Why Directors Do Things The Hard Way

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▶ About This Episode:
Director Zee Ntuli joins Dylan Hahn to break down his visually hypnotic commercial for Audemars Piguet. They unpack why the project was treated like a visual palindrome, how analog philosophy guided every creative decision, and what it really took to shoot a dancer suspended over a corrosive salt lake. Zee walks through the balance of real-world capture and heavy VFX, the collaboration with the production company Monumental, and the importance of creating space on set for intuition, emotion, and play.

It’s a conversation about technical precision, emotional safety, and why the best work often comes from treating filmmaking less like a machine, and more like a dance.

▶ Sources:
• Watch Audemars Piguet “Quantième Perpétuel”
• https://vimeo.com/1137455981
• Connect with Zee Ntuli
• https://www.zeentuli.com/
•   / zee._.ntuli  

▶ About The Reframed Podcast:
“Reframed” is a filmmaker podcast that poses fresh and insightful questions to filmmakers. It offers a compelling look behind the scenes, providing listeners with a deeper understanding of the film industry and the creative minds that drive it.

▶ Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:21 The Commercial
02:35 Mastery Over Time & Space
02:43 Falling in Love With the Product
03:41 Interpreting the Brief
04:10 Reversing Time & Sound Design
05:30 Treating the Film Like a Palindrome
06:59 Analog Luxury in a Digital World
09:45 Choosing the Salt Lake
10:52 How Much of This Is Real?
11:25 Tracking Marks & Technical Setup
12:08 Freedom on Set
13:41 Capturing the Moment of Light
14:44 Shooting Sunset for Sunrise
15:42 Dancing With the Performer
16:11 Suspending the Entire Shoot Over Water
17:23 Building a Studio on a Salt Lake
18:57 Planning vs Letting Go
20:23 Orbiting the Dancer
22:11 Giving Performers Lead-In Time
23:05 Making the Crew Part of the Dance
23:59 One Night, Two Sets
24:51 Order, Entropy, and Chaos
26:03 Creating a Shared Purpose on Set
27:15 Leading With Story, Not Just Technique
29:46 Creating Safety for Creativity
31:54 Treating People Well Makes Better Work
33:02 Building the Stars & Particles
34:58 Lasers Through Water
36:05 VFX as the “Final Boss”
37:17 Handing the Film Over to Post
38:55 Long-Form Roots & Commercial Work
39:57 Choosing Projects That Add Value
41:18 Playing the Long Game
43:23 Advice for Young Filmmakers
44:40 Closing Thoughts
44:44 Frame Set Sponsor Message