Spotlight on Women Directors: Sarah Chatfield
As part of a regular series with Free The Bid Australia, Campaign Brief shines the spotlight on top female commercials directors in Australia and New Zealand…
Hailed as ‘a new heroine of the directing world’ Sarah Chatfield works across commercials, fashion films and music videos, with her films described as “moving seamlessly between polished glamour and raw cinematic naturalism”.
Sarah is represented by Sedona Productions in Australia and New Zealand.
Three best spots
1. Adidas ‘Greater Every Run‘
2. Unilever ‘Love Beauty and Planet‘
3. Nike ‘Ungrounded Obsession‘
Clients such as Adidas, Nike, Credit Suisse and Yves Saint Laurent have all tapped Sarah’s unique talent to direct branded content and commercial pieces, including multiple projects honoured with award nominations and wins.
She has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, athletes and celebrity talent, including Lily Allen, Roger Federer, Lykke Li, and Zlatan Ibrahimović. Recently, she travelled to South Africa to shoot a series of launch spots for the new Unilever brand “Love Beauty and Planet”.
Sarah’s fashion film work has been screened in museums and galleries worldwide, as well as featured in publications such as Vogue, Dazed & Confused, Creative Review, Campaign, Creativity, 10 Magazine, Shots, and Showstudio.
Says Chatfield: “As a filmmaker I’ve always been drawn to pairings of stunning visuals with unique sound and music. That’s probably why, in general, I gravitate towards the worlds of sports, fashion, beauty, dance and music. For me it’s all about taking a story or an experience that we recognise in our everyday lives, and showing it to the audience in a new way. A heightened visual, emotional and/or sensory experience. Creating a new world or parallel universe for that story that makes it unique and makes it resonate with us.
“I love the craft of filmmaking. Every single aspect. Framings, lenses, production design, wardrobe, sound, editing, light and colour. Everything that appears within that frame is important to me. I have a very detailed approach to all those aspects and nothing is there by accident. I relish how it all works together, and the delight for me is in those unusual combinations sometimes. A particular sound heightening a particular moment of a light coming through frame that you wouldn’t expect. Sometimes it’s the subconscious things that create the real magic.”
Contact EP Kim Wildenburg – kim@sedona.com.au or at (02) 8379 1202
Since launching a year ago, Free The Bid has 200 Australian Women Directors on its searchable database. Free The Bid now has over 20 major agencies that use the database to find the right director for each of their projects and have committed to putting one female director in the mix for every job.