Since joining Arcade almost 3 years ago, director Alexa Wilson has consistently been creating work across diverse genres, from comedy spots, car and finance ads to moodier alcohol commercials. The Alexa thread that is carried through all this work is her strong visual language, local texture and meticulous attention to detail.

Screengrabs from Alexa’s commercials for Pernod Ricard.

‘As a director, you really get to dip into your imagination, that’s the magical part’. Says Alexa, and it’s a sentiment she keeps coming back to – the value of imagination. ‘I am very cognisant that when I am directing, I am not coming in to do the job of an agency. By the time a brief comes to me, the creatives have already fought long and hard to get that idea made. It’s my job to bring the enthusiasm back to the script, sometimes even reminding people of the potential of their idea. For me, it’s about finding ways that we can visually and emotionally explore the work, without losing sight of the idea, so that we can create something memorable that captures people.’

Screengrabs from Alexa’s work for Bavaria

Alexa’s ability to bring ideas to life in imaginative, sometimes slightly offbeat ways, is one of the reasons she has built such a diverse and impressive reel in such a short period of time. Drawn to high-concept work Alexa is playfully creative, has an artful aesthetic and an infectious enthusiasm for filmmaking. Of her approach to directing, she adds: ‘I find the point of inspiration in all my briefs, the magical moments that can amuse, entertain and astound. It’s my job to then build a world around that, a world that people will remember.’

Screengrabs from Alexa’s work for Heineken

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