ComedyCommercialsDirector

Benjamin Green is an Emmy Award-winning comedy director based in London, available for TV commercials, online films and branded content through In Color.

He directs comedy built on performance: celebrity-led spots where the joke has to land in thirty seconds, and talent-led films with people who have never done comedy before. He has directed for Hargreaves Lansdown, Google, British Airways, Barclays, Tesco, Vodafone, Specsavers, Facebook, Currys, Esso, Purplebricks, Cannaray and Paddy Power, working with Michael Caine, Olivia Colman, Jack Whitehall, Claudia Winkleman, Ian Wright, David Gandy, Michael Dapaah and Laura Kenny.

Why a comedy director from television

Ben came to commercials from comedy television. He directed and produced all three series of An Idiot Abroad for Sky One, showran The Moaning of Life, directed Asian Provocateur for BBC Three, and won a Primetime Emmy for Apple’s Carpool Karaoke: The Series. He co-created and directed two series of the BBC One sitcom Avoidance with Romesh Ranganathan. The point for an advertiser is simple: a director who can sustain a joke across six episodes is very good at landing one in thirty seconds.

Celebrity and non-actor talent

Most of Ben’s commercials are built around a named face, and often that face is not a comedian — an Olympic cyclist, a footballer, a model, a presenter. His method is to find what is already funny about the person, cover them with enough cameras that nothing is lost, let them improvise around the script, and keep the set relaxed so they want to be there. The result survives the cutdown because it was real on the day.

How a job works

• Brief. Send the script, boards or a one-line idea to hello@incolor.film with the shoot window.
• Treatment. Ben writes a full director’s treatment in his own voice — tone, approach, working with the talent, look, casting, locations, music, and the script as he would shoot it.
• Pre-production and shoot. Produced by In Color, London, with a production team that has delivered for Bullion, MindsEye and Untold. Multi-camera as standard on performance work so the talent is never kept waiting.
• Post. Ben stays in the edit. Comedy is made in the cut.

Frequently asked

What kind of commercials does Benjamin Green direct?

Comedy. Specifically performance-led comedy for TV commercials, online films and branded content — usually with a celebrity or named talent at the centre of it. Recent work includes Hargreaves Lansdown, Google Pixel with Jack Whitehall, British Airways’ safety film with Michael Caine and Olivia Colman, Barclays and Specsavers with Ian Wright, Vodafone with David Gandy, Cannaray with Claudia Winkleman and Purplebricks with Team GB.

Why hire a director with a television background for a 30-second spot?

Because the timing is the same craft. Ben won an Emmy for Carpool Karaoke and spent three series on An Idiot Abroad before he directed his first commercial; he has made two series of a BBC One sitcom since. Directors who have had to sustain a joke across six episodes tend to be very good at landing one in thirty seconds, and at getting it from people who are not professional comedians.

Can he get a performance out of talent who are not comedians?

Yes — it is most of the job. Athletes, models, footballers, presenters and actors who have never done comedy. The method is to find what is already funny about the person, shoot with enough cameras that nothing is missed, let them improvise around the script, and keep the set relaxed. Playing it straight is usually funnier than reaching for the gag.

How do I book Benjamin Green for a commercial?

Through In Color, his commercials representation in London. Email hello@incolor.film or call +44 (0)20 8064 3130 with the script, boards or brief and the shoot window. Scripts and boards are welcome at any stage; Ben writes a full director’s treatment for every job.

What does a treatment from Ben look like?

A written document, usually two to four thousand words, covering tone, approach, how he will work with the talent, look, casting, locations, wardrobe and music, followed by the script as he would shoot it. It is in his own voice and it is honest about what will and won’t work on the day.

Does he work outside the UK?

Yes. He has shot in the US (Carpool Karaoke, Just Another Immigrant for Showtime), Italy (Esso), Sri Lanka and across Europe, and In Color produces internationally.

Is Benjamin Green the same person as Ben Green the comedian?

No. Benjamin Green is a London-based comedy director and executive producer — Emmy winner for Carpool Karaoke, co-creator of Avoidance on BBC One and Managing Director of Ranga Bee Productions with Romesh Ranganathan. Ben Green the stand-up comedian is a different person.

Contact

Commercials representation and all enquiries: In Color, London — hello@incolor.film · +44 (0)20 8064 3130 · incolor.film/contact.
Television and all non-commercial work: Independent Talent Group, Sarah Williams.

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