Dougal Wilson

Last updated

Dougal Wilson
Born
Dougal Stewart Wilson

August 1971 (age 52)
Heswall, England
NationalityBritish
Education Durham University
Occupations
Years active2001–present

Dougal Stewart Wilson (born August 1971) is an English director of commercials and music videos. His work includes directing several John Lewis Christmas adverts and the Grammy-nominated music video for "Life in Technicolor II" (2009) by Coldplay. He is set to make his feature film debut with Paddington in Peru (2024), the third instalment in the Paddington franchise.

Contents

Early life and inspiration

Wilson was born in Heswall, England in 1971. [1] In his youth, he played in a series of bands. [2] Inspired by Stanley Kubrick's epic science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and interested in astronomy, Wilson decided to study natural sciences at Durham University. [3] While studying, he began designing posters for university gigs and plays and making sets for some of those plays in his spare time. [2]

He was inspired to become a director after hearing a BBC Radio 4 interview with Ridley Scott and Alan Parker in which they said that they got started in feature films through directing commercials. [2] The first advert Wilson directed was at the Leith advertising agency in Edinburgh, where he was working as a copywriter before moving to London. [3] [4]

Career

Wilson has directed commercials for companies such as Apple, IKEA, Orange, Stella Artois, Olympus, AT&T, Safestore, Beck's Brewery, and Coca-Cola. [2] His Christmas adverts for UK department store John Lewis & Partners, including "The Long Wait" (2011), "The Journey" (2012), "Monty the Penguin" (2014), "Buster the Boxer" (2016), and "Excitable Edgar" (2019), have become a widely talked-about part of British popular culture. [2] [5] In 2016, he filmed the three-minute advert We're the Superhumans , promoting Channel 4's broadcast of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. [6]

His numerous music videos include "Satisfaction" for Benny Benassi, "Tribulations" for LCD Soundsystem, "Who Am I" for Will Young, "Take Me Back to Your House" for Basement Jaxx, [7] "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" for Jarvis Cocker, "What's a Girl to Do?" for Bat for Lashes, "Happiness" and "A&E" for Goldfrapp, and "Life in Technicolor II" for Coldplay. [8]

In 2007, he co-directed a short film called Rubbish, starring Martin Freeman, Anna Friel and James Lance. The following year, he directed a four-minute silent comedy homage for Sky Arts and the English National Opera, based on The Barber of Seville aria "Largo al factotum" and starring Mathew Baynton as Figaro. [8] [9] In October 2010, a short film directed by Wilson and featuring Gillian Anderson, No Pressure, was released by the 10:10 campaign in Britain to spread awareness of climate change. [10] The four-minute film was written by Richard Curtis and showed groups of people being asked whether they are interested in participating in the project to reduce carbon emissions, and then gruesomely blown to pieces after failing to show enthusiasm for the cause. [11] [12] [13] The film provoked an immediate negative reaction in the media and was withdrawn from public circulation on the same day it was released. [14] [15]

In June 2022, it was announced that Wilson is set to direct his first feature film, Paddington in Peru , the third instalment in the Paddington franchise. [16] [17] In a statement to Variety, he said, "As a huge fan of the first two films, I am very excited (if not a little intimidated) to be continuing the story of Paddington. It's a massive responsibility, but all my efforts will be focussed on making a third film that honours the love so many people have for this very special bear." [18]

Accolades

Wilson has twice won Best Director at the UK Creative and Design Awards, in 2004 and 2005, [19] [20] as well as having won Gold, Silver and Bronze Lions at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival [21] [22] and Design and Art Direction awards in 2006 and 2008. [23] [24] He was named Director of the Year by Ad Age in 2019, [2] [25] and was recognised in Adweek ’s Creative 100 of professionals behind the "most innovative work" in 2018. [26] In 2020, he was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials. [27]

Wilson has received two Best Video nominations at the 2004 and 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards for directing The Streets music video for "Fit but You Know It" and Bat for Lashes's "What's a Girl to Do?". [28] At the 2008 UK Music Video Awards, the music video for Goldfrapp's single "Happiness" earned him nominations for both Best Director and Best Pop Video. [29] At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, he was up for Best Short Form Music Video with Coldplay's "Life in Technicolor II". [30]

He was also pictured on the front cover of the March 2009 edition of Creativity magazine wearing a jet pack and seemingly hovering a few feet above the ground in front of a car park. Inside, he led the edition's main article, "Directing 101", in which "15 top directors" dispensed advices learned on the job. [31]

