How Andy Lambert Is Diving Head-First Into AI Filmmaking

After directing documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4, as well as two award-winning short comedy films, one for the BFI and one for Film London, Andy Lambert broke into advertising, carving a name for himself as a director of stylish, witty commercials often with big, cinematic production values.

Known for humorous storytelling ads, he has helmed scores of lovingly-crafted commercials for top brands such as Wall's, Mastercard, Carlsberg, Nike, Guinness, The National Lottery, Three, Honda and many many others, working with agencies around the globe.

Andy is also the creator of the award-winning ’The MUTE Series’, in which each film is made according to a set of three strict rules: no dialogue, no camera movement, only one shot. This deadpan series was described by Tubefilter as “A compelling experiment in minimalism… Funny, thoughtful, and surprisingly twisty, The MUTE Series represents the spirit of digital content.“

Recently, Andy has been embracing the new world of AI filmmaking and has made several AI films and commercials that merge craft, humour, and cinematic style.

Andy sat down with LBB to discuss the magic of AI, how it is expanding the modern filmmakers toolbox and opening doors to those from different backgrounds.

Name: Andy Lambert

Location: London

Repped by/in: Dark Energy (UK)

Awards: The Sun ’Office Knockabout’: Gold Laureate at the SPORTEL Awards for the best piece of sports advertising in any medium in 2018, Bronze Shark at KINSALE 2018 for Best International Film

LBB> What are some upcoming projects that you're excited about? Tell us a bit about them?

Andy> Right now I’m diving head-first into AI filmmaking. I’ve just made a spec spot about a misshapen carrot called Wonky – he’s photorealistic, but essentially animated. I’ve never really worked in animation before, so it’s been oddly liberating.

But that’s the magic of AI – it lets you tell stories in styles you’d never normally be trusted with. I’m already starting the next one, because once you’ve brought a sentient carrot to life, it’s hard to stop!

LBB> What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director? Any trends or changes that open new opportunities?

Andy> Right now it has to be AI. I’m genuinely enjoying the sense of pioneering buzz around it – everyone is experimenting with models, workflows, hybrid methods… It feels like when VFX first came in, or even when sound arrived in the cinema in the 20s. The rulebook is still being made up.

What excites me most is the idea that we suddenly have a ’little box’ we can use to make a film out of thin air. For a filmmaker, that’s an amazing wish-fulfilment. There’s now almost nothing stopping you from realising that idea in your head, no matter how strange, ambitious or technically demanding it is.

Traditional filmmaking won't go away, but I think AI will quietly seep into most productions in one form or another. And for the projects that are mostly, or entirely, AI, I actually hope it re-energises the art storytelling in ads. If big ideas stop being ’too expensive’, and clients can see a world in pre-viz before anyone panics, then it frees us to focus on what makes a film engaging: narrative, characters, comedic timing.

And controversially, I think comedy is one of the places AI can thrive. Of course, some jokes require the comic genius of a living, breathing human actor. But a lot of commercial humour is visual or structural: something surreal happening in the middle of an otherwise normal day, accompanied by deadpan reactions, neutral delivery. AI can absolutely do that. The comedy lives in the juxtaposition, the framing, the rhythm – and that’s why a director is still essential.

You still need to know where to put the camera, how to time a joke, etc.. If anything, AI might expand the playground for comedic storytelling rather than shrink it.

LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?

Andy> For me, the quality of the idea is everything – which I know everyone says. It’s amazing how often a script ends up with not one idea but two or three competing ones, usually thanks to overlapping client demands. I’m always drawn to scripts that are driven by one simple, insightful concept, ideally with a bit of humour baked in. And if the humour isn’t there, I will absolutely try to smuggle some in.

As a director, I love scripts that are short and not over-written. The ones that don’t tell you exactly how the camera should move or what the actor should be thinking on line three.

Years ago I was sent a script for E.ON that basically said: ’A big wind hits a seaside town. Chaos ensues.’ That was the whole script. And honestly, that kind of pithy brief is a dream.

It’s like the agency saying, ’go on then, surprise us’.

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Andy> If it’s an AI-driven spot, my treatment leans heavily on AI imagery. I almost treat those early images like proto–shot references or pre-viz, that gives everyone a sense of the world we’re building. Even for treatments for live-action jobs, models like Nano Banana Pro are so freakishly realistic that they’ve become invaluable for pitching.

