The Directors: WAAAW

Blending live-action with 2D and 3D animation, WAAAW is the creative partnership of award-winning directors Sidney Van Wichelen and Jack Charlot.

Sidney, who has won Director of the Year at Cannes Lions 2022, is known for his cinematic storytelling and emotional depth. Whether crafting ads or short films, Sidney brings vibrant visuals, strong rich narratives, and a sensitive touch of humour, always finding the perfect balance.

On the other hand, as the second part of the machine, Jack, who is a visionary animation director, has a gift for creating iconic characters and visual worlds. From Mika’s 'Lollipop' to Netflix’s 'Big Flo & Oli' documentary, his work uses animation to bridge the emotional gap with the viewer. With 10 Vimeo Staff Picks and recognition from various festivals, Jack’s storytelling ultimately leaves a lasting impression.

Together, they make WAAAW- “the silliest dudes always chasing the funniest idea” as they would say...

LBB> What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director? Any trends or changes that open new opportunities?

WAAAW> To be honest we don’t really follow any artistic direction that feels trendy these days. What excites us the most is a strong concept that feels new and exciting.

If we had to share some of our inspirations from the last decade in advertising, not one commercial had anything to do with a trend… It’s purely a strong piece of work that stands out because it's an original concept. The good news for us, however, is that the market seems to be increasingly drawn to a mix of live-action and VFX, with a focus on emotional depth rather than flashy effects - and that’s exactly what we’re striving to specialise in!

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

WAAAW> We like finding scripts with a silly concept. 

We love comedy, a strong copy –simple things that stand out. 

Bold efficiency. We aim to create moments where viewers feel a deep connection, resonating with the relatable and familiar.

And if the art direction flirts with something truly powerful, like certain pieces of contemporary art by Maurizio Cattelan or Erwin Wurm, that’s when we really get excited. It’s rare, but that’s the kind of script we’re waiting for - smart and sharp entertainment.

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

WAAAW> For us it’s like a ping pong session. We’re two directors, like a duo of silly dudes always chasing the funniest idea. Sometimes we just throw GIFs at each other; other times, we write separately and then call to share our ideas. In the end, our exchanges are mostly about identifying the strongest element in the script - the part that people remember. Once we agree on what that is, we focus entirely on it, ensuring all the creativity is centred around it.

It often happens that even good scripts have too many ideas, which can almost cancel each other out. It’s easy to lose direction by trying to do too much, especially when budgets become more comfortable.

Once again, the films that have left the biggest impact on us are those with a streamlined yet striking concept. And we have to constantly keep ourselves in check to avoid overloading the audience and instead aim to be super efficient.

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?

WAAAW> We try, first and foremost, to evaluate the idea and the quality of the ambition - as if there were no brand involved. Almost like watching a movie trailer without knowing who the director is… do we want to see the film? If the answer is yes, then we start incorporating the brand’s vibe into our creative approach.

But even then, sometimes it’s better not to dive too deep into the 'brand history'. Too much research can actually cloud the creative process. It can put you in a box you can’t get out of. It’s as if we give you the typical Coca-Cola Christmas ad brief If you start doing research, it’s not going to be easy to avoid thinking about polar bears and red trucks, right? 

We like to see things with a fresh eye. And then talk to the client to integrate the brand’s DNA in it.

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

WAAAW> All relationships must be solid and the most crucial starting point is a total trust with our production company.

That being said, two key roles can either make or break a commercial: the director of photography + the post-production house. 

It's always a big task to research and find the right DoP. The DoP is the person responsible for capturing everything with the perfect lenses, lighting and movements. Which is just the translation of what we have in mind. So it’s always a big deal to ensure that our choice reflects that. We love to work with different DoPs. Every DoP has a particular approach and it forces us to do things differently on every project. It always feels as if you’re dating a new person. You need to be attractive, and crystal clear with your intentions.

You can't afford to look shaky or lost, you need to bring energy and enthusiasm to get the DoP on board and motivated to join the dance, make him or her feel like it’s gonna be new. Our partners in the image department need to be rock solid.

When the magic happens, the DoP has the power to elevate the entire project to new heights.

Exactly the same for the VFX lead and team.

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?

WAAAW> We are really versatile.

First, because we enjoy a wide range of things.

Secondly, because for us, versatility means 'robustness'.

To last, you need to be able to do many different things.

We HATE being stuck in a genre. Directing is just listening to music. Depending on our mood we can listen to deep depressing music. Sometimes we listen to strong badass rap, etc. Directing is just the same. What we love is having the resources, the open-mindedness of the people we work with, and if possible, the time to really craft the project to its fullest potential. Especially in mixed-media projects, where both the live action AND the VFX need to be outstanding.

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

WAAAW> So far, we haven't been too misunderstood . Maybe we've been quickly categorised into the comedy box. It's true that we have that skill set and we love working with actors, finding humour, and exploring the absurd.

But we've also done darker, purely visual, or conceptual work that people tend to overlook, especially in advertising. But that's okay, we’re not afraid of being labelled mainstream. If we create beautiful, big, and varied things, people will trust us to do something different with them!

