Andy Morahan on Finding Creative Freedom as a Freelancer
Few directors have shaped the visual language of music videos and commercials quite like Andy Morahan. From defining the MTV generation with iconic videos for some of the world's biggest artists, to crafting award-winning campaigns for global brands, his career has spanned decades of cultural and creative change.
Now working independently, Andy reflects on what freelancing has given him, how the director's role has evolved, and why experience, curiosity and strong creative relationships still matter more than ever in an industry that's constantly reinventing itself.
LBB> What drew you to your craft?
Andy> I came from a family of filmmakers. My grandfather was a production designer and later a film producer, and my father was a TV, theatre and film director, so I was always drawn to craft of directing.
I studied filmmaking at St Martin’s School of Art, which, being right next door to Soho, was the perfect place to get running jobs out of college at various production companies, and subsequently a great opportunity to start my career -- especially after MTV had just launched in Europe and there was a lot of cheap MV work around for the likes of Vaughn Arnell, Sophie Muller and myself -- as the record companies wanted videos for all their artists, not just the big ones. It was an exciting time and a great learning curve.
LBB> What sorts of projects get you most excited to work on and why?
Andy> I think there are number of different factors. Obviously with my music video background, I have always loved projects that are music driven, and / or where the music is an integral part of the process and equation. On top of that, I have always loved the cinematic approach in terms of visuals, lighting and lensing. And finally, the human condition and emotional connection are key components of any great storytelling. So it’s a combination of all those that get me excited about any project.
LBB> What’s something about your craft that people outside your role tend to misunderstand?
Andy> That it involves a lot of hard work and preparation. You never turn up and just shoot. A lot goes into it.
LBB> Tell us about your favourite project or campaign that you’ve worked on. What was the biggest or most interesting challenge for you and what did you personally bring to it?
Andy> Probably the Guess? Jeans commercial starring Juliette Lewis and Harry Dean Stanton back in the '90s. It was direct to client (which was very unusual in those days) and the producer, Great Guns' Laura Gregory, brought in a fantastic creative team, Paul Shearer and Rob Jacks, who had the original ‘Cheat’ idea -- but we all worked on it collaboratively, tweaked the script, cast it, shot it, found the music etc like it was a short film, and then it was rolled out in cinemas rather than on TV. That just added to the kudos of it being like a mini-movie with a film star cast.
I think the biggest challenge was to convince the client that this was going to be a worthwhile endeavour, and it completely was, as it won nearly every global advertising award going -- plus it elevated the perception of Guess? as being a serious fashion player and a very cool brand too.
I think what I brought to the table was my understanding of the story-led narrative approach that, along with the music, was both evocative and poignant. I had been known for doing some big epic music videos like ‘November Rain’ for Guns ‘n Roses and ‘Father Figure’ for George Michael, so the cinematic approach seemed to fit perfectly with my sensibility and skillset.
LBB> What recent work of yours might we have seen?
Andy> I have just finished a film called ‘MUSIK’ starring Frances Barber, with music by the Pet Shop Boys. It was originally a ‘live scripted one-woman show’ that we filmed at the Wilton Music Hall theatre in London, and then using a combination of virtual production and AI, we created a hybrid film that was launched as an event cinema release in April of this year in over 300 screens in the UK and Ireland. After a further festival run, it will be shown on both terrestrial broadcast TV and streamer channels later this year.
LBB> How would you describe your creative process?
Andy> Very collaborative. I like working with a creative team of people in a very collegiate way, and part of my skillset is filtering out what I think works and what doesn’t. I am not autocratic at all, and have very little time for ego in any shape or form.
LBB> How is your craft changing and how are you navigating those changes?
Andy> It has changed considerably as budgets have both reduced drastically and creative ideas have become less ambitious, so along with the advent of new tools like AI, there are forces at work that are challenging the whole notion of the creative process.
I have been in the middle of evolving and changing technology for years, from analogue to digital, from film to HD and 4K, to non-linear editing systems etc. I could go on… but I have found that one shouldn’t make rash or uninformed decisions until you really know what you’re talking about. So be curious, find out as much as you can about everything to do with the process and how it can enhance what you do, and then if it works for you, embrace it.
