Vincent Peone is an Emmy-award winning commercial director, with a catalogue of fun, comedic, vibrant pieces of film. Here at the Gate, we absolutely love working with Vince, watching him bring huge set pieces to life with his unique eye and vision. On our most recent project with him, we grabbed him for some quick-fire questions...
TGF: How do American and British shoots compare? How do you adapt the American way of shooting to British productions?
VP: The principles are generally the same, you know, good is good. People want good, people want to be swept away by whatever they’re watching. I do comedy specifically, so that experience isn’t too different, from the UK to USA, other than some nuances of the comedic sensibilities. What I think the current brand we’re working with has done so well is create a universally appealing/ interesting experience for people, that welcomes you in, it’s an invitation. So to that end, I feel welcomed by all the people I work with, I feel welcomed by the brand, I’m just trying to translate that into a universally welcoming message, with comedy as a vessel.
TGF: Your current project features several big-name ambassadors and elaborate set pieces like a blimp cockpit, how would you describe your role as director in bringing a project of this scale together?
VP: It’s kind of like a captain of a pirate ship, you know, we’re using all kinds of fun, different X factors that kind of, all have to play really nicely together. That’s a combination of the amazing people on the talent acquisition side, the people who are crafting and developing and designing all of these assets which are a fun, kind of colourful representation of the brand. So, you know, not so much like a pirate, I’m kind of a maestro to an orchestra where you’ve got different instruments that are playing harmoniously together. My job is to interpret these things and to create continuity amongst all of them.
TGF: A few of your recent project's feature big dance numbers - how do you approach that in unison with the choreographer to bring your vision to life through the choreography?
VP: Through partnership. Johnny White (choreographer) is such an amazing talent, he adds so much, creatively, I love working with choreographers like him. I feel like his contribution is so direct, it’s so directly imprinted into the fabric, the DNA, of what we’re making, that relationship is really sacred to me. We’re working in lock step, pun intended (laughs) to create this visual spectacle.
TGF: As an outsider to the UK, you've done productions with us in London and Manchester - do you have a preference? How do they compare?
VP: (Laughs) different flavours, different flavours. Manchester has amazing crews, is a little bit more niche, but in a good way. A little bit like the way that you experience a city in the United States, like Austin, Texas versus LA or New York, I feel like they both have their strengths, of course. I feel like we’re able to move very quickly in Manchester, accomplish big, visually arresting spectacular things, tableaus, wide shots with epic dance performances - we’ve done it in both places. London is unmatched, we know this, as a superhub; you might have a more robust pool of crew, talent, you know, actors.
TGF: As a fellow cinephile, I understand this is a tough question, so I've given it a bit of specificity to help your answer: it’s a rainy Sunday, you're feeling glum - what film do you put on?
VP: No Country For Old Men. I’d even put it on, on a sunny day, I could watch that film any place, any time. I love the Coen Brothers. They’re smart to take on a project like that, they’re so character driven - even from (the Big) Lebowski, plot is character in those scripts. You can’t have those movies without your hero or your villain, that’s what’s so impressive about them is that they created this unbelievable universe of character driven stories.
(We then proceed to gush over Coen brothers for five minutes)
TGF: As mentioned, there are a few big-name ambassadors on this project, ones who have probably worked with a lot of directors previously and then you've also worked with a certain Canadian who's name rhymes with Byan Beynolds - what's your approach to directing performance when it comes to high profile talent?
VP: Listen, all the people that you’re naming bring so much already, and I think my role, as I see it, is to shepherd, to nurture this environment, create an environment that’s conducive to improvisation and give them the tools they need to be fearless. It’s never necessarily a straight line, you can get there in a lot of ways, and every individual has their strengths - the key is to identify those strengths and lean into them versus trying to fit a square peg into a circular hole.
TGF: You're an established commercial director, with a strong showreel of creative, energetic, vibrant pieces of film - what inspired you initially to get into the director's chair?
VP: Well I used to shoot, so I was pretty close to the chair, I had my own chair, a lot smaller (laughs) it was a dolly. But, I found myself really using the language visually to tell the stories that I wanted to and I felt the need to give notes beyond “can you hit your lighting marks?” You know, that sort of led me to create some conceptual type of work that relied heavily on visuals, but also leaned into my strengths as a performer, in a sketch comedy group. That beginning got me into the College Humour space, where I helped them to create the original video department there and it was like comedy boot camp in a way, I was directing and shooting at the same time, which I wouldn’t recommend unless you enjoy getting grey at thirty.
But, we went on and on, I would read a script on the Monday and shoot on the Tuesday, I would be back in the studio shooting on the Wednesday reading the script on my walk over. A lot of ways that trained me to translate all the visual and stylistic/ directing comedic performance approach into one package, that’s was filmmaking is to me; it’s having such a distinct POV, not just on the role you’re hired to come and do, but the entire piece.
The best work feels intrinsically connected, when every department head is hitting their marks, because you’ve taken the time to explain it, and give them the tools that they need to exceed, the outcome is so much greater.
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