Filmography

Short film

Feature film

Music video

YearTitleArtistNotes
2002"Carbon Kid" (featuring Brian Molko) Alpinestars
"Year 3000" Busted Co-directed with Tom Gravestock
"Satisfaction" Benny Benassi
2003"Remember Me" British Sea Power
"Three Girl Rhumba"Klonhertz
"She Moves She" Four Tet
"As Serious As Your Life"
2004"Fit but You Know It" The Streets Nominated for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video
"Friday's Child" Will Young
"Dream" Dizzee Rascal
2005"Cash Machine" Hard-Fi
"Tribulations" LCD Soundsystem
2006"Who Am I"Will Young
"Take Me Back to Your House" Basement Jaxx
"Assassinator 13" Chikinki
2007"Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" Jarvis Cocker
"What's a Girl to Do?" Bat for Lashes Nominated for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video
2008"A&E" Goldfrapp
"Happiness"Nominated for the UK Music Video Award for Best Pop Video
2009"Life in Technicolor II" Coldplay Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
2010"Love Lost" The Temper Trap
"Psyche" Massive Attack
2012"Party Pom Pom" Adam Buxton
2015"Apparition" Stealing Sheep

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coldplay</span> British rock band

Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and manager Phil Harvey. They initially met at University College London, calling themselves Big Fat Noises and changing to Starfish, before settling on the current name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Dillon</span> American actor (born 1964)

Matthew Raymond Dillon is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award nomination and Grammy nomination.

The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Kahn (director)</span> Korean-American film and music video director

Joseph Jun-hee Kahn is a Grammy-winning South Korean-American film and music video director. Kahn has worked with various artists such as Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Eminem, Backstreet Boys, Imagine Dragons, Lady Gaga, Rob Thomas, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Kelly Clarkson, Ava Max, Mariah Carey, and Destiny's Child.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Glazer</span> British film director

Jonathan Glazer is an English film director and screenwriter. He began his career in theatre before transitioning into film, directing the features Sexy Beast (2000), Birth (2004), Under the Skin (2013), and The Zone of Interest (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Åkerlund</span> Swedish director

Hans Uno Jonas Åkerlund is a Swedish film and music video director. His video for Madonna's song "Ray of Light" won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, and a record of five awards at 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, including the Video of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfer (advertisement)</span> Advertising campaign for Guinness beer

Surfer is an integrated advertising campaign launched in 1999 by Diageo to promote Guinness-brand draught stout in the United Kingdom. The cornerstone of the campaign is a television commercial, originally 60 seconds long, which centred on a Polynesian surfer successfully taking on a gigantic wave. Shot in Hawaii over a nine-day period and directed by Jonathan Glazer, the piece went on to win more awards than any other commercial in 1999, and in 2000 was voted the "Best ad of all time" in a poll conducted by Channel 4 and The Sunday Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Harvey (band manager)</span> English manager (born 1976)

Philip Christopher Harvey is an English manager and creative director best known for his work with the rock band Coldplay. He used to set up and promote student nights at local nightclubs while studying at Trinity College, Oxford, dropping out of his course to manage the band and helping them finance Safety (1998). They signed a recording contract with Parlophone in 1999, finding global fame with the release of Parachutes (2000) and following records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Life in Technicolor II</span> 2009 single by Coldplay

"Life in Technicolor II" is a song by British rock band Coldplay released as the first single from the Prospekt's March EP. It is the full-vocal version of the instrumental track "Life in Technicolor", from the band's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. The songs starts with a loop consisting of a santoor accompanied by tabla-like percussion. The loop is then repeated through the verses and part of the chorus.

James Frost is an English music video, commercial, and film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blink (company)</span> British production company

Blink is a British development studio and production company. They make TV series, commercials, music videos, short films, branded content and video games. The company structure comprises Blink Industries, Blinkink, Blink Productions and Blink Games. The group operates from 3 studio locations in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disclosure (band)</span> English electronic music duo

Disclosure are an English electronic music duo consisting of brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence. They grew up in Reigate, Surrey. Their debut studio album, Settle, released on 3 June 2013, by PMR Records, was nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards. They released a second studio album, Caracal, on 25 September 2015 which was also nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards. Their third studio album, Energy, was released on 28 August 2020, and was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards, alongside the fourth single from the album, "My High", which was nominated for Best Dance Recording.

Aoife McArdle is an Irish director, writer, and cinematographer working across film, television drama, music videos and commercials.

Kim Gehrig is an Australian director whose body of work spans television shows, commercials, music videos, documentaries, short films and branded entertainment. Gehrig directed “The Woman Who Ate Photographs”, an episode of Apple TV+ series, “Roar”, starring Nicole Kidman. Her notable commercial works include Run This Town and Stay for Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show,The Greatest for Apple, Viva La Vulva for Libresse, Life Needs Truth for The New York Times, the This Girl Can campaign, and work for many more for brands including Airbnb, Google, Lyft, Nike, IKEA, GAP, and Amnesty International. In music videos, Gehrig has collaborated with artists such as Chaka Khan, Brittany Howard, Wiley, Calvin Harris, and Basement Jaxx. In 2023, Gehrig became the 2nd woman of all time to win the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials and her films have won a plethora of awards including Cannes Lions, D&AD pencils, BTAA Arrows and UKMVA's.

