How The Deka Brothers Learnt The Language of Film

It’s not every day that your directors are grabbing the camera to capture the perfect shot, or creating never-before-seen special effects that take your video to the next level, and then you meet the Deka Brothers.

Coming from an independent and music video background, Ben and Julien Deka bring this nitty gritty effort to every project they touch. They thrive off finding the impossible and discovering new ways to make it happen, impressing clients and viewers alike. For them no, is simply never the answer.

Among others, their accolades most recently include two 2021 Webby Nominations for their work with Cranbrook as well as receiving the 2012 MTV Music Video Award for Best Visual Effects for their work on Skrillex’s ‘First of the Year (Equinox)’.

Ben and Julien sat down with LBB to chat about keeping their work both cinematic and distinctive with smaller budgets and evolving formats as well as their proudest work.

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

Julien> Honestly, right now the projects we’re most excited about are in the narrative space, but those that are still under wraps.

On the commercial side, what keeps it exciting for us is less about one specific campaign and more about the flow of projects we get to touch: working with automotive brands, tech, and lifestyle clients keeps us on our toes and constantly reinventing the toolbox. Each job comes with its own creative challenge, which is what makes this work so addictive.

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

Julien> Agencies are asking for more with less money, and it’s now constant that the spots have to work in every format: vertical, horizontal, square. The downside is that it can flatten the creative visually, because you can’t push a strong artistic direction. For us, the challenge is to find ways to keep the work cinematic and distinctive, even within those constraints.

Ben> AI is revolutionising our industry. Of course, it comes with its share of baggage and controversy, but as ethical frameworks continue to take shape, we’ll be able to integrate AI more seamlessly into our workflows. It’s another exciting tool at a director’s disposal – one that allows us to bring previously unattainable ideas to life.

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

Julien> We really appreciate when the agency creatives are able to come up with a script that has a real narrative element or tries to be original, instead of just putting the product front and centre and slapping some b-rolls on top of it. We love when there’s artistry and engagement for the viewer. And if the concept pushes us toward bold visuals and an elevated cinematic style, that’s when we get really fired up.

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

Julien> It usually starts with a brainstorm, tossing around high-level ideas while sketching out an outline of the treatment.

From there it’s about diving deep into each page, each topic that needs to be covered. I tend to focus on the writing while Ben sources images and handles the final layout in InDesign. And our producer Scott is often very hands-on too; he’ll polish everything with us before it goes to the agency.

Ben> For projects that lean into a cinéma vérité or elevated docu-style, we’ll pull real images or even GIFs from the internet. But when the work is more narrative, we’re increasingly using generative AI to really nail the look and blocking of our visuals. It’s almost like building a photorealistic storyboard using gen AI.

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?

Julien> We treat every commercial like a brand-new project. Even if it’s a brand we’ve worked with before, we can’t take that familiarity for granted. So the process ends up being the same whether it’s our first time or our fifth. It always goes back to the creative. That’s the anchor we build from.

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

Julien> It’s tempting to say the most important relationship is with the creatives at the agency; and when you click with them, it’s magic.

But at the end of the day, the key relationship is with the line producer. They’re the bridge: on one side they’re in constant dialogue with the agency producer, and on the other they’re grounded in the realities of budget, schedule, and crew.

We bring the vision, but it’s the line producer who helps us understand what’s possible, giving us the green light or challenging us to adapt so the idea fits the production. You want them to champion your vision, but you also need them to keep you grounded in reality. That balancing act is essential.

And personally, I love when the EP doubles as a line producer, because they’ve got more skin in the game: they want the work to look good, knowing it will ripple forward and bring more opportunities through their door.

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?

Ben> Our passion lies in narrative and fiction. That’s where Julien and I feel most at home as directors, drawing from our extensive experience as indie filmmakers. We love projects that allow for a fully immersive vision – where every department contributes its own layer to the storytelling, whether through wardrobe, set design, props, editing, or sound. We truly enjoy diving deep into those creative details and exploring how each element can help build a strong, cohesive vision.

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

Ben> Back when we were transitioning from music videos to commercials, our reel was heavy on metal videos. They were polished, cinematic, and well-crafted, but the tone was dark, and a lot of decision makers couldn’t quite picture how that style would translate into the commercial world. But now that we’ve established ourselves and built a broad portfolio, it’s no longer an issue.

Julien> These days the only misconception we occasionally run into is that our treatments can seem too ambitious, almost too good to be true. In a few cases it’s even scared off agencies or clients. But the truth is, we never put anything in a treatment that we’re not 100% confident we can execute.

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

Ben> Recently, we were asked to shoot a summer spot in the middle of winter – with three inches of snow on the ground and temperatures around 0°F. Our solution was to completely restyle the footage in post so it would feel like a warm, sunny day. During production, we chose to keep all the shots locked off to simplify compositing and avoid the need for heavy tracking later. Once the images were reworked to match a summer look, we brought them back to life by adding a subtle handheld feel in post.

