Lions behind the camera: Australia’s top ad directors

A flirtatious tradie, a flustered photographer, a gang of flaming skateboarders, a rock band with disabilities and a Caravaggio painting made from beer drinkers all helped decorate  Australia’s most prized ad directors. Robin Hicks interviews.

Garth Davis, Exit Films
Garth Davis went all the way to Mexico to shoot Ride, a long-form commercial for Coca-Cola’s new energy drink, Burn. Los Angeles had been an option for the cityscapes he wanted, but there was no way he could have got away with setting fire to skateboarders on busy city streets there.

Davis won a film lion and also a film craft lion at Cannes for a raw, smokey four minute video in which a gang of skateboarders race on motorways, dodge cars and jump off buildings with their clothing in flames.