There aren’t many directors who can claim to have directed everything from synchronised swimmers and talking ducks to bubbling cheese and Persian cats. Love Films’ Dani Hynes can. One of the few directors we’ve come across who’s worked on such a broad range of categories, Dani attributes her established directing career to her problem-solving skills. As an award-winning ex-agency creative director, she believes that as a commercial director she should work hard to make sure that spots look as good on screen as they do in your imagination, if not better.

We caught up with Dani to unpack what it really means to direct across multiple genres, the shifts in the industry, and why a director’s job isn’t about the category, but the almighty idea.

Dani: Honestly, for me, it’s never been about the category, it’s about the thinking. Every board presents a challenge: how do you bring something intangible to life in the best way possible?  I’ve been directing for a (mumbles a number of years under her breath)  and I realised early on that my job is to figure out how to bring any idea to life. Whether it’s a cheeseburger or a killer whale birthing a jellybean from its blowhole (a board I have yet to see, but I would so love to) it’s the logical framework that you apply to the imaginary that counts for your viewer. So my first question would probably be Southern Right or Blue Whale? How big is this jelly bean? Also what colour, cause you know, lighting.  Once we figure out the logic of whichever world we are creating, I can apply my weird love of maths, science, physics and back story to find the perfect solve. Also there are a lot of odd little sketches to make sure it makes sense out of my head before I say it.

Dani: Nope. It’s a real duck. Well lots of real ducks. A really patient crew, incredible client, genius creatives and many hours of ducklings moving at 50 FPS.

Dani: I’ve directed many creatures from chameleons to rhinos, Persian cats to snails, and mostly everything in between. I did once have a full herd of Friesian horses gallop toward me at sunset for a shot that never made it into the spot, a duckling fall asleep in my pocket so I had to whisper “cut” and a garden snail that had allegedly “run” away. Wildest challenge? My own puppy, Harley, who continues to ignore alllll attempts to get her to learn manners. 

But also, as we love a challenge, sometimes we also throw kids into the mix. And then also food. I clearly have a lot of karma to pay back, probably best to settle the debt asap. One of my favourite projects ever was Bokomo because it was kids, food, and animals all in one ad.

Above some of the stars from Dani’s reel.

Dani: Absolutely. The industry has shifted in a way that demands directors be adaptable. More and more, we’re seeing work that blends genres, comedy with VFX, beauty with performance, food with technical precision. It’s few and far between where directors can just be a car director or a beauty director, it’s about being a crazy lover of ideas and problem solver…

That’s what excites me. That’s why I’ll always be interested in any script and most ideas. Special points for the ones nobody has committed to celluloid yet. Because the best feeling for me ever is to look at something on the page and go, we should totally make that happen in a way that makes people think, why not? 

Wanna (s)talk some more? Love Films on IDIDTHAT and Company Website.