“Have Courage. Take Heart. Do more passion projects.”
Meet Niklas Hugo, a director known for his work in commercials and fashion, who honed his unique storytelling style through early experimentation with a DSLR camera and a passion for rhythmic editing. Our interview with Niklas delves into his creative process and the significant impact of passion projects on his career.
“My Name is Niklas Hugo, I am a director working in commercials, fashion, and short form narrative.My filmmaking journey began in my teenage years when I started to mess around with my parents' DSLR camera. For a while, I took poor photos of nearly everything around me.Then, with my first paycheck, I bought a Gen-1 GoPro (super fresh at that time) and started to film my friends skiing, jumping off cliffs, blowing stuff up - all the stupid and beautiful things you do in your teenage years. Being a drummer from a very young age helped me to build a general rhythmic understanding, which was very beneficial for editing. I found myself shooting, editing, & producing various projects, before switching to directing full-time.”
“Each project comes with its unique challenges and opportunities, which makes every new film challenging - but also rewarding. So for me, the best thing about my job is to find a way to solve them together with a team. Every person in the team contributes a part to the puzzle, as the idea of the film comes more and more into existence.”
“I think in an unconscious way I am absorbing all the time.Books, music, photographs, movies, conversations, etc. For me, it is really important to be open to inspiration all the time.There is this beautiful and truthful quote: 'You don't take an idea, you get an idea.' Almost like an external force approaching you. And when a really good idea hits you, there is this immediate excitement to bring it to life. Lately, I am really inspired by the works of Benedict Wells, Luca Guadagnino, Salomon Ligthelm, and Sigur Rós.”
“My favorite project is a short called 'All the wild hearts here below.' We shot it over the course of the summer with a very small crew. For most of the time, it was just my DP Pascal Hein and myself running around trying to capture authentic and beautiful moments. It helped me in discovering how it feels to just capture everything that you feel drawn to - without the stressful environment of the commercial world.”
“We shot a music video a few years ago and kind of accidentally entered a training zone of military tanks. It almost went south, but that's a story for another day. ;-)”
“My process for preproduction differs from project to project, as there are always different challenges thrown at you. Since my approach is very visually driven, I gather a lot of moods, kick out the majority of it, and specify what the film could feel like. Usually (and if possible timing-wise) I will define every shot, camera move, blocking, etc., for myself - to wrap my head around it and to have all the answers to the important questions. Then I go to all the heads of departments, and together we will improve all the different aspects of it.(Which is my favorite part of preproduction)”
“Doing passion projects/shorts is crucial for my mental and artistic health. I couldn't imagine doing this without the passion projects in between. They are not only a playground to do everything you want, (without compromising your idea) but also a beautiful way to prove yourself capable of doing things in the commercial world.”
“Have Courage. Take Heart. Do more passion projects.”
“Book: 'Hard Land' by Benedict Wells, Movie: 'Dead Poet Society,' 'Waves,' 'The Place Beyond the Pines.' Series: 'The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart'”
A big thanks to Niklas Hugo for sharing his insights and experiences on his creative journey.
