The Directors: Roisino

A video director with highly stylised outputs and a safe space approach to crews and sets. Roisino O'Hare's, (known as 'Roisino') work is vibrant, visceral and eye-catching with an innate ability to bridge the gap between millennial and Gen Z audiences. 

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? 

Roisino> I’m always really drawn to super stylised work that incorporates a serious amount of costume and art department - promos or ads that create a whole microcosm of world from scratch and transports the viewer into the world. If it’s colourful, punchy and impactful with a bit of a twist, I’m sold. 

For that reason I really love cult film, as well as sci-fi or anime and I love alternative music, including alt pop or KPOP. I’m really passionate about putting a fresh twist on outdated concepts and drawing in a Gen Z audience in a fun and playful way. In terms of subject matter, I particularly am drawn to anything that surrounds visceral emotion; romance, heartbreak or mental health struggles. 

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a music video compared to commercial work? Do you find you would approach these differently? 

Roisino> I approach these processes extremely differently. Having been a dancer previously, I approach music videos by putting on my headphones, placing myself in the shoes of the artist and really imagining myself within the space; how I’m feeling, what I’m doing as a character in this space. I tend to scripts for music videos as though they are a mini movie, with intro and scene setters, a climactic moment and a resolution. 

With advertisements, it is usually a much more strategic process, I consider the client, the audience, the current brand marketing strategy and promotional tools and approach the campaign and deliverables from this perspective. Then I involve my feeling and stylistic choices once I’ve concreted an strategic idea I know the brand will like. 

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

Roisino> I think it’s all about feeling. I get excited if the script makes me feel something, like I can get my teeth into it. Scripts that aren’t afraid to do something different or approach a subject matter from an alternative viewpoint.

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? 

Roisino> It’s probably the most important part of the process; it’s about understanding the market and audience you're selling to, so that you know what to sell! If you don’t know who or what it’s for, how are you going to do that? I usually go and look at previous ads, current marketing strategies and its competitors to understand what the script will be up against and what’s working in the current sphere so that I can create an outcome that hits the target market or demographic of the specific campaign. 

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

Roisino> A misconception that I consistently encounter is the idea that I only like creating alternative or wacky projects. Although I do thrive in these areas, I also really enjoy creative beautiful, emotive, simple yet effective visuals. I have a serious love for contemporary and fine arts, musical theatre and traditional cinema. I tend to lead with emotion and feeling, so if the client is wacky, the outcome will be wacky, but if the client is more minimal, so too will be the outcome!

I have the complete ability to create refined, more minimal and streamlined content that is tailored to a less alternative audience. I’m also very experienced in this world, coming from a fashion background, with plenty of knowledge of e-commerce work. 

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

Roisino> I think a lot of this is about open communication, being very honest from the immediate start about what is feasible and executable at a high quality for your client based on the parameters of their idea and budget. There’s always going to be twists and turns in a project and it’s all about being workable, but also sticking to your guns and creative choices, knowing when to draw the line and your boundary in order to protect the credibility of your idea and creative message. 

It’s mostly about asking yourself; what can I live with and what can I live without - what is a compromise I’m willing to make and what is a compromise that will jeopardize the quality or creative direction of the outcome. 

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? 

Roisino> I’m SO HERE FOR IT!

I love having a super inclusive set of people from all walks of life. It makes the day interesting and I thrive in a room full of differing personalities and characters. I also tend to have one young individual assist on each shoot day, so that they can get a feel for the industry and really understand the roles and therefore have an insight on what they actually want to do.

I found it quite difficult to break in to the industry as an immigrant to the country I was working in and therefore want to make this a lot easier for the generation of creatives to follow.

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)? 

Roisino> I think these days it’s EXTREMELY important to always be considering social media in your content deliverables and output. Most marketing is now digital marketing, primarily on social media and so it’s a factor that needs to be considered with every single project; it can’t be an afterthought anymore.

I always put a page in to specifically address what cutdowns or extra content will be made for this marketing channel. I think we have to make sure not to resist the change in the industry to vertical marketing content. I tend to do this over every project and I think it’s very possible in a lot of circumstances! It’s about being smart with the idea. 

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)? 

Roisino> Being of the Lost Generation - aka between Millennials and Gen Z age groups, I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I love what it can add, but I also think it can distract from the beauty of a visual or make a story feel less emotive. It’s always about balance. 

I love an immersive experience with interactive storytelling, I really do love techy little aesthetic moments, such as adding VFX to elevate a visual - evident in my love for anime / KPOP and all things cyber and I’m all here for the change in the industry to mainly social media marketing channels, but I think the important thing is to retain human emotion or expression within these visuals, to strike the right balance. 

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

Roisino> Vogue Czechslovakia - 'Unfiltered'

Delta - 'Happy Out of Love'

Baby Queen - 'Wannabe'