We sat down with newly-signed director Ryan Goodman to get his thoughts on his career, and the industry as a whole.
Who is Ryan Goodman?
Liverpool FC supporting Director and Creative.
You have an extremely varied skill-set and have been involved in content production from pre through post — could you tell us a bit more about your journey into filmmaking.
I did what so many do when starting out in film, which is any job that lets you be part of the process.
Coming from a working class background, there were no shortcuts available to me. I had to do the groundwork and make the connections from scratch. Out of University I started self-shooting and learning how to edit, but I had no experience. So I worked as a runner, location scout and casting assistant alongside any videography and editing work I could get my hands on. It was like working on two careers at the same time, but all with the same end goal.
It built a varied and solid skill set that allowed me to work towards my main aim of directing. It also meant I met the right people; other talented people that were hungry to work their way up the ladder, as well as more established figures that mentored and guided me in those early days.
I was able to cut my teeth in the music video industry, making BTS content and online promos for Mumford and Sons, John Newman and countless other artists along with major record labels. This culminated in the promo for Magpie, which was the turning point for me and what I feel is my first directing job. Made with £500, borrowed equipment and a crew that I still count on for advice and expertise today, it got me noticed and opened doors that would lead me to where I am today.
Since then I’ve gone on to direct campaigns for leading fashion brands, world renowned artists and award winning creative agencies. I still retain the same enthusiasm and ambition that I started out with, however I now have over ten years experience behind me and a network of the best creatives in London. Having experience in almost all aspects of the filmmaking process, I’m able to confidently lead a video project from conception to completion.
Did this experience shape your current style of directing?
Concept and narrative drive all my work, first and foremost. So much can be covered with style but nothing resonates with people more than having something to say and communicating it well.
In terms of visual style, the time I spent building my career put me working directly with some great directors. It expanded my knowledge so much to be on set, and usually I was lucky enough to be filming the behind the scenes, working directly with the filmmakers and talent.
A particular highlight was location managing an art project directed by Steve Barron, of A-Ha (Take on Me) and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame.
I base my directing on collaboration. Experience has made sure I appreciate all the aspects that go into making any film project work. Everyone in the process is only trying to make a project better, so it’s best to utilise those voices and opinions. Obviously not everything can be in the final edit, but incorporating small elements of ideas can completely transform moments.
Style should always be evolving and you can’t avoid the cliche advice of watching and reading as much as you can. Through this combination of influences, a certain visual style is apparent throughout my work.
How do you balance your commercial and promo project? Would you say that one influences the other?
They’ve actually been in distinct phases in my career. Again, an often trodden route takes many new directors through promo before they reach commercials and content. It’s a very competitive environment and the pitching process is extremely hard work. I got a lot of practice.
The progression really worked for me. The budgets were low in music promo and therefore required resourcefulness, but it tended to afford an element of creative control. Again, the people I worked with gave me the support to create work with little resources. Combining roles and 4am runs to pick up borrowed equipment has, thankfully, not moved over into my commercial directing. However, what has remained is the knowledge of how to make the most out of a budget.
We worked a lot with 16mm film too, mainly for creative reasons but it teaches a discipline for pre-production that has really helped as I’ve moved into commercial work. Understanding the producing and pre-production process allows better pitches and a smoother shoot day.
We are seeing a growing trend for agency creatives to direct. How important do you think it is to be close to the genesis of the idea?
It’s my favourite part of the process and building a vision with a team is so important. In the same instance it’s important to distill those ideas and give them direction, this is why it’s best everyone is involved as early as possible.
There have been huge changes over the past ten years and we are now driven by analytics and influencers when creating content. Whilst both have a part to play in contemporary commercial work there is huge scope for capturing imaginations by taking creative risks. Truly memorable work can get lost in a field of demographics and KPI’s. It’s always my ambition to push boundaries and explore how we can take the data and still create something that resonates.
It’s also why I value long-term relationships. Campaigns become greater with a shared understanding and learning from both the agency and the production. In creating successful content, consistent views and establishing narratives that run throughout, campaigns are increasingly important.
