The Yummy Factor: Behind the Scenes of Food Commercials (Xander Bartole)

Meet table top DP Winnie Heun:

Dive into the fascinating world of food cinematography with Winnie Heun, a seasoned director of photography, as he shares his journey and experiences in the industry. From mastering patience on set to exploring the latest camera and lighting technologies, Winnie reveals the secrets behind making mouthwatering visuals. Discover the importance of having the right crew, the advantages of multiple camera setups, and the latest trends in tabletop photography.

Winnie's IG: @winnieheun

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

Ever wondered how the heck they film those mouthwatering food commercials? 

Whether you're a seasoned pro or simply a food lover, "The Yummy Factor" is your ticket to the behind-the-scenes of the professional world of food and table top! Discover the artistry that will inspire you to create your own visually enticing and irresistible food images. 

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

Meet food stylist extraordinaire Pedro Torres.

Get a behind-the-scenes insights of making mouthwatering masterpieces on screen. Discover the importance of problem-solving, creativity, and adaptability in the fast-paced world of food commercials and photography. Learn about the art of creating a hero burger and the intricate world of food styling. Don't miss this scrumptious episode with a true master of the craft!

Pedro's IG: @pedrott_com

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

Meet Alejandro H. Madrid

Dive into the delicious world of food commercial filmmaking with director of photography, Alejandro H. Madrid. Explore the creative and technical challenges behind mouth-watering food ads, the evolution of the industry, and how technology has revolutionized the craft. From mastering the physics of falling food to discussing a potential startup idea for a breakdown app, this episode is a feast of insights and innovations. Don't miss this tasty treat on The Yummy Factor!

Alejandro's IG: @alehmadrid

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

Join us in the fascinating world of food commercial filming as we sit down with Halie Graham, the powerhouse executive producer behind many mouthwatering food visuals at the New York City-based production company, The Garage.

Halie generously unveils the mesmerizing process of tabletop filmmaking and lets us in on how she balances the creative vision of the director with the needs of the client.

Grab a seat as she discusses the art of striking the perfect balance between saying yes and no, and managing it all without breaking a sweat.

The Garage on IG: @the_garage.tv

Get 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

🎙 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_illustration

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 @jorisnoordenbos

Get 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 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_directory

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: @jzfoooood

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 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 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: @chlotown

Get 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: @dangottesman

Get 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: @romanfleischercomposer

Get 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: @thebutchersbrain

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

🎙Meet hand model Kateryna Pavlovska 🌟.

https://hiredhandsmodels.com/female-hands/kateryna

We 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: @handmodeluk

Get 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_director

Get 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/bts

We 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.department

Get 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: @cleesmillais

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.com

Marcus 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_whisperer

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 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/#team

We 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

🎙 🎬 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_hh

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet New York-based editor Vee Pinot, who has extensive tabletop experience and is an on-set editing ninja. 🥷

https://www.veepinot.com/

We had a delightful conversation about what makes a great editor and the advantage of having the editor on set, editing in real time to the point of being able to safe a whole production. 🎥

Find Vee on IG: @editor_veepinot

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet Eduardo Avila one of Mexicos most well-established commercial Directors, 🌮 and co-founder of FFFRAME, latin-americas first table top and visual engineering studio. 

https://www.ffframe.tv/eduardo-ávila

We had a fun conversation about what's it's like to work in Mexico, one of the largest markets in the world!

Find Eduardo on IG: @eduardo_avil4

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

🎙Meet 1st AD Mauricio Coronado, with who I just finished a 4 week project for 9 different brands. II thought it would be a cool idea to rant about this crazy journey literally a day after it ended.

We had a fun conversation about all the ups and downs of the project, the frustrations but above all we discussed the great experience of sharing time with a super talented crew for an entire month shooting statee of the art table top.

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

🎙 Welcome back director Niels Thomsen. We co-directed a job last week, so we're talking about it! 🎥

Find Niels on IG: @nilex_hh

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

DP Alejandro H. Madrid told me all about the different approach of different directors. We also discussed why a succesful DP nowadays needs to know about more than just his camera and light deparment. 

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

Visual Engineer Steve Giralt told me all about his amazing developments at on the forefront of virtual production for table top, including inisane high speed capabilities, "GhostFrame" and the use of AI to create digital worlds at The Garage 🎬 

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

🎙 Welcome back director Jooris Noordenbos. We talked about the frustrating side working as a commercial table top director and how the process tends to leave little room for innovation and creativity. 

Find Joris on IG: @jorisnoordenbos

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet Steve Starkman, the chip master! He’s the guy behind every Dorito, Lay, or Cheeto you've seen on TV, including some iconic Super Bowl ads. From working with Messi to Walter White, and directing legends like Michael Bay and Spike Jonze, Steve’s got the coolest job in snacks! Tune in for a crunchy chat about how he became the go-to chip guy for the ad world! 🍿🎬

Find Steve on IG: @stevestarkman

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet award-winning director Eric Yealland, who’s reinvented himself time and again before finding his sweet spot as a food and tabletop director. In this episode, we dive into the fantasy vs. reality of the director’s chair—what pulled Eric into the world of commercials, the parts he couldn’t stand, and the moments that still make him love the job. Buckle up for a fun, honest chat about the highs, lows, and everything in between!

Find Eric on IG: @ericyealland

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander

🎙 Meet Ben Liebmann, founder of Understory, who’s blending his passion for food and media to help chefs tell their unique stories. In this episode, Ben shares his journey from working on MasterChef to serving as COO of Noma, and finally to creating Understory, where he collaborates with top creators and change-makers to build powerful brands and stories.

https://www.understory.tv/

Discover how he combines the worlds of food and storytelling, and the inspiration behind projects like Omnivore with René Redzepi. Tune in for a peek into the art of crafting memorable, culinary-driven content!

Find Ben on IG: @benliebmann

Get in touch:
@directedbyxander