It wasn’t a challenge we could solve on set, but our deep understanding of post-production workflows gave us the confidence to handle it effectively and cost-efficiently. In the end, both the agency and the client were really pleased with the result.

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

Julien> When we were younger, we probably thought in terms of ‘protecting the idea.’ But really, that’s just ego talking. At the end of the day, it’s just a commercial. Our role is to serve the agency and the client. This isn’t like directing a feature or even a music video where you’re fully in charge; in advertising you’re constantly looking over your shoulder for a thumbs-up from the agency before moving to the next set-up. We bring vision and execution, but we’re also just one part of a much larger machine. This is the agency’s project, their idea. We’re here to help bring it to life.

Ben> Of course, some projects are more exciting than others. And if we feel something veered off course in post, we’ll try to make a director’s cut. But even then, it’s never about working against the agency. It’s about showing how we originally imagined it, and often how the agency themselves intended it, too. The truth is, by the time a spot is delivered, so many factors come into play, from legal to sales targets, that it’s nobody’s fault if the final film looks different from the first idea. That’s just the nature of commercials.

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?

Julien> We didn’t really have a mentor coming up in this industry. Back in college we were self-taught, learning how to use a camera, edit in NLE software, dive into After Effects. It was a very hands-on learning curve.

And once we got fluent in the film language, we realised there was a whole other world to figure out: networking, producing, agents, managers, sales reps… the entrepreneurial side of the business. It took us years, even decades, to get to where we are. Looking back, we would have loved to have a mentor; someone to guide us, to point out their own mistakes so we didn’t have to repeat them. So yes, we’re absolutely open to mentoring the next generation.

Ben> In fact, when we first came to the U.S., we were artists-in-residence at Oakland University in Michigan, where we helped develop their cinema studies programme by leading a series of hands-on workshops for students.

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)?

Ben> When it comes to shooting a spot, time is obviously a key factor. This can influence how we approach the various formats required for a project. Sometimes, the schedule allows for a tailored approach to each format - which is ideal - but often, the primary aspect ratio takes precedence over the secondary ones. Rather than settling for a ‘middle-of-the-road’ solution, we prefer to lean into the main format, where we know the spot will truly shine.

With the advances in generative AI, we can now extend or rework the framing of certain shots in post to better fit additional formats – provided that this is properly planned during prep – making it less of a constraint on set.

We do our best to adjust the shot list for those extra formats, keeping both time and quality in mind as we make decisions.

LBB> What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work?

Julien> We are nerds by nature, and early on, we spent countless hours geeking out on camera specs, following the next release of Adobe's software, trying out every new feature. Technology has always been a huge driver for cinema at large, and the innovation of the tools we use has always changed the industry over time, changed the scope of what was possible to actually capture on film or to generate from a computer.

With maturity and experience, I find myself going back to the core of the cinematic experience, i.e. the vision, the story, the characters. And that's mostly due to the fact that we're now working on high-level productions, and we are surrounded by top-notch DPs, DITs, so we really have the support of a knowledgeable crew.

But that being said, we're always excited with the new tools and gadgets, and that's one of our favourite topics of conversations with our director of photography.

Ben> As discussed earlier, AI is transforming many aspects of what used to be done traditionally – and personally, I’m eager to embrace it. AI alone won’t make a project successful; as Julien mentioned, vision, story, and character remain the foundation of any great piece. What AI does offer is efficiency – it can handle time-consuming, technical tasks that once took half a day and now can be completed in fifteen minutes.

That’s what excites me most: it gives us more time to focus on the creative side of things and helps maintain the flow of inspiration without interruption. It’s another powerful tool that filmmakers can take advantage of.

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

Ben> I really enjoyed what we did for Cranbrook Academy of Art. I love the natural yet stylised approach of the piece – from the cinematography to the edit and overall tone. It was a great collaborative effort where Julien and I were able to draw the best out of our team. I’m particularly fond of the music and how it added emotional depth and inspiration to the final cut.

Another project I’m proud of is Ford: The Castle. We were able to shape the look of the piece as we pitched it to the agency, and when comparing the initial boards to the finished film, we managed to stay true to our original vision – which isn’t always easy in commercial work. The spot carries a moody, cinematic atmosphere that really reflects our sensibilities as directors, rooted in our early days of music videos and indie filmmaking.

Julien> Another piece I’d highlight is GM: First Responder. It wasn’t exactly a commercial, more of an appreciation film from GM to honour first responders. We filmed real people in a cinéma vérité style: an actual police officer, firefighter, and EMT. Using a split-screen motif, we drew parallels between their personal lives and their work.

I particularly loved the agency’s copy, which added a poetic layer to the visuals. On a personal note, my in-laws were police officers before they retired, and the film really touched them, which made me proud. Creatively, I also value how cinematic it turned out: we shot anamorphic, embraced an inspirational tone, and for our director’s cut, our composer wrote a beautiful piece of music that really drives the emotion home.