Rodney is an award-winning commercials director with 21 years' experience making films for high-profile agencies and clients.
With a background in music, photography and editing, he brings a wealth of experience and talent to his work, which is both creatively acclaimed and commercially successful.
Based in London, he has worked in most corners of the world - most recently shooting in Prague, Cape Town, Moscow and Bucharest for BBDO, McCann-Erickson and Nitro – and each job, large or small, gets the same high level of attention.
Client: Mars
Agency: Abbott Mead Vickers / BBDO, London
Product: Whiskas Pouches: 1 x 30’ TVC
Details: 2 x days (1 location + 1 studio) on 35mm
Creative team : Keith Lewin & Tris Gates
Director’s comment
In terms of cat food commercials’ standards, this was a highly unusual script and I think one of the best films I’ve ever made.
It was a fairly open brief – just a rough idea about a surveillance van drifting down a suburban street picking up cats’ purring once they’d tried the product – but it was enough and I recognised the potential immediately.
With the luxury of complete creative freedom, I gave the concept a cinematic touch using E.T. as a reference i.e. the scene in which the CIA are trying to locate the extra-terrestrial 
using any using any number of hi-tech gizmos.
During filming the script came to life more than I could have imagined. All sorts of magical moments happened, with the oscillating oscilloscope proving to be the icing on the cake as it was the perfect way to visualise the cat’s pleasure at eating the product.
It’s hard to put your finger on why sometimes everything gels perfectly, but this was one of those occasions and I still love the film for the pleasure it gave me – and still does.
