On My Radar: Daniel Eskils

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

I think we are witnessing an exciting time with lots of new filmmakers and great competition ahead. I love that. I just saw this new spot for Diesel (Go With the Flaw, below). It’s not a unique concept maybe but I like the energy, look and quirkiness of it. It flirts with old fashioned filmmaking to create this semi-realistic world that's a stage for beautiful models to dance. And out of nowhere, two of them find each other attractive. There's no back story and no real ending. Just a dreamy weird visual but it's a beautiful minute of life. 

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

YouTube. It’s the most amazing 'library' there is. The diversity of stuff you never thought you would see in your life. It is mind-blowing. Last night I watched a self-taught inventor that made a scent-steamer while commenting on the process in several languages, each sentence in a different language. Guess he hadn’t heard of subtitles. 

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

I bought a selfie-drone which must be the best thing evolution ever created. I now have a drone following me and my phone anywhere, anytime, filming everything. 

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Instagram! Especially creating stories. I invented this Poolboy character this summer. As a lame joke really, but people got hooked and now I get money transferred to make more Poolboy content!

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?

I like PEAK. Mental workout. Difficult and super simple tasks mixed together. Takes my mind off other stuff. I know Headspace is popular for that. But seems I need to do simple mental workout assignments to clear my mind.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

I love Kjell (below). It’s funny, also I co-wrote and directed it… Unfortunately it’s Swedish and hasn’t been translated for the international market just yet. But if I cant blow my own horn, I would say The Wire and Seinfeld. They're both flawless.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

I think everyone should see Sidney Lumets - Network. It says a lot about the age that we are living in.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

In a car talking about plastic bags with my best friend. I got this idea for a great scene involving folding plastic bags and being neurotic. I have a complicated mind! 

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

Maybe how treatments look now and then. I wrote my first treatment on one page and then I drew one storyboard frame, which pretty much summed up the whole film. And I won the pitch! It was simple and on point. Sometimes now with all the interactive presentations, animatics and test films, it feels like you have to produce a film to be able to make a film. 

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

To make it more diverse, relatable and closer to reality. But I'm also constantly seeing great examples of change in the industry, so I hope it's going in the right direction. 

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

I wanted to become the new Michel Gondry. He made me realise that you can use anything to film with and put anything in front of a camera and still create magic. He has extremely complex set builds in one scene and the most banal and simple in the one after. That inspired me immensely. 

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

I have this OCD thing where I suddenly need to do the opposite thing. For example I sometimes take the subway the wrong direction for a stop or so and then have to go back.