LBB> What’s the key to finding your place with a new team or company?
Andy> I like to be totally freelance now as I work across many different formats from music, to advertising, branded content, film, TV and theatre. This gives me the flexibility to work with many different people, teams, companies and projects, and I feel like I now have more freedom to make choices.
For example, I have just completed a fantastic project with Tinderflint (that I can’t disclose at the moment as I am under an NDA, but it will drop in the run up to Christmas and will have a huge impact in the UK, and maybe globally if I’m lucky. Watch this space!)
LBB> What do the best companies do to integrate freelancers well, and what do they often get wrong?
Andy> They make them feel welcome and part of their team. I really enjoy that, and working with new people is always great. I guess the opposite is when you’re made to feel like you’re just passing through, which can be a bit isolating. Nobody wants to be a 'lonely island'. I care a lot about people, and make every effort to integrate myself into their world and get to know them over and above the project. Hopefully that is always reciprocated, but occasionally not.
The funny thing is the more open and collaborative I am, the luckier I seem to be with the people I end up working with. I have built some great relationships and friendships over the years -- through work and the shared experiences we’ve had together -- and those are both precious and inspiring.
LBB> What sorts of teams, cultures and setups do you most enjoy working with and why?
Andy> People who are not only super creative, but highly motivated to do great work and make a meaningful impact.
LBB> How do you find community as a freelancer?
Andy> I think dipping in and out of different ‘communities’ is, more often than not, very rewarding. It keeps you fresh and on your toes. You can never be complacent, and I like the excitement of a new adventure with different people. You always hope to find your 'tribe' on any project, and that’s half the fun of it.
On my recent Tinderflint job, I worked with a production crew I’d never previously known, ranging from the experienced, to middle range, to a 23-year-old old director’s assistant on a super complicated shoot with multiple levels of clients. I was not only fully supported by them, but we were also fully supported by the company owners too. We bonded pretty much immediately and quickly became a tightknit group. Despite some challenging hurdles to navigate, they were all brilliant, and that became my ‘tribe’. When that happens it’s like 'finding gold'. That’s what 'community as a freelancer' feels like.
LBB> Looking at how you got to where you are today, what’s a part of your personal story that doesn't fit on a CV, but is essential to understanding who you are?
Andy> I’m a bit of a ‘culture vulture’ and love all artforms from cinema to theatre to opera, but my favourite thing is going to art galleries, especially to study paintings and how pictures are formed and created. I pretty much learnt everything about framing images and camera lensing for filming from old classics, and from a time where there was no photography. I still find it inspirational today to look back for compositional reference.
LBB> How did the community or environment you grew up in shape your approach to your career?
Andy> I was lucky enough be born into a very creative, arts-based family, where being immersed in that lifestyle and community was just part and parcel of my life. We were never expected to get a 'proper' job.
LBB> What’s your secret talent?
Andy> Cooking. It’s the other heartbeat of my life.
LBB> Who and what are your cultural and creative influences?
Andy> As an extension the question above, my cultural and creative influences have always been global, and I love discovering many artforms not only through travel and ‘personal experience’ but also via the language of food. That is such an influence for me, and always has been.
LBB> What is a (non work-related!) topic that you could give a 30-minute presentation on with zero preparation? Why does this topic appeal so much to you?
Andy> The great cathedrals of the world. I’m not a religious person, but these places of worship were built on a scale that completely dwarfed the populace, and at a time that seemed almost impossible to construct. They were designed to be omnipotent and epic, with huge paintings, frescos and stained glass windows to add even more colour and depth to the incredible stone-masonry work of the churches -- all done to reflect a higher spiritual power that must have been both awe-inspiring and intimidating to the mere mortals that observed and worshiped within them.
They were like pre-Cecil B DeMille film sets before cinema was even invented. So it appeals to me because, in my mind, there is a direct connection between them and the design element of filmmaking that takes similar creative imagination.
