The Directors: Trett Films
Josh and Matty Trett are the filmmaking brothers with a ever-growing passion for storytelling and film production. Known for their emotive and cinematic approach to their work, they bring a unique touch to every project they undertake.
From producing captivating TV ads and producing vibrant corporate videos, the Trett brothers continue to make their mark in the industry.
Their client roster includes names like KPMG, Sainsbury’s,The David Lynch Foundation, and Lloyds Bank among others, showcasing their versatility and dedication to their craft.
Having worked across the globe, from Milan to Dubai to the USA, Josh and Matty have gained invaluable experience and insights. In addition to their commercial work, they also find joy in directing short films, while also developing their debut feature. Grounded in their love for visual storytelling, the Trett brothers continue to engage audiences with their heartfelt narratives and cinematic vision.
Name: Josh and Matty Trett
Location: Norwich + London
Repped by/in: Treacle7
Awards:
Peoples Choice Awards - Fear in the Fens
Audience Choice Award - Norwich Film Festival
Nominated Best East Anglian Film - Norwich Film Festival
Ad of the Year - Ad Master Awards
Best Brand Building - Ad Master Awards
Best Ongoing Use of TV ADs - Ad Master Awards
LBB> What are some upcoming projects that you're excited about? Tell us a bit about them?
Trett> Hoping we get the change to work on some new projects this year with new clients, while also continuing to collaborate with many of our longstanding clients.
At the time of writing, we’ve just wrapped up filming some new projects for Aviva, which are now deep in post-production for. The shoot included a few chilly days in Wales with a lot to capture but we got there in the end.
We’re also looking forward to producing more brand films for Crisp Malt, focusing on whisky and beer content—always a favourite.
We’re also in pre-production on another short film, a passion project that helps us stay creatively sharp.
Let’s see how the year goes I guess!
LBB> What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director? Any trends or changes that open new opportunities?
Trett> We predominantly work in Norwich, though our projects often take us to London and occasionally other spots too. Norfolk is a different playing field compared to other parts of the country, but it’s exciting (and reassuring) to see businesses in the region finally catching on to the power of video and advertising. More importantly, they’re understanding that investing in it is a smart move.
While it seems marketing professionals are everywhere around here, there are only a handful of production companies operating in the city, making it a unique and (if you win the work) a rewarding environment to work in.
LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?
Trett> At the start, we try to read the brief to work out what approach we’re going to take. That could be in several ways.
Firstly, it depends on how much time we have to develop a treatment. The more time we have, the more detailed we can make it—potentially even offering multiple angles or strategies for the project.
Secondly, we’ll assess our chances of winning the job. If it feels like we’re just in the mix to make up the numbers and the client already has a favourite, we’re not going to spend evenings and weekends crafting a thorough proposal.
However, if we’re a serious contender and have the time, we’ll focus on using visuals to bring the concept to life. A PDF or PowerPoint with lots of text explaining your idea is fine, but creating pre-vis material or a mocked-up version can plant the idea of our approach in the client’s mind.
We’ve built a library material from our own portfolio for multiple sectors, so we don’t need to rely on AI-generated images to create these. This approach offers a tangible taste of what the final project could look like, which grabs attention far better than a text-based proposal. Without visuals, it’s easy for the client to skip ahead and simply ask, “How much will it cost?”
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?
Trett> Research is important, but one of the best things you can do is sit down with the client and have a conversation. Learning directly from them about the market, their work, the product, the business etc. can be invaluable. Research is great when you know what you're looking for, but those early development conversations often unlock insights, facts, and figures that can help influence the creative for the better.
LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?
Trett> The client relationship is crucial because at the heart of it is trust. It’s a two-way street though—you need to trust them, and (perhaps more importantly) they need to trust you. We’re very lucky to have a few returning clients now who place their trust in us, and from our perspective, they’re lovely to work with. It’s a win-win.
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?
Trett> We love telling stories about people—putting humans at the focus of what we create and working with businesses that like to do the same. While a video may be briefed to sell a product or service, at the end of the day, people buy from people and that is important to remember. That’s why we focus on crafting very emotive, engaging, and cinematic content that tells a personal story—complete with some bloody nice cinematography to level it up.
LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?
Trett> I think a misconception we faced early on is that we just show up, point the camera at things, slap on a LUT and make them look good.
