Beauty Commercial Reel – London Director

Here is my 60 second beauty reel, featuring brands I have directed commercials for: Olay, Dove, Kérastase, Revlon, Simple and Dyson, covering skincare, cosmetics and hair.

We open with a Dove film

The silhouettes are real women we cast without ever having seen them. A truly blind casting, and it won a D&AD. Nobody involved had seen them before the cameras were rolling. The lights went up and everyone’s reaction was real.

The Simple macros were shot in camera

For the Simple films we made a few macro sequences: a water drop falling from a petal, ingredients passing through the skin barrier. None of it is CG. I worked with a specialist motion control team. I directed the shots, they handled the motion and the fluids.

How I light beauty

I began as a photographer. I come at beauty through light. Skin is the whole job. If it is lit wrong, nothing in the grade saves it. I arrive with a plan for what the light is doing and why.

Working with real people

I love working with real people. I have done since my earliest days as a reportage photographer.

You can download this reel from Vimeo if having the file is easier than sending a link.
Take a minute take a look at the full-length commercials on my portfolio page. Here is a list of clients.

I am based in London but direct internationally. If you want to get in touch about a project or just say ‘hi’, drop me a line. studio@samfaulkner.co.uk