Ollie Grove talk [The Mill]

Ollie Grove is an executive producer at the Mill, one of the biggest VFX and production house in the UK. The Mill are the guys that got the Oscar for Gladiator, but they don’t like talking about it… except I believe it was his second presentation slide saying so.

“We are artists, technologies and makers for all media, working at the frontiers of visual narrative”

They try to make the impossible possible

Music videos are generally quite challenged by budget. However, since when youtube came there was more initiative to head down the music video root to access more of an audience, so the investment became a vital in propelling a labels artist into their audiences.

landing the job for directing your own music video, you will have to think of producing, cutting and finishing it for no money, so you must be into it, so can be choosey of the track it should resonate with you in some way otherwise its not worth the time and energy as wont be true to your passion.

what’s the big idea - there needs to be a hook, think about visual, production gear, performance piece. What will make the video awesome?

the treatment - starts as a love letter, the most valuable piece of communication between the band, production team and the record label. it highlights what your going to do and how. If you establish a connection you have the upper hand. You’ve got to convince people that what is in your head is achievable. Find still images to display your idea, balance text with an image that supports it. Best to meet in person

Dan Low - 30 music videos working across the board, signed to a production company. For real life shot of a stunt man jumping off a building instead of using a ballon with glued on trouser would cost £140,000. With the ballots it instead costed £140.
The pre-production lasted around two and half weeks, however helped them establish relationships with a lot of scouts about in london. Need to be pragmatic through out as one piece may fall through the other elements must be able to keep it strong.


chemical brothers wide open [making of] - simple idea however once broken down for the time it hadn't been done before and therefore they had to break her down to a wireframe model. Wrote there own program to be able to use the frame before to create a clean plate. The pipeline took 4 months of 4 or 5 guys working on the VFX.


music videos bring a lot of new talent into the game. Recommends us to go look at the music video awards. If you write a music video as a fan that it will come out and a fan will also appreciate that.

Simplicity is key. You need to hook your audience from the outset. Being deliverable is key.

Idea may be pulled apart, and be humble, the director is the leader and you have to pull the team through it. Never through an idea away. If your blocked on idea share it, this will help for a flow to return. There is never enough money and never enough time.