Love Song’s Elliott Power Builds Work That Goes Against the Grain

Love Song director Elliott Power speaks with shots on the inspiration behind his Gold-winning spot at the 2024 Young Director Award.

Why did this project that appealed to you, and did you immediately know how you wanted to approach it?
Uncommon really wanted to push every aspect of this project. [Uncommon Founder and CCO] Nils Leonard’s brief was something along the lines of ‘fuck it up’. The themes of self-doubt, struggle and bravery spoke to me.

I immediately knew what this film needed to be; a visceral focus on the human condition. Sam Oliver really gave me the space to experiment, he’s one of best creative director’s I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with. [Agency producer] Danielle Sandler was also crucial to creating an environment that allowed us to really explore the possibilities of this project.

What were the reference points for how you wanted the finished spot to look?
The recipe of references I gave to cinematographer Pat Golan were Se7en meets Delicatessen. I opted for a muddy colour palette, sepia, brown, burnt umber... I wanted the viewer to feel imperfection, the grain, the noise. I asked Pat to make the dolly unstable, to add to the imperfections.

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