Sophie Gateau . Director

Paris based director Sophie Gateau effortlessly mixes visual effects and live action to create commercials and music videos for global clients who appreciate her unique eye for design and art direction.

Studying architecture and art history before focusing on her masters in graphic design and film direction at Parisian school Ecole des Arts Décoratifs, Sophie began her career in the French fashion industry where she was recruited to create live action, design-driven runway films.

Her experience in motion graphics then led her to work on feature films such as The Matrix Reloaded, Alexander the Great and Won Kar Wai’s 2046. Her debut short film, I Love Paris, was exhibited at the Sonar Festival in Paris and Barcelona, and published in the book A+A: Architecturanimation.

Sophie’s perspective on space, her sense of design and art direction can be directly attributed to her early experience in architecture and fashion. As a commercial and music video director, she has skillfully mastered technical spots such as ‘Act Now’, a series of PSAs from the British Columbia’s Ministry of Health, in which the daily lives of children are mixed and matched on a dynamic cube.

Constantly challenged by conceptual ideas and new technology, her work remains simple in tone. Her campaign ‘Witness Lights’ for LG, an intricately executed spot where animated characters on identical LG phones fall in love on screen, is elaborate yet deceptively simple.

Other clients seeking out her innovative visual approach include Nike, Adidas, Ray-Ban, Coca-Cola, TED Global, Samsung and Moen.

Her recent music video ‘Rivers Edge’ for Last Days of 1984 further demonstrates her intriguing take on conveying the moment; in this case through abstract expressionist imagery of oil pastels and smeared colours that review the connection between man and nature.

Receiving praise for her live action, animation and visual effects work, Sophie has been profiled in top tier magazines including Shots, SHOOT, Juxtapoz, Motiongrapher and Boards magazine, which identified her as a ‘Director to Watch’. Her iconic and inspirational Nike web films through Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam continue to gain her international recognition.