Dougal Wilson with the charming stars of The Temper Trap "Love Lost".

From winsome music videos to chilling public service ads, Blink and Furlined’s Dougal Wilson breezed through a slew of technical challenges to create wonderful crafty work that was thoroughly emotive. Surreal romp Coca-Cola “Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La” was typically fantastical and fun, as was the wonderful Coldplay “Life In Technicolor II”. But he brought endearing touches to more grounded work like Heinz “Bottle” and Orange Rock Corps “Roll Call”. That same touch and detail made COI “Breathe”, equating the dangers of smoke inhalation to drowning, all the more close to home and hard hitting. Two endearing music videos for The Temper Trap “Love Lost” and Massive Attack “Psyche” rounded off another stellar year.

What’s one thing that has happened in your life that has made the biggest impact on who you are today?
I’m not entirely sure, but seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey when I was eight had quite an impact. It terrified me, and I became slightly obsessed with it. It made me think I wanted to be an astronomer, a decision which culminated in going to university to study physics. This proved rather unsuccessful, making me realize that all along it’d maybe been the film, not so much the science, that I was obsessed with. Hence what I’m doing now.

You’re given $1 million and a sticky note. You have to donate the money anonymously. Who would you give it to and what would you write to them on the note?
I’d give it to The Campaign Against Climate Change. They’re a campaign group in London who I occasionally do a bit of videoing for. The note would read, “Buy yourselves a nicer office because you really deserve it.”

What’s your favorite mobile/iPhone app?
I’m quite fond of the one that shows you where the constellations are in the bit of sky you point the phone at [Pocket Universe].

What’s the best music video you’ve seen lately? Why did it grab your attention?
There are three really good ones I’ve seen recently: “Supertime” for Bernsden, directed by Helgi Johannsson, which is highly unsettling but quite amusing; “70 Million” by Hold Your Horses, which grabbed my attention because it’s one of those videos with a very pure, very simple, very funny idea. But the best video I’ve seen for a few years is Radiohead “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” by Tobias Stretch, which is genuinely amazing. Beautiful and scary in equal measures.

Do you think advertising can become a personal expression for a director?
Kind of, as long as nobody messes around with what you want to do too much. Inevitably, however, someone will mess around with it because they’re paying for it and I guess you have to get used to that. I’ve found that music videos are more personal because nobody seems to have time to follow what you’re actually doing. But my friend Eric Lynne just made a wonderful short film, which didn’t have any kind of commercial client and that was the most personal piece of expression I’ve seen for a while. Q

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