Reality Blurs with Rocky Morton

Rocky Morton, the British director of music videos, adverts and film, has enjoyed a successful career spanning more than two decades. In this excerpt from issue 140 of shots magazine, he talks to Simon Wakelin about the modern art of commercial immersion, how people will always want a touch of linear narrative, the challenges of following comedy conventions and why directing is akin to surfing the wave

As a young student just out of art college, Rocky Morton co-authored the book Creative Computer Graphics before opening up his very first production company, monikered Cucumber Studios.

He began directing commercials using a combination of live action, animation and the then emerging art of computer graphics before co-creating and co-directing the monster global hit The Max Headroom Show, a memorably sardonic programme featuring a computer-generated TV star who quickly rose to fame to become a decade-defining icon.

Max Headroom was a character ahead of its time, an international talk show host who interviewed celebrities, made shameless endorsements and plugged merchandise – even appearing in his own TV commercials for Coca-Cola.

The success of the pioneering show, in tandem with high-profile music video work for artists such as Miles Davis, George Harrison and Rush, led Morton to the boulevard of Hollywood where bigger challenges lay in wait, helming features including D.O.A. with co-director Annabel Jankel, which was a remake of the original 1950 film noir and starred Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.

Yet it was commercial filmmaking that ultimately piqued Morton’s interest. By 1989, he had already commenced building a world-class production company with partners Jankel and David Zander, teaming up to form Morton Jankel Zander (MJZ). Morton explains his preference for adland over film:

“I really enjoyed the shorter format and preferred the experience of working with advertising people. I put all my efforts into building a company that would hopefully become one of the best production companies in the world.”

Subscribers to shots.net can read the full interview here or in the new issue of shots magazine, issue 140. To subscribe to shots click here.