Over the past three years, Steve Rogers has cemented his place atop the Lürzer's Archive ranking of directors. How did he do it? Well, being pretty chilled seems a part of it. And taking the work seriously but not being too serious himself. Is there a hint of a smile there?
L[A] What was it that first attracted you to directing advertising?
SR I never wanted to direct advertising. Most directors I know never wanted to direct advertising. It’s kind of like a club for people who wanted to do other things, but never got around to it.
L[A] Who or what is your greatest source of creative inspiration? Something that you keep going back to for artistic nourishment.
SR I have a deep and abiding fondness for the films of Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch.
L[A] Alongside creative advertising, you have also directed music videos for bands like Radiohead. Is there any difference in approach when working with bands?
SR I haven’t really made many music videos. Most of the bands that I liked never asked me to make any and I could never find the enthusiasm to make videos for bands whose music I didn’t like.
I am also not very good at shooting 18-hour days in dilapidated warehouses, although I do have enormous respect for directors like Walter Stern and the videos that he and his ilk made.
L[A] We would love to know what you are watching (TV, film) that you would recommend?
SR I can’t watch TV. Something has happened to it and it seems very unwell. I think part of the problem is that most TV is made by showrunners and not directors, and showrunners, by and large, don’t know how to direct. It all looks the same to me, which I guess is ok if it’s good, but it isn’t.
In saying that, I still find sustenance in films like Ninotchka, Ace in the Hole, Fat City, Rio Bravo, The Wrong Man, A Face in the Crowd, Nights of Cabiria, Yi Yi.
L[A] Is there something that you are interested in that most people haven’t heard of?
SR No.
L[A] If the saying is true that the opening shot is the most important, which is your favourite opening shot of a film and/or ad?
SR I quite like the opening of The Lobster. I also enjoy the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy and Fritz Lang’s M. The best opening line of a script that I have worked on was a grandmother pulling tinsel out of a cat’s arsehole for a Christmas advert. However, the realization of this scene didn’t do the script justice.
L[A] You have previously recounted stories about challenges on set (belligerent drunk actors, roofs being blown off of buildings, injuries and arguments). What would your advice be to a director when they are in the eye of the storm during filming?
SR For me, if you have prepared properly, with good actors and good crew, then when disaster strikes, as it always does, you have half a chance of getting out alive. It also helps if you are able to roll with the punches. You will often get a better, more unexpected result if you take the unanticipated and incorporate it into what you are making.
L[A] On that note, what was your most challenging on set story?
SR Hollywood actors who make commercials are generally unpleasant people to be around. They arrive on set with a high degree of self-loathing. They don’t need the money. They don’t need the attention. It is nothing but an inconvenience for them and they are quite likely to take out their frustration on whoever is in their general vicinity – normally, me. In saying that Anthony Hopkins was a delight and a gentleman.
L[A] What would the one essential quality be for someone wanting to do what you do?
SR Resilience … Persistence … Alcoholism.
L[A] What is your first step in the creative process when you receive a brief? What is the first thing that you consider?
SR My main consideration is, who has asked me to make it? I value collaboration with people I trust more than the script itself. If a script comes from one of a handful of people I know and trust, then I would commit to making it without having to read the script.
L[A] In light of our recent 40th anniversary special, celebrating the best advertising of the last 40 years, which ads would you throw in the ring as examples of creative excellence?
SR I still think Tony Kaye’s work as a benchmark that is yet to be surpassed. To be honest, no one has come close, although Jean Luc Godard did make an excellent film for Nike Air Max 180.
L[A] Since establishing Revolver in 1996, you must have seen many changes in the industry. What has it been like, working with advancing technologies? Have you noticed a general change of approach to filmmaking now?
SR Thankfully the best filmmaking is not driven by technology. Sure, it makes some things easier, some things faster, some things cheaper, but generally it doesn’t make them any better.
If anything, the democratisation of filmmaking, whilst benefitting some, has largely resulted in far too many experts and far too little time to make anything properly. Good craft requires time and there is increasingly little of it.
L[A] Who inspires you to be better?
SR I am eternally grateful to my business partners, producers and crew who have supported me over a great many years and continue to do so.
L[A] What is the worst on set or industry wide habit that people have?
SR I lament the loss of on-set etiquette – the rehearsing of actors, the blocking and staging of action, a quiet set where people can focus and work without interruption.
L[A] Do you have plans to work in any other mediums in the future (feature film, theatre)?
SR I have directed theatre and my business partner and I continue to develop long form film projects in Australia.
L[A] What is the answer to the question we should have asked you but didn’t?
SR Pingu’s dream.
Steve Rogers' reel
Because it was the first thing I shot where it felt like I knew what I was doing, or at least where the original intention came close to the outcome.
This ad was like making a project with friends, and made me realise that not every project has to be difficult.
This called out a legitimate concern of the athletes regarding how they had been depicted in the past and hopefully played a role in ddressing audience behaviour. (Although that might be expecting too much).
Because it worked better than I had hoped.
The last thing I shot.
