In Production: Joe Walker

After hearing about his work on the epic new YouTube spot for TheSlowMoGuys, shots decided to catch up with Joe Walker, executive producer at Able & Baker, to find out more about him and his career.

How did you get into production and tell us a bit about your current role?

I started as a director of atrocious short films then realised if I wanted to be able to feed myself I better have another think. I co-wrote something with a friend and he directed and I took a crack at producing and that was it, I was off. I was really lucky to be living in Nottingham at a time when the UK Film Council was still up and running and commissioning short films and so I got a lot of practice making things for 10p quite quickly. At the same time, the now defunct regional screen agency EM Media was doing a great job attracting features to the area so I started running, location assisting and later production assisting in drama. I was not what you’d describe as a natural assistant, notably getting fired off Bronson, but I did learn things/meet people that I could put to work on my own projects. Fast forward a few years and I was mixing up production managing low budget features and producing music videos. I was invited to move in house at Park Village at the end of 2012 and in June 2013 we launched Able&Baker as a division focussing on music video, content and fashion film.

Tell us about an ad campaign you’ve seen recently that stands out for its production quality and standard...

I absolutely LOVE the Sunday Times Icons spot. The approach is so simple but the transitions are amazingly considered and the execution of the lighting and costume changes is immaculate. For me this is a perfect ad – a simple but strong premise dramatised with amazing flair.

Do you feel the role of the producer has/is becoming more prominent and crucial today than in the past?

I’m not sure about more prominent and crucial but it definitely feels like the role is changing. I think that the next few years will see more and more companies mixing direct to client commissions with more familiar agency awards and I think that producers will have to broaden their role to be able to manage the process end to end. I also wonder what effect the state of the music video industry is going to have on how we develop the creative producers of tomorrow but that’s a different chat for a different day.

What’s your most valued production tool (tech or otherwise) and why?

The internet! It blows my mind that people actually managed to get stuff made without it but then four fifths of the best cinema the human race has ever created was produced in an era when we were still posting callsheets so there it is.

How do you relieve stress during a shoot?

Forcing grey hairs out of my follicles.

How has the industry changed since you started working in it?

Probably the rise of content. I think content as a word is now so broad as to be basically useless and maybe will disintegrate as platforms where people engage with advertising merge. That said it does seem to represent the massive increase in demand for advertising creation the internet brought about and that has definitely transformed the landscape, mainly for the better I think.

What would you like to see change in the world of production?

An old chestnut: closer correlation of budgets and expectations.

What’s your favourite thing to do away from work?

Rock climbing in wild nature with friends ideally but not always in sunshine.