June, 2026.- Daniel Warwick never got into this job for money. He actually does not like what money does to people. His version of a high-quality life is to only do the jobs he is really passionate about. Every job he pitches should ideally feel like a showreel job when they set out. He calls it “respectful hedonism”: making the best out of life within the parameters you are given without harming anyone.
Daniel Warwick, Director at O Positive, is drawn to scripts that are “big and bonkers.” Large scale, large budget, but with a crazy, comedic, wacky, trippy, enticing idea. PlayStation, Samsung, Squarespace, Nike, adidas—those brands do big and bonkers ideas. That is the work he loves. But he is clear: an idea should never be confusing. If it is confusing, both the agency and the director have failed.
In this interview, Warwick discusses shooting Westpac’s “Project Alpha” on 16mm film. The goal was to create a mundane New Zealand bake sale that escalates into a gravity-defying human stacking sculpture. He drew inspiration from photographer Martin Parr’s love for utter realism—comedy in the tragedy. Shooting fully front-lit on 16mm, with harsh sunlight and sweaty skin, gave them a look far away from any AI slop.
He also reflects on Volvo Trucks’ “A Love Story”—two 18-wheelers doing a romantic dance, 90% in-camera, weeks of previs. One thing went wrong: too much wind on the morning they wanted to shoot the trucks approaching the takeoff point. Heavy side wind and two trucks traveling side by side is a dangerous combination. You cannot see that in the final spot.
Warwick learned filmmaking from hundreds of music videos. On a beach shoot with no budget for a crane, they put the camera in a tractor shovel. He stood in the shovel with his DP as it raised them into the air. That is the kind of clever, resourceful filmmaking he carries into every commercial project.
1. “Big and Bonkers” as a Brief: You’re drawn to scripts that are “big and bonkers.” What’s the difference between a big, bonkers idea that works and one that’s just confusing? Where is the line?
Well, I think an idea should never be confusing… The beauty in short format storytelling in commercials is that you can tell a story in such a short amount of time. If it’s just confusing, both the agency and myself have failed. What I mean about ‘big and bonkers’ is that it is large scale wanting to look large and with a large budget, but with a crazy, comedic or wacky, trippy but enticing idea. Playstation, Samsung, Squarespace, Nike, adidas… all those brands do big and bonkers ideas. That’s the type of work I love in ad land.
(Of my own work see ‘Big and Bonkers’ on jobs like Westpac, Kathmandu, Volvo Trucks, Coors Light, adidas, Ford and many more on my reel)
2. The Garfield Principle: A friend called you Garfield because you’ll only do what you like and walk away from what’s not interesting. How do you stay financially viable as a director when you’re turning down work that doesn’t spark your passion?
Everyone is different in their core values, we all know that. And I never got into this job for money, I actually don’t like what money does to people. And even though it is necessary to pay the bills and be paid adequately – a big part of my personal version of a high quality life is to only do the jobs that I am really passionate about. Every job I pitch should ideally feel like a showreel job when we set out. I love the energy with my crew when we all love a job and all give 150% on it.
That way it also has a reverse effect. Jobs that I (and my crew) truly love come out with a better result. I get involved and passionate about them. Then when the result is better the next scripts I get are often better then, too. It’s a form of respectful hedonism – making the best out of your life within the parameters that you are given without harming anyone. Directing ads for brands that you can stand behind morally is quite a great way to exercise that version of a happy life.
3. Westpac’s “Project Alpha” on 16mm: You shot a gravity-defying rescue chopper commercial on 16mm film. In an age of digital perfection, what does 16mm give you that digital can’t, especially for a visual metaphor that’s inherently unreal?
The main task on the Westpac job was to create the most mundane bland setup of a New Zealand bake sale that then surprisingly escalates to that human stacking sculpture. While the sculpture is a great metaphor for showing that everyone who donates is part of the chopper, it felt essential for the story to start extremely bland. Looking at references I quite quickly stumbled onto one of my favourite photographers – the late Martin Parr. His photography that most famously shows the UK in the 80s & 90s has the perfect love for utter realism in all its glamour or bleakness. It has such comedy in the tragedy. I really really love his work.
Now, finding that kind of world in New Zealand led us to scouting community centres in the middle of nowhere. As we looked at our favourite location I got obsessed with the idea to shoot it fully front lit on 16mm. Something you would normally not do in a cinematic approach. But it also reflected the way Martin Parr would often shoot – harsh sunlight and sweaty skin. The light coming from the front combined with the shallow colour range of 16mm gave us the perfect look we were after (props to my cinematographer Ziga Zupancic for his thorough testing) . It looks drastically real, far away from any Ai slop and delivers a distinctive and utterly beautiful look. I’m still so happy we fought for it so much.
4. Volvo Trucks “A Love Story”: You called this the craziest job you’ve ever done: two 18-wheelers doing a romantic dance, 90% in-camera, weeks of previs. What’s one thing that went wrong on that shoot that the final spot hides completely?
It was amazing how smoothly everything went and it only goes to show that precise planning with enough time and trust from your agency and client (who were absolutely outstanding humans on both sides) will get you exactly what you want. (Props to my cinematographer Jan David Günther for the intense pre planning)
One thing that did go wrong is that we had too much wind the morning when we wanted to shoot the trucks approaching the take off point. Heavy side wind vs two trucks travelling side by side – you can imagine what that could result in. That led to a half weather day and we had to shift this scene in the schedule to the end of the shoot after the main shooting days.
But yeah, you can’t really see that in the result.
5. Music Videos as Training Ground: You learned filmmaking from hundreds of music videos. What did the music video format teach you about storytelling that traditional commercial production doesn’t?
Music videos always had crazy experimental ideas that often just gambled on the fact that they would work. The pressure was a lot lower. Sometimes things worked, sometimes they didn’t. That made it such a playground for trying out stuff. Also the budgets were so much tighter that we had to think of really clever ways of shooting things efficiently or using a different type of equipment than desired. Shooting in four different directions from one spot for four different setups was that kind of way to roll. Maximising production value by just being clever. Also, I do remember shooting a music video on a beach once and we couldn’t afford a crane (The days of shooting on 35mm and no drones). But we had a tractor with a front shovel with us to transport equipment. So, we decided to put the camera in the shovel and do the crane move that way. I remember standing in the shovel with my dop and the camera and just fucking loving my job as it raised us into the air.
6. 260 Spotify Playlists: Music is integral to your process, both for scoring and as an ice breaker. How does a single playlist change the tone of a commercial before a single frame is shot? Can a director over-rely on temp music?
Music is the most universal international language you can use. It is a magical way to translate an emotion in any direction you want. So it clearly defines tone on any kind of moving image. We all know that. So, when it comes to thinking about an approach in the pitching process, I’m obsessed with getting the tone right or at least portraying what tone I believe is right.
Then when shooting I love to have a playlist and a team song for every shoot. It gets everyone so aligned in an emotional frequency. Nothing other than music can achieve that so well. That doesn’t need to be the music that will be on the ad in the end. It just needs to match the energy of the crew and the situation or location we are on. Then for the ad we ideally have a song or two that we love for the commercial edit. When you can play the music as you’re shooting, the whole rhythm, acting and camera operating gets influenced by it. I remember on a Ford ad my beloved cinematographer (Ekkehart Pollack) was sitting in the U-crane vehicle with me one Cape Town night and yelling at me: “Give me the tunes, give me the tunes!!” … and YES – “Four Horsemen” by Aphrodite’s Child did influence the way he operated the camera that day. Here’s the result:
The client obviously chose that track, too in the end.
