The Hughes Brothers—twins Allen and Albert—have directed such features as Menace II Society, Dead Presidents and From Hell. In 2002, the pair directed a trio of Nike ads: "Rucker Park," "Roswell Raygun," and "Funk Ship," produced by Oil Factory Films, Beverly Hills, Calif., and London, via Wieden+Kennedy (W+K), Portland, Ore. The ad world took notice and their spot career flourished.
Last year, the brothers decided to pursue solo spot directing, with Allen remaining at Oil Factory and Albert shifting his representation to @Tate, a division of Tate & Partners, Santa Monica. "It’s really as simple as this," says Allen Hughes of the split. "Once we started doing spots, it was very clear that unlike features, [directing spots] was a one-man gig. Sometimes [Albert] may be more passionate about one spot than I may be, or he might not want to work and I might want to work,"
Allen Hughes recently directed Nike’s "Book of Dimes" through W+K. The hilarious, high-energy ad combines the exhilaration of a church service with the excitement of basketball. It shows a crowd of people—including basketball legends such as Jerry West, George Gervin and Julius Irving—gathered in a gym as comedian Bernie Mac holds forth from a pulpit. As we hear an organ play, the congregation responds to exhortations like, "Can I get a lay-up?" with shouts of affirmation. Mac works the crowd into a frenzy, the choir lets loose, and Cleveland Cavaliers rookie sensation LeBron James makes a dramatic entrance. Then things really get wild as the gospel music soars and a variety of younger ball players display their flashy moves.
"It was like a three-ring circus," says Hughes of "Book of Dimes." "It was really crazy. It was fun, but it was tough because there were a lot of elements." The spot’s principal performers had conflicting schedules, so they were on the set at different times. "We had to make it look as if everybody was there at the same time when they actually weren’t," says Hughes. "That was the tough part of shooting that spot."
According to Hughes, various movies were referenced in pre-production discussions. "I locked in on The Blues Brothers scene where John Belushi gets possessed and James Brown is a minister," he says. "We used that as an inspiration for the spot and just went bananas with it."
Hughes enjoyed getting another chance to collaborate with W+K creative director Jimmy Smith and funkmeister Bootsy Collins, who composed the "Book of Dimes" soundtrack. (Hughes had worked with Collins on his previous Nike package.) Hughes likes the clear line of communication that exists between director, client and agency on Nike shoots. "We all just sit there and we have it out at the monitor," he notes. "There are no middlemen."
Video stars
While still teenagers, the Hughes Brothers directed music videos for artists such as Tupac Shakur, Too Short and KRS-1. They went on to helm their debut feature Menace II Society, and shortly after that, the brothers worked on a Reebok spot starring Shaquille O’Neal. The project didn’t go smoothly. "It gave us a bad taste in our mouths," says Hughes. "We stayed away from commercials for a while."
About two years ago, Hughes says the duo decided they wanted to start working on more projects during downtime between features. It was time to give directing spots another shot. "I actively went out and pursued [work], trying to get into the commercial world," explains Hughes. "Jimmy Smith was nice enough to award [a] job to us. After those spots, it just never stopped. We get a lot of offers now, which is incredible."
Hughes’ most recent job was serving as co-executive producer, along with his brother, on the USA Network series Touching Evil, which is based on a British television show of the same name. Touching Evil features a cop who survives a gunshot to the head and—a bit altered—returns to work as part of an investigative unit that goes after serial killers. Hughes directed the show’s pilot, which debuted March 12.
Do the brothers plan to continue to team up for features? "If we’re passionate about one movie, we’re both going to do it," says Hughes, adding that he and his brother don’t want to hinder each other’s individual interests; if only one of them is excited about a project, that brother will work solo. "But as far as things we’re into together, we’re still the Hughes Brothers and we’re still directing together."
Hughes counts the work of directors like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Brian DePalma—"the usual suspects for film students"—among his early influences. But now he says the sources of his inspiration are various. "Now it’s everything," he says. "I walk down the street and I’ll make a mental note. Anything that’s strange or absurd or different or interesting—that’s what I’m influenced by."
After a beat, Hughes—who often deals with crime as a subject—shares another influence. "Most of all, I’m just a big forensics show nut," he admits. "My favorite show on TV is the documentary show Cold Case Files on A&E. I’m most influenced by the energy and the vibe of that show, and other shows like that."
