🎙 🎬 Dive into the captivating world of director Niels Thomsen, whose breathtaking tabletop work will leave you spellbound! 🌟https://www.niels-thomsen.com/Niels traced his path from early beginnings and discussed the essentials of being a modern commercial director today. 🎥Find Niels on IG: @nilex_hhGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet executive producer and now head of production, Benjamin Horstkotte 🎬, who for many years and until very recently worked at the legendary tabletop studio, The Marmalade 🍯, where he produced some of the world’s most stunning food 🍲 and cosmetic 💄 commercials.  Today Ben is head of production at Hafengold Film.https://www.hafengoldfilm.de/#teamWe talked about how essential it is to test your shots 📸 before a project and the dangers of going into a shoot 🎥 not being well prepared ⚠️.Get in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙️ Meet Kosma Tyszkiewicz, a producer with a unique upbringing. 🍴Raised by an award-winning, food-loving dad 🏆 and surrounded by creative gear 📸, she's developed a keen instinct for food and tabletop projects.We talked about the thrill of seeing the world in frames per second 🎞️ and the special set of skills 🛠️ a tabletop producer needs to bring to the table.Get in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet Marcus Scigliano,  a New York based 1st AD who's worked in the industry for over two decades having assisted on all types of commercial shoots you can imagine.http://marcus-scigliano.comMarcus finally explains what an assistant director really does and how his particular style of running a film set is based on love for the craft and respect to every single person involved in bringing a commercial to life. 🎥 🎬Find Marcus on IG: @the_set_whispererGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet  the super-talented director, Catherine Millais, who’s beautiful table top work has featured some of the biggest brands on the planet. https://catherinemillais.com/Catherine shared her journey from the early beginnings, navigating the geeky boys' world, to stamping her unique mark on tabletop directing. 🎥 🎬Find Catherine on IG: @cleesmillaisGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙Meet the Head of Special Effects, Rigging and Food Stunts at The Garage. Matt Huber has created some of the coolest gizmos and contraptions to make food and beverages break the laws of physics in super slow motion!https://www.the-garage.tv/directors/steve-giralt/btsWe talked about some memorable rigs he has built, his approach as a “Mechanical Solutions Specialist” and his passion of solving these complex visual puzzles in the most elegant ways.Find Matt on IG: @rigging.departmentGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙Meet director Niels La Croix, who’s created some of the most breathtaking food and tabletop commercials in recent years. https://www.nielslacroix.com/We got into a visceral discussion about the creative battles 🥊 directors face on every project, and the common obstacles involved in making complex and innovative imagery come to life.Find Niels on IG: @nielslacroix_directorGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙Meet hand model Kateryna Pavlovska 🌟.https://hiredhandsmodels.com/female-hands/katerynaWe explored the art of hand modeling, and how it’s all about posing your fingers 🫳 in ways that feel completely unnatural but look fantastic on screen, a talent that takes years to perfect and is essential for any food and table top commercial. 🍇 🎥Find Kateryna on IG: @handmodelukGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙Meet animation guru Sebastian Ungrad a.k.a "The Butcher's Brain" 🧠 whose innovative spirit has lead him to fully embrace AI generated video like few other artists.https://www.youtube.com/@TheButchersBrain/In our insightful conversation, the Butcher shared a detailed overview of his intricate AI workflow and gave his prediction on how soon food commercials could be completely taken over by this technology. 🤖🍔Find Sebastian on IG: @thebutchersbrainGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎹🎻 Meet music composer Roman Fleischer, who ingeniously harnesses innovative technology, software, and crazy instruments to break free from creative constraints when creating music for commercials, 🎬 movies and 📺 TV-shows.https://www.romanfleischer.com/In our insightful conversation, Roman shares how he uses these technological advancements not to replace creativity, but as a means to liberate himself from limitations imposed by traditional tools and instruments, allowing his artistic abilities to flourish boundlessly. 🚀🎸Find Roman on IG: @romanfleischercomposerGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🦾 🎥  Meet Motion Control Supervisor Dan Gottesman, a tech enthusiast whose innovative spirit places him at the forefront of cutting-edge advancements in motion control cinematography. https://thegaragemotioncontrol.com/We talked about the newest tech that MoCo has to offer and how recently Dan has been merging the precision of robots with state-of-the-art virtual production workflows. 🤖✨Find Dan on IG: @dangottesmanGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎥 Meet cinematographer Chloe Weaver, whose meticulous eye has played a pivotal role in crafting the distinct look and feel of Netflix's 'Chef's Table' 🍽️.http://www.chloeweaver.com🧂 We'll explore how that Chef's Table style was created and why Chloe has been the perfect choice to capture some of the most amazing food-centric narratives on screen today, including 2022's 'The Menu' and the amazing hit-show 'The Bear'.Find Chloe on IG: @chlotownGet in touch:@directedbyxander