It is something we have had to address indirectly through our own marketing and pitching. In reality, the best productions we’ve worked on are the ones where we’re invited into the creative process from day one. With years of experience, we’ve developed the ability to spot why certain ideas might look great on paper for a client but may not translate as expected on screen. This allows us to challenge specific points and say, “Actually, that might not work the way you’re imagining.”
LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been?
Trett> We’ve not worked with a cost consultant before although interested to know what one is/does!
LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?
Trett> During the production of a recent film, one of the lead actors completely lost her voice—not just croaky, I’m talking barely above a whisper. We had to shoot the scene anyway as we only had her and the location for that day, hoping the whisper might enhance the drama. However, it just ended up sounding really odd, so we opted for ADR.
Unfortunately, the re-recorded dialogue made her sound completely different from her scene partner, which meant we had to re-record their lines as well. Then, I initially tried mixing it myself, but it quickly became clear we needed a professional dialogue editor to step in and save the project. This experience was a valuable reminder that, while production is built on strong planning and pre-production, there will always be unexpected challenges you can’t predict or control.
It’s all about finding creative solutions to those problems as they arise. Also, as much as we plate spin, sometimes you can’t do it all.
LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?
Trett> For us, it really depends on the client and the project—it’s a case-by-case situation. Some clients are very protective and you can’t blame them for being so, while others are confident enough to trust the production process and allow us to be creative and experiment. Regardless of what their approach ends up being, we always try to guide them professionally toward the best outcome. Simply being a “yes” man can often backfire.
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?
Trett> It is as important to have diversity behind the camera as it in front. We don’t know what the actual route to get there looks like. It should be done thoroughly not just to tick a box but to make sure the voices and visions on screen are varied as well as the people helping create them.
We are open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set. However, the issue with us is being such a small operation we often rely on established people in the industry who can help just get stuck in as mentoring requires a lot more… well mentoring.
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)?
Trett> You have to be aware of it as you go into production. The more discussions you have about content plans and deliverables before shooting, the better. We always try to sell to clients that their content is flexible—they’re not just commissioning a single ad but a whole library of content from one commission.
Recently, we worked on an ad project intended for both social media and YouTube, requiring delivery in both portrait and landscape formats. This meant carefully considering our framing during the shoot to accommodate both. To ensure this, we used monitors with framing guides for both orientations while setting up shots. It’s a level of detail that doesn’t typically come into play when directing solely for TV or film.
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)?
Trett> This is always a tricky one, isn’t it? We’re using moderate amounts of AI into our workflow. Adobe’s podcast studio has been a particularly useful tool, while ChatGPT serves as a glorified spell checker. That said, we’re cautious about using AI responsibly, especially considering the huge amounts of energy these systems consume.
I mentioned earlier our USP is all about human stories, real emotions captured on film. It doesn’t make sense to tell stories of these themes through AI, does it?
Seeing some ads come out that use heavily AI content and it’s painfully obvious. Not to mention audiences are outright rejecting to watch films that use AI. There was a backlash to both 'Late Night with the Devil' and 'Civil War' for their use of AI.
As for virtual production, we haven’t had the opportunity to experiment with it yet, but it’s certainly intriguing. We’ve seen insane results when handled by a skilled DP (think 'The Batman' or 'The Mandalorian'). However, my concern is that in less capable hands, it could become the easy option, leading to visuals that feel overused and cheap.
LBB> Which pieces of your work do you feel show what you do best – and why?
Trett> REC Watches - When this brief landed on our table, we were immediately determined to win it. The opportunity to shoot a cinematic documentary/brand film for a watch with a brilliant story related to F1 was a dream project for us.
Wensum Trust - The client tasked us with showcasing how a trust of schools can positively impact a student’s journey throughout their educational journey. This was a cool concept that allowed us to flex our storytelling/directing muscles.
James Bond - This was a true pinch-me moment. We pitched an idea to the team at Ian Fleming Publications, who generously trusted us to create a cinematic trailer featuring Charlie Higson, the author of the latest Bond books.
'Dial' Trailer - While not part of our corporate or commercial work, this project highlights our director/DoP capabilities. It was a passion project that took a year and a half to complete, with sold-out premieres, award wins, nominations, and (hopefully) a few more film festivals on the horizon.
