Massïf Films’ Gordon Lindsay has a reel that screams BIG BUDGETS, and although he has worked on many high-end jobs locally and around the world for the likes of Guinness and Tinder, the truth is a lot of the work was made on a shoestring. It’s not the budgets that have contributed to Gordon’s impressive reel, it’s his ability to craft visually exciting work.

It’s hard to put Gordon in a box, especially considering how varied his reel is. Something that stands out at first glance in all of Gordon’s work is the craft. He’s cinematic, considered and technically impressive, there is not a single frame wasted in his reel. ‘Dean (Massïf director and partner Dean Blumberg) once said to me, there is no place for a cool shot in advertising, everything has to have a purpose.’ Says Gordon.

So even though some of you might not have worked with Gordon before, you’ll definitely recognise some of his work. Gordon’s reel is timeless and his ads shot even 8 years ago could easily run next to commercials shot today, like his spot for Dimension Data. But watch for yourself:

Another thing that those who have worked with Gordon will agree on is his reputation for being a solid, reliable director, great with kids and technical challenges and has an uncanny ability to handle ‘highly-collaborative’ clients 😉 and tight budgets.

Understanding how Gordon’s director brain ticks is knowing the path he has followed in the industry. As with some of the top commercial filmmakers in South Africa, Gordon Lindsay began his career in the research department at Velocity back in 2006. Apart from a stint working in a video store as a 16-year-old (still our dream job) Gordon has lived and breathed filmmaking. Mentored by heavy-hitters like Greg Gray and the late Keith Rose, Gordon researched and worked closely with over 20 directors over the span of 11 years. Research is something he still values greatly and says: ‘All the directors at Massïf have been researchers before and we’re pretty strict about that, purely because we believe it will always elevate a filmmaker’s craft.’

Much of Gordon’s grounding and approach to directing he attributes to those first 11 years at Velocity, saying: ‘There was an incredible expectation on all of us. Keith (Rose), Greg (Gray) and Peter (Carr) in particular really drummed in that we were the best. We were expected to do everything in our power to win the work and when we won, we were expected to do everything in our power to make that work the most perfect piece of work. It was a very hard place, with lots of late nights and weekends, but if you cut it, it was hugely rewarding. You know, they were perfectionists, tough to please, but if you wanted to learn, that was the place to learn. And we have brought a lot of that thinking to how we run Massïf. We make sure that every piece of work that comes out of here is of a particular standard, it’s part of our culture. Everyone at Massïf has a very similar approach to the craft and the standard of craft they expect.’

When Executive Producer Peter Carr moved to head up Velocity’s sister company Bouffant in 2014, Gordon soon followed and launched his solo directing career. Talk about hitting the ground running, because in 2016 he made the Young Director Award (YDA) shortlist at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity! Since then Gordon has been featured on the Adforum Best Director’s List 5 times working all over the world with brands like McDonald’s, KFC, Discovery, Hunters and Guinness. Gordon went on to join Peter and the rest of the team (Dean Blumberg, Marc Sidelsky, Nare Mokgotho, Monde Gumede and Ying-Poi De Lacy) as a partner and director at Massïf and for them, it’s still always about the craft.

He adds: ‘As a director, your lived experience is not the one that is on screen, and even if it is, this is a job, an industry where our role is to bring creativity, passion, beauty and craft to each job we get. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done and although I’ve made mistakes, I have never hated anything I have worked on and I think that comes from my work ethic and the care I put into each job.’

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