That said, I still love pulling from existing films, photography and art. I used to have a rule of never referencing other ads in treatments, but, like everyone else, I’ve eventually caved. I do slightly worry about the circularity of ads referencing ads referencing ads, because there’s so much great inspiration to be found elsewhere.

I often do all my own image research because the act of searching sparks new ideas – you stumble across things you’d never have thought to ask for.

But the core of any treatment is back to understanding the idea, knowing exactly how you want to execute it, and keeping it lean. No endless waffle or pages of ’mood images’. God is in the detail – especially in treatments. Coming up with precise details and visual gags that are striking, unexpected or playful and that bolster the idea, is what can turn a good ad into a great ad.

LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?

Andy> These days it’s incredibly easy to get up to speed on a brand. I’ll usually start by finding an interview with the marketing director – there’s always one somewhere. Whatever they’ve said publicly, they’ve probably also said to the agency, so it gives you a really useful sense of the brief’s DNA even before the first call.

I actually think directors should understand strategy almost as much as creatives do. Just as marketing and account people sometimes discover their inner-Scorsese on set and offer up directing suggestions, it only seems fair that we return the favour. And honestly, it helps. If you know the brand’s core strategy, you can spot when something doesn’t quite align – and sometimes you can even use the client’s own words to gently steer things back on track during a shoot.

LBB> For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

Andy> It’s hard to single out one relationship because making an ad is such a collaborative thing. But if I had to choose, I’d say the most important relationship is with whoever helps you protect the idea. Sometimes that’s the creatives. Sometimes it’s the producer. Sometimes, surprisingly, it’s the client.

Directors don’t spend much time with clients outside the PPM and the shoot, but I actually like trying to build trust with them when I can, especially on foreign shoots where you all end up bonding over hotel breakfasts. In the old days, directors were kept away from clients completely, but now I think direct interaction helps everyone relax and align around the same goal.

A strong relationship with the creative team is obviously essential and when that works well and there’s genuine mutual respect, the whole process is great.

One's relationship with the production company producer is also incredibly important, but this dynamic has changed slightly as directors are becoming freelance and non-exclusive. Not so many directors have their ’own’ producer these days, so that super-close relationship where your careers are tied together has faded somewhat.

And, of course, there’s the crew and actors, who actually bring the film to life. That’s why I try to work with the same people whenever I can. Shared trust makes everything faster, better and more enjoyable.

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?

Andy> I’m most passionate about storytelling ads, especially the ones told with wit, humour or a bit of irony. At film school, I read about Alexandr Medvedkin, a Soviet silent-era director who supposedly burst into tears the first time he spliced two shots together and realised they made ’beautiful and eloquent sense’. I still feel like that today in an edit suite when the shots click and the story suddenly comes together!

I’ve also been lucky enough to make a few ’movie pastiche’ commercials, which are enormous fun. There’s something delightful about leaning into genre tropes and giving them a playful twist. And I’ve helmed a few dance-driven musical ads too – I love working with choreographers and working out dance moves that are not just abstract, but have some meaning.

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

Andy> The misconception I bump into most is that I can only direct what’s already on my reel. It’s a perfectly understandable industry habit, but it does mean I sometimes don’t get considered for scripts where I feel I could actually bring something great to the table.

For example, if an agency wants a very serious, sincere, documentary-style piece, I’d happily admit I’m probably not the right guy. But it’s the sincerity part that should rule me out, not the documentary part. I actually used to make documentaries, but because none of that work is on my reel, people assume I don’t fit for those kind of briefs.

The same thing happens with dialogue. A lot of the comedy work on my reel happens to be dialogue-free – more by chance than design – so people assume I don’t direct dialogue. But I’ve made two dialogue-heavy short films. For me, the more important question is whether the director’s tone and sensibility match the script, not whether there’s an identical example already in the portfolio.

So the misconception is basically that I only do what’s on my reel… when in reality, I bring not just craft, but tone. And tone travels across genres.

LBB> Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been?

Andy> In my experience, the cost controller is usually able to save the exact amount of money that it costs to have a cost controller ;-)

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Andy> I shot a spot where a stuntman had to fall, seemingly through a glass skylight, into a big bar room. We had hundreds of shards of sugar glass – not lethal, but still sharp enough to cut skin – so our stunt guy had to wear a full wetsuit under an evening suit to protect himself.