Mat Whitecross is an English film director, editor and screenwriter. He began his career working for filmmaker Michael Winterbottom and producer Andrew Eaton at Revolution Films, being also known for directing The Road to Guantánamo, Ian Dury biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, as well as music documentaries Oasis: Supersonic and Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams. Whitecross has also directed music videos for Coldplay, Take That and The Rolling Stones, being a long-time collaborator of the former band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coldplay videography</span>

British rock band Coldplay have released 64 music videos, five video albums and five films, appearing on numerous television shows throughout their career as well. They were formed in London by Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland (guitar), Guy Berryman, Will Champion and Phil Harvey (management). Before their recording contract with Parlophone in 1999, a music video for "Bigger Stronger" was shot and directed by Mat Whitecross, who ultimately became one of the long-time collaborators of the band. It was followed by the singles "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble" and "Don't Panic" from Parachutes (2000), with the third earning a MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction.

References

  1. ↑ Knight, David (20 October 2015). "Dougal Wilson on Morris dancing with Stealing Sheep: "I was trying to say 'Isn't this cool?" | Features". Promonewstv. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Arnold, Lewis (25 July 2020). "Dougal Wilson". Directors Now. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  3. 1 2 Fulleylove, Rebecca (4 August 2015). ""Success breeds success... but you've got to make sure you don't cock it up next time"". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "Dougal Wilson on His Best Spots, As Chosen By shots". shots. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "AdAge Features Dougal Wilson in Top 10 U.K. Christmas Ads of the Decade - News - Furlined". furlined.com. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  6. ↑ "Dougal Wilson Helms Channel 4's 'We're The Superhumans' for Rio Paralympics | LBBOnline". www.lbbonline.com. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  7. ↑ Sawyer, Miranda (17 September 2006). "Internet spared the video star". London: The Observer. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  8. 1 2 Higgins, Charlotte (26 January 2009). "ENO hires unlikely trio to make TV opera films". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  9. ↑ Promonews. "BUG 11: Largo Al Factotum by Dougal Wilson | News". Promonewstv. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "There will be blood – watch exclusive of 10:10 campaign's 'No Pressure' film". TheGuardian.com . 30 September 2010.
  11. ↑ "Richard Curtis and an explosion of publicity".
  12. ↑ "Climate Change Denial » 10:10 No Pressure Splatter Ad- so how could it have been better?".
  13. ↑ "A 'Pretty Edgy' Climate Campaign". 4 October 2010.
  14. ↑ "Backlash over Richard Curtis's 10:10 climate film". TheGuardian.com . 2 October 2010.
  15. ↑ Singh, Anita (2 October 2010). "Richard Curtis and an explosion of publicity". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  16. ↑ Galuppo, Mia; Kit, Borys (13 June 2022). "'Paddington 3' Finds Its Director and Title (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter .
  17. ↑ "A few of Dougal Wilson's top spots ahead of Paddington 3". creative.salon. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  18. ↑ Yossman, K. J. (13 June 2022). "Paddington Bear Set for New Film, Director Following Windsor Castle Appearance". Variety. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  19. ↑ "The Winners CADS '04 Music Vision Awards". Music Week. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  20. ↑ "Wilson Triumphs at Cads 05". Music Week. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  21. ↑ "Film Lions 2007". Cannes Lions Archive. Archived from the original on 1 August 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  22. ↑ "Dougal Wilson". Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  23. ↑ "2006 D&AD Broadcast Yellow Pencil Winners". AdLand's Commercial Archive. 29 May 2006. Archived from the original on 6 September 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  24. ↑ "D&AD Awards 2008 TV & Cinema Crafts". D&AD Awards. Archived from the original on 2 April 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  25. ↑ "Creativity Award 2019 Director of the Year: Dougal Wilson, Furlined". Ad Age. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  26. ↑ "Adweek's Creative 100: Meet the Multitalented Masters Behind Today's Most Innovative Work" . Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  27. ↑ "Meet the Nominees: Commercials - 72nd Annual DGA Awards". www.dga.org. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  28. ↑ Levine, Nick (1 November 2007). "In full: MTV Europe Music Awards winners". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  29. ↑ Knight, David (29 September 2008). "UK Music Video Awards 2008 – the Best Video nominations in full". promonews.tv. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  30. ↑ "52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards | 2009". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  31. ↑ "Directing 101: The 2009 Directors Special Report" . Retrieved 20 April 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.