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

WAAAW> Sadly, the craziest problems are often related to money issues. “Love the idea, but the budget doesn’t allow us to do so…” I must confess that we hear this remark very often. But it’s in this particular situation that you solve it by being creative…

One time, not too long ago, we had a real nightmare. We were shooting a two-day Adidas ad in Tallinn, Estonia. At the end of the first day, everything was perfect - agency, client, and us were all thrilled with the footage. 

But before we even left the set, our producer came over to tell us how amazing everything was... EXCEPT… we’d just been informed by the service production team that all our permits to shoot the next day had been revoked. Why? Because of an unexpected NATO summit happening in the financial district - the exact location where 100% of the next day’s shots were scheduled.

The production asked us to break the news to the client and propose a solution. The worst part? We’d spent countless hours the previous week scouting every corner of Tallinn and its suburbs. We knew the only frames that worked with the concept were in that district. There was no alternative.

At that moment, we honestly wanted to walk away. We’d flagged this potential issue, we’d said there was no Plan B, but production insisted we lock everything into those specific locations. And now, everyone was melting down in the client’s trailer. We broke the news. There was some yelling, of course. Then at 9 p.m., we hopped in a van for three hours of frantic scouting all over the city.

We scrambled to find new interesting shots - buildings with texture, anything visually striking. Hundreds of photos later, we returned to the hotel knowing we’d sleep at 1 a.m. and wake up at 4 a.m. for a 14-hour shoot. 

We presented our recommendations to the client, who liked them but asked, “Where are the NYC-style skyscrapers?” We told them the only way to get those would be to bribe NATO security, or add them in CGI. They agreed to the latter. 

So we slept three hours, shot the next day with lots of frustration but stayed focused on the storyboard. We wrapped the shoot on time, no overtime. The budget for the CGI skyscrapers is still a mystery, but everyone was thrilled by the end.

The funniest part? We’d come to Tallinn because production promised us NYC-style locations and easy lane closures. We never blocked any traffic, and the skyscrapers were added in post. But we toasted, laughed, and agreed the shoot had gone well.

We also decided that from now on, we’d be very picky about shooting locations. 😊

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

WAAAW> We are just part of the creative process. We love to exchange with everyone so that we make sure that everyone finds themselves in the project.

But also we just love to put our hands on trying to challenge ourselves by thinking about every single aspect of the project. Making sure the copy feels right, without losing the idea that made the client so happy … It’s an ongoing process. We try as much as possible to swim against the current. The past has shown us that every time, the final result turned out badly. It's only when everyone is aligned that we can deliver a banger.

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?

WAAAW> We don’t find ourselves legitimate to be able to be a mentor for anyone… Being on a set every single time feels as if we are kids that are entering a store full of toys. We are just humble to be able to work on set every single time. And if someone wants to join us out of curiosity, we’d be more than happy to share what we are 'trying' to do… 

The few times we've found ourselves doing talks or workshops, we end up just explaining how we did things, especially on the films we consider successful, but also on the ones we messed up, and why, in our opinion. And we listen to the questions. It's a dialogue where everyone can learn from what was done...

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)?

WAAAW> We try not to focus too much on 'social' formats unless it's a crucial request from the client or agency. We prefer to continue focusing on the horizontal format, which remains our main cinematic reference. However, we’re very open to the idea, and a full vertical format can be an interesting challenge. 

That being said, unfortunately, let's be honest—budgets for Instagram-only formats are often too limited to create great work. So far, we haven’t been too impacted by this kind of request or consideration.

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)?

WAAAW> We’re exploring new digital directions that haven’t been done yet, looking for surprising artistic directions, perhaps inspired by other mediums like cinema, contemporary art, fashion, video games... We try to stay sharp in order to create visually striking work that can still resonate with a wide audience.

Generative AI is something we’re observing and experimenting with, but for now, the redundancy and emotional limitations are still too significant. That said, we’re diving into this topic on our end to see how we might incorporate this tool into our creativity, rather than the other way around.

As for interactive storytelling, it’s something we haven’t explored yet, but we’ll be open to it if it’s proposed to us!

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

WAAAW> McDonalds

First commercial work we did together as a duo. 

Not a big budget and still more live across CGI than real mix-media, but for us, it remains a good example of visual fun, silly, punk, entertaining treatment - quite permissive for a massive brand.

CYBERBULLYING

Mix media with emotion. That's an example of what we think we can be good at.

Again, the budget for CGI was very limited, which was a bit frustrating, but in the end, the goal was achieved.

SCARR- The Rest Of My Days

Here it's different because it's a music video, but it really illustrates our ambition to create emotion despite the use of the virtual. It's also about our desire to blur the lines. What’s great about this video is that people really wondered what was real and what was fake. Where the line was, what was "alive" and what was simulated, synthetic. We love that! A kind of positive Uncanny Valley.

SWATCH

First commercial in a series of three made this year for 'big brands'.

Here, the art direction and copy are a bit classic, but it's our first shoot together with a large team and real shooting comfort. We had time to make beautiful images with DP Ben Cotgrove, test things on set, and the VFX were done properly.

It's still quite "nice," but it's not bad for us as our third ad together.

We were able to follow up with two more projects, one for Asus and the other for Adidas, which we're finishing now, and where we were able to test even more integration of 'supernatural' elements into reality.

So this Swatch ad is really a glimpse of where we're heading, while knowing...