The Directors: Cassandra Brooksbank

Starting out as a commercial director, Cassandra Brooksbank has created global campaigns for companies such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Ford, Barclays, Porsche, P&G, Sony, Microsoft, Chevrolet, and Frito Lay among many others. She’s also directed several music videos, including Todrick Hall’s music video feature film, FORBIDDEN. Most recently, her spot for the Barclays Super League was awarded the grand jury at the Sports Industry Awards. Currently, Cassandra is in pre-production on her first feature, My Masterpiece, a film being produced by Sylvester Stallone’s company, Balboa Films and financed by Amazon. She splits her time between London and LA.

Name: Cassandra Brooksbank

Location: LA / LONDON

Repped by/in: HEY WONDERFUL (America), GREAT GUNS (Europe/ Asia), CAA (global for film and tv) 

Awards: Grand Jury Sports Industry Award, Audience Choice Shiny Awards, 2nd place Berlin Music Video Awards 

Q> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?

Cassandra> I live for scripts that “risk it all,” push boundaries and don’t try to play it safe. Fortune favours the bold! Courage, authenticity and entertainment value will always trump a brand message that’s so workshopped it speaks to no one. Also, the people behind the script are just as important as the script itself. I love working with creatives who are passionate and not afraid of taking risks. 

Getting into the specifics, things that really turn me on are irreverent comedy, action, style and an opportunity to show-off (who doesn’t love an energetic camera and flashy editing). Cheeky creative gets me excited … I don’t mind a little trouble. If it is a bit sexy, I don’t mind that either. And it has to be fun! At the end of the day, we’re here to ENTERTAIN, so whatever it is, it better be fun to watch! 

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Cassandra> To me, the treatment IS the job. It’s where you outline your vision and if you do it correctly, it communicates absolutely everything you’re going to bring to the screen. Obviously, from this point on there’s a lot more work to be done, but the treatment is the bible. #AMEN

My approach is to create something that feels like a graphic novel for the spot. I want the reader to feel the aesthetic throughout the entire treatment. I do 100% of my treatments – both the writing and the design - and I try to break it down in so much detail that there’s no question as to what the finished product will look like if I get the job. Then, simultaneously I’m creating images, pulling reference videos, editing little gifs, etc. to communicate what I’m writing in a purely visual experience. In a perfect world (and while I’d LOVE it if the client read every word), the viewer should be able to get what I’m saying just by flipping through. 

A few red bulls and long nights later, I send it in and hope for the best! I do really enjoy the process of creating treatments, though. I think of them as their own little works of art. 

LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?

Cassandra> I’d say it’s *somewhat* important. Even if I’m familiar with the brand (and especially if I’m not), I’ll do some research before the call - read up on the company, look at their latest advertising and get some sense of what they’ve been doing. Nothing crazy. It’s important to have some sense of the brand and what works for them, but at the same time, I want to keep an open mind … as my mom says, “you have two ears and one mouth. Shut up!” It’s better if I don’t come in with too many preconceived ideas so I actually listen to what the agency wants from this campaign and don’t end up in left field. Sometimes they’re looking to move away from the work that has been done before or take it into a different direction. It’s better to listen first, hear what they want from you, and then build out the creative from there after you understand their needs. 

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

Cassandra> Of course, you have to be simpatico with the agency or you’re not going to get very far, but assuming you guys are on the same page, the most important relationship to me is with the line producer. When the director and the line producer are in-sync, you can conquer the world. 

A great line producer empowers you to push the spot to be the best it can be. As the director, you lay-out the vision and communicate that to the crew, but the line producer is the one in the weeds, finding and managing all the parts to actually make that vision happen. Their method of creativity is seeing the vision you lay out, and then finding the right team, equipment, location, etc. to knock that vision out of the park. The 'business' side of filmmaking is equally as important as the creative, and when you and the producer are true partners, you can help each other. 

Also, a great line producer can save you from yourself. Most directors (me) can get caught up in the 'passion' and lose the forest for the trees sometimes; a great line producer will talk you off the edge and help you see what’s really important to push for. Like maybe it’s not worth poisoning the relationship with the agency for a one second shot that 90% of the audience wouldn’t notice … or, maybe it is! And then, they can help you be strategic on how to approach that. A great line producer knows how to play the politics and protect the project just as much as the director. They will have everyone leave as friends feeling great about the work and the working experience.

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?