How did your in-house position at Superdry come about?
The aspiration has always been to focus on directing but the creative process really excites me. Whilst I have a broad experience across several production roles, I’ve taken a keen interest in the work of my peers and trends in the industry. I reached a point in my freelance career where I felt I needed a new challenge, something that used the full force of my experience.
There was an opportunity at Superdry and it was one of the few roles that would have tempted me away from freelance. It was more than a directing or senior videographer role, it was crafting an in-house video department almost from scratch and reshaping the look and feel of a global fashion brand. I was the senior authority on video at Superdry, the only one with an understanding of how video content is successfully made. I was more than ready for the challenge.
What were your challenges when taking a lead role in the transformation of Superdry’s creative approach?
This all links back to long term relationships and sharing a vision. I think the strategy around video production runs alongside the creative process. How you source creatives, how you make the most out of content, how you build and demonstrate a relationship with creatives are all so important and are often overlooked by brands. There is a huge opportunity out there for brands to do so much more in secondary channels, make so much more from a hero piece of content, and I took this thinking into Superdry with full force.
The role taught me a lot. It was very challenging, because before my arrival most video production was outsourced and the aspiration was to bring it in-house. These changes were undertaken during a period of huge transition for the company with multiple changes in creative direction.
We made great strides whilst I was there and managed to deliver more content (to all areas of the business) that started to show consistency. The focus changed and the in-house team grew from 2 to 5 at a time when other areas faced restructuring. Our work also delivered results, with the Invictus main video achieving double the normal engagement.
Being both in and out of agencies and working in-house with a global fashion brand, how do you adapt to these situations and manage client expectations?
I have a strong belief in having video led creative strategies, but again this is a long term goal when discussing content. My understanding of client relationships and the needs and demands of a consistent tone of voice really developed at Superdry.
You have to balance the need to push the boundaries with working to analytics and client processes. Honesty with expectations, and being able to present ideas that challenge client expectations can really elevate a project.
Creatively, this means creating a narrative that clearly achieves a brand’s message and then suggesting ways that it can be delivered to create engagement. Getting the most from shoot days is key and presenting ideas for social or in-house communications can add value to a project with little cost.
What was the inspiration behind the Superdry ‘Stay Focused’ Back to School campaign?
I wanted people to ask ‘wow, that was a Superdry ad?’
This project is a great example of good client relationships, and trying to evolve a brand’s look and feel. It also pushed boundaries, and was the first campaign I had taken a major role in leading. Superdry had shifted to a video-led strategy but as a company were nervous to take what they perceived as risks.
Superdry weren’t looking for a radical overhaul in style and feel; they wanted a transition. We had to look at retaining certain production elements, whilst introducing new ideas where possible.
The best place to push that was in the filmmaking on ‘Back to School’. Casting requirements took precedence in the budget, so experience of a creative solution with limited resources was required. We achieved something that really made significant strides in the evolution of the company’s approach to film.
Added value was the key to the approach on a production side. It sounds like an obvious choice, but one the company had never taken before. I created separate content targeted to men and women, bespoke social content shot on location, and soundtracks from signed artists.
As I was building an in-house video team, I was also taking on real challenges as a Director and Creative Lead.
You used a series of focal effects in the video. What’s in your filmmaker toolbox?
Creating great bespoke content means that there’s no set ‘toolbox’ for my work. It changes with every project and is constantly evolving. It would feel lazy to rely on a set of filters and effects — great content comes from finding new and exciting techniques.
This is where my promo work has mostly informed my commercial work. I’m a huge fan of mixing classic techniques with contemporary filmmaking. One of my reasons for using real film in my early work was that we could challenge ourselves to explore what we could do in camera.
However, the most important tool in my filmmakers toolbox is my contacts. Over 10 years I’ve met and worked with incredible talent to help elevate my work far above some of the budgets. You can’t create great work without great people, and I’ve been fortunate enough to grow with an exceptional team.
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