We then put him, plus all the glass, in a small box rigged to the ceiling with a trap door.

Because it was meant to look like sunlight pouring through the skylight, we had an absurd number of lights blazing away up there inches from the box. So he was basically face-down in an upside-down ’coffin’, bolted to the ceiling, slowly roasting in his wet suit. It took six hours to get two takes, and I genuinely think one more take and he would have died of heatstroke.

And then – on my very next job – the art department casually arrived with something called ’rubber glass’, which is 100% safe and just bounces like a rubber ball. It would have been perfect for the stunt on the previous shoot. But none of us knew it existed! I hope no-one ever mentioned it to the stuntman.

LBB> How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?

Andy> I genuinely love the collaborative nature of filmmaking, and I’m open to good ideas from anyone – the creative director, the client... or even the runner. But part of my job is to protect the artistic integrity of the film.

On a commercial shoot, notes fly in from every angle, and occasionally someone will introduce a whole new brand strategy halfway through the afternoon.

In those moments, I find it best to go back to basics: what is the core idea we’re trying to express? If a suggestion doesn’t support that, it’s very easy to politely steer things back on track using the film’s own internal logic. Diplomacy and patience are essential, of course, but ultimately the film needs to make sense and do its job.

And in the end, part of the director's job is to deliver the version of the film the client didn’t realise they wanted until they see it in the edit – and that means knowing which comments to embrace, and which to let float gently past you.

LBB> What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?

Andy> I think opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent is essential. Actually, advertising has historically been better at this than people realise. Back in the 70s and 80s, working-class directors like Alan Parker and Paul Weiland probably wouldn’t have got near the BBC, but commercials gave them a platform. Advertising became this unexpected gateway for movie directors who didn’t fit the traditional mould, and I think we should absolutely build on that legacy.

What’s fascinating now is how AI is creating new pathways. Some AI artists – Afro Futcha is a great example – are making cinematic AI films without having any filmmaking background at all. That’s incredibly exciting. AI tools could genuinely broaden who gets to play in this space, because the barrier to entry is so much lower.

I’m always open to mentoring and having people shadow on set. If someone has a curiosity and even a vision, I don’t care what background they come from – those are the people you want around you. And with AI lowering technical hurdles, I hope we’ll see an even more diverse wave of talent coming through.

LBB> Your work is now presented in so many different formats - to what extent do you keep each in mind while you're working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)?

Andy> It’s definitely not ideal, if I’m honest. One format inevitably becomes the hero, usually 16:9 – and everything else (1:1, 9:16, etc.) gets carved out of that. Which naturally leads to compromises; there’s no magical way to frame a shot that works perfectly in every orientation.

I’m also not totally convinced TV ads repurposed for social media are particularly effective. Anything that looks too glossy or ‘commercial’ tends to feel slightly out of place on TikTok or Instagram. I think social works best when it feels native – shot on a phone, less polished, more immediate. Ideally, the social campaign should have its own approach rather than being a trimmed-down cousin of the hero film.

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?

Andy> I think I’ve already revealed my enthusiasm for AI. I see its rise as both inevitable and potentially liberating for directors. What excites me is how quickly the tools are evolving. I’m also interested in how these technologies can support live-action rather than replace it – things like AI-assisted pre-viz, world-building, or hybrid workflows that let you experiment far beyond what a normal schedule or budget would allow. For me, future-facing tech isn’t about abandoning filmmaking as we know it; it’s about expanding the toolbox.

So yes, AI is my main obsession at the moment, but really it’s part of a bigger curiosity about anything that lets us tell stories more efficiently and with less constraints.

LBB> Which pieces of your work do you feel show what you do best – and why?

Andy> Wall’s Ice Cream – ‘We All Speak Ice Cream’

A big, cinematic movie-pastiche with silly humour. I love this one because it combines scale and comedy in perfect harmony – high production values used in service of a charmingly fun idea, which is my favourite kind of combination.

Pink Lady Apples – ‘Find Your Fizz’

A more intimate, everyday bit of storytelling – playful, comic and small-scale in the best way. This is the kind of ad where performance, character and tone do all the work.

Oddbox – ‘Wonky’ (AI Spec)

My latest foray into AI filmmaking. ‘Wonky’ is a photoreal, misshapen carrot looking for hope and redemption in a world that shuns the imperfect.