crews across the globe and putting the project together in real time is a far cry from your run-of-the-mill commercial production set up – what are your thoughts on coordinating the project? What preparation have you done?
I’ve been involved from quite early on, which has been great. I’ve spent the last six weeks travelling, meeting artists and planning how it might all come together. The project seems probably bigger now than when I first joined, so I think pulling it all together will be a real challenge. I’m working with a very brilliant producer, Ollie Allgrove , who is doing a very good job.
How will you maintain your adrenaline for the duration of the project?
An excellent question as we’re dealing with five totally different time-zones. Sleep a lot and maybe fail to adequately prepare?
How do you feel about transferring your directing skills to this online/live environment? It seems like an exciting, pioneering place to be!
This is one of the biggest live commercial film projects ever, so it’s pretty amazing to be involved in creatively shaping it. It’s great to be working in an arena which has so much potential. Definitely a world I’d like to stay involved with.
Checkout the Skype project here., and find out more about Ben and his work here.
