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It’s not often that we think of commercials as they pertain to authorship. Certainly, the basic function of a commercial is to sell something, so the prospect of aesthetic intent resides outside of our general perception. (Of course, one could easily make the argument that the majority of movies are also out to “sell” something, but that’s a topic for another time.) But commercials and cinema, as moving images, are realized via the exact same mechanisms of narrative, visual design, editing, and sound, so it’s no surprise that some of the world’s best filmmakers have directed commercials—and done so without sacrificing their personal style. Take, for instance, Gus Van Sant’s spot for Miller Genuine Draft, which puts a homoerotic spin on a masculine ritual, or the clip Edgar Wright made for Pizza Hut in 2000, which displays his penchant for zippy sound design and zoom shots and also features a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him cameo from Nick Frost.
- David Lynch’s “Rabbits” David Lynch has directed a number of commercials throughout his career, many of them famous for seemingly having nothing to do with the product at all. (This one for a home pregnancy test is essentially a twisted joke.) “Rabbits,” a 30-second spot made for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console, is a playful subversion of his usual nightmare aesthetic—the other one he made is much more indicative of his style—that nevertheless illustrates the fantastical properties of video games and, to a degree, cinema. It’s one of the rare Lynch works that’s more suggestive than explicit.
Drew Hunt writes film-related top five lists every Sunday