Cassandra> My specialty is Action Comedy! I have many different interests, but the Venn diagram lands squarely in the centre of this particular genre. It’s the perfect fit for me, both in talent and personality (name a better career for a pyromaniac). When I first fell in love with filmmaking, the movies that inspired me were all goofy action comedies from the '90s and early 2000s. Things like Pirates of the Caribbean, Bad Boys, Kill Bill, The Rock, Lock Stock, Beverly Hills Cop, Die Hard, etc. And then, when I started directing, it blew my mind that people will actually PAY YOU to create mayhem. Like the first time I was hired to blow up a car was the best day of my entire life. Action comedy is just so fun to shoot! You’re cracking jokes all day and destroying shit. What could be better?

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

Cassandra> I think sometimes because of the genre I work in (action comedy), there’s a tendency for people to think I just make dumb, loud entertainment that doesn’t have anything to say. And while my primary goal is to entertain, it’s a mistake to think it’s 'thoughtless' or that there’s no deeper meaning. 

Under the slapstick or shock value, I’m always saying something very specific. I think a reason a lot of my stuff lands is because underneath all that style and flash, there’s a human story at the centre. For whatever reason, people don’t take comedy that seriously, but I actually think it’s much more effective at conveying a message. If you make entertaining content, but sneak a message in there, it lands even with the crowd who might not be that inclined to listen originally. You win the audience over by creating something they actually want to watch!

LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been?

Cassandra> Technically yes, I know we’ve had them on many jobs that I’ve done, but I haven’t really had a lot of direct interaction with them. Usually, they think we need less money than we actually do … My feedback would be to add a zero to the budget.  

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Cassandra> I can’t tell you without going to prison.  

LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?

Cassandra> This is a tricky one because ultimately, the client is paying for it and the agency hired you, so you can only be a monster up to a point if you want to work in this business again. BUT, with that said, I think it starts with being super honest in the pitch process. This is why I spend so much time on my treatments and try to lay out exactly what I’m going to shoot ahead of time in detail before I get hired so there’s no mystery to what I’m going to deliver. 

But, assuming you’re aligned at the pitch and you win the job, of course there’s always creative disagreements. Ironically, only half of the job of being a director is actually directing. The other half is figuring out how to collaborate and navigate the politics and relationships to ensure that great creative actually gets to screen. You need to know when to push, how hard to push, and when to back off. It’s an art unto itself. And then, there’s always the possibility you’re not always right (sacrilege, I know!), but it’s important to keep perspective on these things. Sometimes, you will literally die for the project, but with a little distance you realise you were risking it all for like … mayonnaise. At the end of the day, this business is about collaborating. You can’t make a great ad by yourself and you have to figure out how to work with the team to create something great. 

LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?

Cassandra> Obviously, I’m very 'pro' opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent. It’s absolutely crazy that as an industry we’ve shut out so many different voices for so long. If all your talent looks the same and comes from the same background, the work is going to look the same. That gets boring! The most exciting work is doing something new, taking filmmaking techniques and remixing them with a unique perspective. Even in my own work, that’s probably evident. My biggest influences came from a relatively alpha-male point of view (Michael Bay <3) … BUT, I’m recontextualising those references through my perspective as a woman who likes explosions … but who also likes red lipstick, designer heels and Lady Gaga. Now what does that look like?! It’s probably not like a lot of other things on the market. 

Now with that said … while I find the willingness to hire diverse voices super exciting, the bottom line for me is always, is the work good? Real change happens with education and mentorship. What we really want is to give a young diverse talent pool the tools and confidence at the grass roots level to set them up to create epic work. That way their talent is undeniable. As more and more diverse voices become known and celebrated, wouldn’t it be great if we just talk about how awesome their work is instead of their gender, sexuality or the colour of their skin?  

In my own career, I’ve gotten to where I am now and continue to move up thanks to incredible mentors who believed in me, gave me opportunities and taught me how the industry works. Of course, I want to do the same for the next generation coming up. I try to mentor young filmmakers whenever possible because I truly believe this is how we move the needle as a business. It’s one thing to tout diversity as a value, but to really open up the industry, we have to give those voices the tools to be great as they’re just starting out. 

LBB> How do you feel the pandemic is going to influence the way you work into the longer term? Have you picked up new habits that you feel will stick around for a long time? 

Cassandra> The best thing about the pandemic was that it essentially ended the conference call. 

I still have nightmares about the conference call -- there were always like 20 people on the line with exactly the same voice, someone was always in like a hurricane with horrible feedback, and you had such a hard time building a relationship because you couldn’t put a face to the name. Zooms are great! 

Outside of that, my process hasn’t really changed that much. Fortunately, you still have to lug a camera out to set and throw actors in front of it to make a spot, and even though I have more technology at my disposal, the basic process I go through is pretty much the same. It’s like going to war; I just love the fast-paced, high-adrenaline nature of it … and no matter what happens, I don’t see the core of that changing, pandemic/ robot-invasion/ WW3 or not!   

LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats - to what extent do you keep each in mind while you're working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)? 

Cassandra> I don’t really … like I’ll throw the guides on there and make sure everything is going to fit in the frame, but let’s be honest, if you shoot for quality and it looks great in the cinema, it’s probably going to look great on TikTok. 

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?

Cassandra> I would say I’m a technically savvy director, but it’s not really the tech that gets me excited, it’s more about the end result. The tech is just kind of a necessary step I have to go through to achieve the image I’m looking for. 

When putting a project together, I’ll imagine this bomb shot that seems physically impossible to execute, so then I’ll see what tech is out there that will enable us to pull it off. Inspiration and references play a huge part of my technical expertise - I might see something in a movie or commercial that blows my mind, and then I’ll dive in and do a bunch of research to try to figure out exactly how the crew got that shot or look or whatever and then keep it in the back of my mind so when the right project comes along, I’m already thinking about a technique I want to try and know roughly how to achieve it. But in general, it’s a means to an end. I’m not one of those people who’s like drooling over the latest camera at NAB. It’s more about knowing what tools are out there that will enable me to shoot something sickening. 

I do think it’s important to be aware of what’s out there and take a look at new tools to see how you can implement them to sharpen your craft. AI is a great example - for concept art, it’s amazing! Originally, I was hesitant about using it, but then I realised treatments and references were always using other directors work anyway. You can be wayyy more specific using AI - specifying what camera it’s shot on, what lens, what the talent looks like, etc. It’s so much more accurate to what’s really in your imagination. So yeah, I’d say it’s important have your finger on the pulse, know what tech is out there and get a sense of how it could apply to your process and augment your work as a director … otherwise you’re in danger of being left in the dust!

LBB> Which pieces of work do you feel really show off what you do best – and why?

Cassandra> Rexona // Cab Hell: This is my favourite job. It has everything I want to be doing - the insane comedic action, the big stunts, the bold cinematography, the mad performances, the stylized editing, the punchy design … this was so fun to shoot. I’d love to be making stuff just like this every day. 

Please hire me to blow up your car. 

Barclays WSL // It's All Kicking Off: I love this spot because it sneaks an important message into a very entertaining spectacle - and using irreverent comedy to make a statement is what I do best! The story has all the madcap, cheeky humour I live for, but the core message is quite subversive. Usually, women’s athletics go down the “social-justice-woman-empowerment” angle instead of showcasing the epic talent of these athletes. We didn’t pull any punches with this! Women’s sport can be just as entertaining and unapologetic as men’s!  

Also, the actual shoot required some crazy production problem solving that I find quite fun! We only had every athlete for an hour and they were all coming at different times throughout the day, so it was a scheduling nightmare to figure out how all the pieces would fit together … but thanks to intense storyboarding and whip smart AD, we figured it out! 

Pepsi // The Selfie: This was something to check off the bucket list because I got to work with the GOAT! I’m a big football fan and getting to work with the legend himself - Lionel Messi - was surreal. I think this is a really good showcase of how I’m able to get great performances out of celebrity talent and make them feel comfortable on camera. 

This also reflects how well I’m able to work with post. Hopefully it’s not immediately obvious, but Messi was only able to be shot on greenscreen, so we had to comp him into the rest of the footage. There was a lot of pre-planning on how to make that work… especially when I wanted to have a shooting style that felt more free and loose and wasn’t “locked down.” Augmenting live-action footage with post production is a strength of mine, and I think that was obvious here. Also, with talent as big as Messi, my detailed storyboarding was a real strength because we had such a short amount of time with him and everything had to be planned out to the frame.   

Fellow // This Changes Everything: I was actually involved in writing the creative on this, something that's always a lot of fun when the opportunity presents itself. This company has a great, self-deprecating sense of humour and isn't afraid of making fun of themselves. With that kind of collaboration, it allows me to bring in that cheeky, irreverent sense of humour that I think is one of the biggest strengths of my work.

Also, technically, this was a challenging spot to pull off. We were dealing with recreating multiple different time-periods, stunts, special effects, and on top of that... it was RAINING (gotta love a free wet-down). I had such a great team, but all the departments had to work so closely with each other to maintain a consistent style throughout. Also, just the sheer amount of VFX was a challenge. This was a super post-heavy job (I think there's like two shots that didn't require any post at all), but we shot as much of it practically as possible. I think that always helps incorporate an element of realism and make the overall VFX look better. It also helps the performances - actors always do better when you give them as much reality to interact with as possible (Run cavemen. Run!).