Meet Gilda Zevallos, Senior Strategic Creative & DEIB Production Lead at Nestlé USA. 🎬 Ever wondered what's cooking on the client's side? Gilda has overviewed countless table-top productions, giving us an exclusive taste of the brand's perspective! 🍔👀 Join us as we chat about the secret sauce she looks for in commercials, the impact of AI and the benefits of cultivating a Diverse & Inclusive environment in front and behind the cameras! 🤖🌈Get in touch:@directedbyxander

Meet the legandary Ernst Kalff!🎙Hop in our time machine to the groovy '70s, where tabletop magic was just starting, food dummies were a complete novelty, high-speed cameras were only used by scientists, and Star Wars started a food photography revolution! 🌠🪐🍔🎨More about Ernst: https://www.rapideyemovement.de/Get in touch:@directedbyxander

Meet the king of meat 🥩🍖  Jürgen Zimmerstädt🎙From the bustling kitchens of London to crafting edible masterpieces in Germany, he traded his chef's hat for the title of food styling Picasso. For over a decade, he's been the culinary virtuoso behind McDonald's Germany, turning fast food into irresistible eye candy. 🍔🎨Jürgen's IG: @jzfooooodGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet Agnes Celej and Jakub Laskus, the brilliant minds behind “Director'y“.www.directorroster.com🎥🍳Discover what it takes to create the definitive online catalog featuring the 🌍 world's top food & tabletop 🍔 experts and their mouthwatering  creations! 🎬📚Director'y is the world's pioneering hub for the food and tabletop community, a platform curated by industry experts to inspire, connect, and empower professionals in the field, fostering dialogue, innovation, and creativity.Find the Director'y on IG @tabletop_directoryGet in touch:@directedbyxander

Meet Olaf van Gerwen, Director, DP & culinary visionary!In a world where brands risk drowning in a sea of sameness, discover how culinary identities are becoming the ultimate secret weapon to make brands truly stand out.Find @olafvangerwen_fooddirector on IG.Olaf's Article on FMCGCEO:https://www.fmcgceo.co.uk/the-biggest-hack-in-food-marketing/Get in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet the extraordinary Joris Noordenbos - one of the most innovative Tabletop Director's in the industry right now. 🍔🎥http://noordenbos.net🙌 Joris shares invaluable insights into a tabletop director's main responsibilities on and off the set, from handling time and budget constraints to fostering a creative environment for his team. 🎬Find Joris IG here @jorisnoordenbosGet in touch:@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet storyboard artist Mat Płóciennik, the Picasso of yummy storyboards 🎨, as he dishes out how he and his team became the absolute masters of previsualizing food commercials. 🎥🍔www.wolnograf.com Get an inside scoop on the significant role of storyboards in pre-shoot planning, and how they help clients get onboard with the director's vision. If you're hungry for behind-the-scenes knowledge of food commercials, this episode is a feast for your ears! 🍿🎬🍽️find Mat on IG @wolnograf_film_illustrationGet in touch:@directedbyxander

Meet Steve Giralt, Director, DP & Visual Engineer extraordinaire!🤯 Ever wondered how magic is woven into our screens? Steve is here to spill the beans! 🌟 He's not your ordinary Director and DP – he's a wizard who blends the art of traditional cinematography with the spellbinding power of cutting-edge tech, including robotics and the Unreal Engine. 🧙‍♂️✨Don't miss this episode if you're a tech enthusiast, film buff or simply a lover of all things innovative! Find @stevegiralt  and @the_garage.tv on IG.Get in touch:@directedbyxander