Q&A | Hopi Allard

Director Hopi Allard’s body of work is a marriage between the ethereal and visceral.

Each story by the UK-based filmmaker is told humbly, but with finesse and he traverses genres effortlessly – each project wielding a still, authentic voice.

His past collaborations include Adidas x Stella McCartney, Prada, Marc Jacobs, BBC and Vans.

Allard has previously worked on a successful Al Dar ‘Mamsha Al Saadiyat’ project with electriclimefilms in the Middle East, creating abstract and dreamlike scenes to give the film texture and ambiguity as it jumps around in time and space.

We had a chat with Allard, who electriclimefilms represent in the APAC and Middle East regions, which you can see below.

Throughout the filmmaking process, what’s your favourite part about it and why?

 

Hopi Allard: My favourite part of the film making process is probably the bit that happens in between the ‘productive’ moments. Sometimes even before the project begins.

It’s the micro ideas that come to you when your doing something else that end up igniting your imagination or solving that creative problem. They usually exist as a bunch of weird notes and scribbles in a pad that would mean almost nothing to anyone else. The trick is trying to tap back into that initial spark, feeling or image and use it in your work.

What do you find most difficult/challenging about being a director?

The thing I find most challenging about being a director is all the questions that are directed at you on set. The actual reality of our role is often just working ways round obstructions be it budgetary or physical and creating solutions.

I guess that’s why pre-production is so important to really distill the essence of the idea so the answers can be more effortless and you can rest assured that all the HODs are on the same page even if you don’t have the time you’d like with them on the day.

Do you have a set way you approach each project, or is it always different?

I’d say each project is different in terms of what the shoot days look like. For example some may require understanding a new piece of kit, which often means embracing a new rhythm or pace to the shoot.

That said my approach is usually the same: Work out the essence of the idea and try and keep that safe through out the raging storm of production problems that arise, rolling with inevitable punches and embracing compromise that is almost always necessary.

Is there a particular project or moment from your filmmaking past which you’re most proud of or stands out?

I think the film that stands out most from my current reel is the Adidas x Stella McCartney film I did in 2019.

It was one of those projects where things just come together in a very intuitive way and as a result was a really fun project to work on. I think we were able to capture an authentic essence of The Hellcats raw energy whilst still presenting it with a more polished sports film aesthetic.

Has the pandemic changed your approach to directing and the process behind it?

I count my self as very fortunate that the pandemic hasn’t yet profoundly effected me in a very negative way. I did of course go through the angst of financial worry, having had many projects slip away. I found i needed to adapt to a different rhythm at home with no childcare in a kind of forced sabbatical from work. And for this I retrospectively feel very lucky.

I guess this time taught me that creativity is a feeling and how you present yourself at all times (even outside of work) effect your outlook and in tern your output.

I definitely now have an enlarged appreciation for the small moments and try to embrace more regularly opportunities to be under stimulated. I am truly grateful for the lessons I learnt about patient, present and seeing the bigger picture.

On a practical level I also learnt it is possible to successfully direct remotely.

What’s next for Hopi Allard?

I definitely have a renewed excitement for connecting with people and filmmaking in general.

Without naming projects I have a few things I’ve been chipping away at that I’m excited to get off the ground and share with the world when they are ready.

