Director Paul Gay, whose filmography spans commercials, shorts and TV drama, has signed with O Positive for commercial representation in the U.S. His production house roost in London remains Waspface which he launched last summer with co-founder/executive producer Tim Nunn.
Gay, who was formerly repped stateside by Hungry Man, has a body of work marked by a cinematic visual aesthetic. He said that style grew from his early training at Ravensbourne Art College and then as an art director at DDB London where his mentors included London’s archetype art director Mark Reddy. Another consistent thread in Gay’s work is strong performance and dialogue. “I gravitate naturally toward people you observe in life,” Gay explains. “I like to capture the feeling that there are people out there who are not models but very compelling to observe. Advertising is full of aspiration, so it’s refreshing to cast ordinary people.”
Among his recent commercials are Winalot’s “What a Lot” via DDB London, with portrait-like vignettes of real pet owners in picturesque locations all across the UK; Superdrug’s “Take Another Look” for HMDG, starring actress Joanna Page of hit BBC series Gavin & Stacey in a playful performance; and an integrated campaign for the British Post Office via Mother London, featuring real people in TV and viral shorts.
Over the years, Gay has directed iconic campaigns that have garnered industry honors at Cannes, D&AD and the AICP Show to note a few highlights, for British Army and Toyota, both via Saatchi & Saatchi London, VW via DDB London, and Arnold Boston, and Delux via AMV BBDO.
Gay counts popular hour-long TV dramas among his credits as well. He directed episodes of the BAFTA-winning, contemporary teen drama Skins. He worked closely with an untried teen cast to elicit convincingly authentic performances about provocative subjects, and lead actors Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man) and Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire). Gay also directed episodes of BBC2 mini-series Desperate Romantics, Peter Bowker’s darkly comedic drama billed as “Entourage with easels.”
Gay considers directing TV shows and commercials complementary. “In commercials you spend a day shooting 30 seconds for a compellingly tight narrative where back story is implied,” he says. “In TV, you work very quickly over a day shooting seven minutes, where the emphasis is more on story arch and characters than tiny details. You become versatile in the finer points and story arch which are valuable to filmmaking in either format.”
Gay has directed the short films Catalina View and Look at Me, I’m Beautiful, both of which enjoyed positive runs on the film festival circuit.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More