NewDirector° | Clare Chong

NewDirector° | Clare Chong

OnSetº | Standard Chartered Bank X Liverpool FC

OnSetº | Standard Chartered Bank x Liverpool FC

NewDirectorº | Roos Brothers

NewDirectorº | Roos Brothers

Finalists | Agency Of The Year Awards 2023

Finalists | Agency of the Year Awards 2023

Newdirector° | Emile Rafael

newdirector° | Emile Rafael

OnSetº | Audi

OnSetº | Audi

NewDirectorº | Kids Of Bill

NewDirectorº | Kids of Bill

NewDirectorº | Adinah Dancyger

NewDirectorº | Adinah Dancyger

NewDirectorº | AOE

NewDirectorº | AOE

NewDirectorº | Dania Bdeir

NewDirectorº | Dania Bdeir

Meet The Team | Dubai

Meet The Team | Dubai

OnSetº | Dyson

OnSetº | Dyson

OnSetº | Riot Games In Berlin

OnSetº | Riot Games in Berlin

OnSetº | Estée Lauder

OnSetº | Estée Lauder

Senior Producer | Dora Claire David

Senior Producer | Dora Claire David

News | Grace Rached Internship Program

News | Grace Rached Internship Program

OnSetº | Toyota Veloz

OnSetº | Toyota Veloz

Producer | Layal Mooti

Producer | Layal Mooti

Electriclime° | 2022

electriclime° | 2022

OnSetº | Saudi Arabia

OnSetº | Saudi Arabia

NewDirectorº | Electriclime° Welcomes Nick Sullivan To Roster

NewDirectorº | electriclime° welcomes Nick Sullivan to roster

On Set | Audi RS3

On Set | Audi RS3

Feature | Mariam Gabunia

Feature | Mariam Gabunia

On Set | Electriclime° Provide Snickers Hunger Support

On set | electriclime° provide Snickers Hunger Support

On Set | Electriclime° Creates Futuristic New Look For Intel’s ‘Evo’ Laptop

On Set | electriclime° creates futuristic new look for Intel’s ‘Evo’ laptop

Winners | Electriclime° Clinch Gold At Shots Awards Asia Pacific 2022

Winners | electriclime° clinch Gold at shots Awards Asia Pacific 2022

Top Ten | Electriclime° In Creativepool List

Top Ten | electriclime° in Creativepool list

Behind The Scenes | ClearScore By Toby Morris

Behind the Scenes | ClearScore by Toby Morris

Awards | Electriclime° Accepted Into Campaign Brief’s The Work 2022

Awards | electriclime° accepted into Campaign Brief’s The Work 2022

On Set | Mastercard

On set | Mastercard

Feature | Grace Rached

Feature | Grace Rached

Feature | Omar Khalifa

Feature | Omar Khalifa

Awards | Electriclime° Recognised At Immortal Awards

Awards | electriclime° recognised at Immortal Awards

Feature | Daniel Marjan

Feature | Daniel Marjan

New Name | Electriclimefilms Changes To Electriclime°

New name | electriclimefilms changes to electriclime°

New Director | Anthony Pellino

New Director | Anthony Pellino

Awards | Electriclime Nominated In AOTY

Awards | electriclime nominated in AOTY

Feature | Director Dania Bdeir On Estée Lauder Film

Feature | Director Dania Bdeir on Estée Lauder film

Interview | Harrison Bo Born

Interview | Harrison Bo Born

On Set | Crazy Domains

On set | Crazy Domains

Feature | Tobias Ross-Southall

Feature | Tobias Ross-Southall

On Set | Target With Pete Moore

On set | Target with Pete Moore

BTS | The Iconic With Lester Jones

BTS | The Iconic with Lester Jones

Feature | Layal Mooti

Feature | Layal Mooti

Awards | Electriclime°’s Durex Film Shortlisted

Awards | electriclime°’s Durex film shortlisted

On Set | Australian Olympic Committee

On Set | Australian Olympic Committee

Feature | Internship Experience In Dubai

Feature | Internship experience in Dubai

New Director | Pete Moore

New Director | Pete Moore

Q&A | Hopi Allard

Q&A | Hopi Allard

On Set | David Beckham Stars In MBS Spot

On Set | David Beckham stars in MBS spot

On Set | Intercontinental

On Set | Intercontinental

16mm Film | DOP Tom Welsh

16mm Film | DOP Tom Welsh

On Set | NCS

On Set | NCS

BTS | Bacardi In NYC

BTS | Bacardi in NYC

On Set | Electriclime° Battles Through Thunder And Rain In Kuala Lumpur

On set | electriclime° battles through thunder and rain in Kuala Lumpur

On Set | Parker Pens

On set | Parker Pens

Behind The Scenes | KFC Confessions

Behind The Scenes | KFC Confessions

BTS | Pete Moore For Clipsal

BTS | Pete Moore for Clipsal

On Set | Acer

On set | Acer

BTS | Lincoln Aviator

BTS | Lincoln Aviator

On Set | Electriclime° Launch Audi E-tron In Singapore

On set | electriclime° launch Audi e-tron in Singapore

Grace Rached

Grace Rached

On Set | Air+ In Singapore And Melbourne

On Set | Air+ in Singapore and Melbourne

On Set | Mexico City

On Set | Mexico City

On Set | Sony In Mongolia

On Set | Sony in Mongolia

On Set | Head Start Homes

On set | Head Start Homes

Electriclime° | Sustainable Set

electriclime° | Sustainable Set

On Set | Dettol

On Set | Dettol