Being chosen by The Aunties, Australia’s collective of senior women in advertising nurturing the next generation, to direct its first anniversary film is an impressive endorsement of The Producers’ Olivia Altavilla as a director. The endearing, relatable and natural performances she elicits from people, actors or not, continues to sing her praises. Olivia has recently demonstrated this flair in a commercial for Grove Juice with Akkomplice.
The agency and client wanted an ad without the “glossy perfection” of traditional slice-of-life ads. It was to embrace, rather than curate, the chaos of life. There was no traditional script. This gave Olivia the freedom to explore scenes and performances. So she spent the ad’s four recce days getting to know the Grove Juice family and made a film that they wanted, a film that feels like a documentary rather than a commercial. “So many detailed gems came from having the time to get to know the places and the people that shaped this brand,” she noted.
Olivia gave The Stable a peek into what makes her tick as a director. We share that here:
TS: Tell me about making Grove Juice.
OA: Honestly, I miss it. I actually miss being in Moree with all the kids and all the families. It felt like making a doco because we got to go on a casting recce for four days, being driven around by Grove Juice’s Sascha Estens. Being taken around to see all these amazing places. And her little boy, Jack, who is five, was our tour guide the whole time. He was telling us what happened where and things like “this is my best friend from school”. He’s all over the edit because the camera loves him. We felt so immersed in that community. We felt like part of it. I’ve never worked on a job like that before.
The Stable: What drew you to directing?
Olivia Altavilla: I just started making movies in the backyard with my sister when I was 12. We had a camcorder from Dad and we made our whole family act. We took that all through high school and I then told my parents, “I just can’t do anything else. That’s all I want to do. To just keep making movies.” My parents were accountants, so it really came out of nowhere. I just loved it.
TS: As you’ve developed as a director, what are the greatest pieces of wisdom that you’ve accumulated and where did they come from?
OA: I think the biggest thing is not feeling, “I’m the director”, not always feeling like you need to say something all the time when you’re on set. It’s just as important to establish a warm energy where everyone feels comfortable to bring their best that day. If you’ve got kids, that they’re feeling relaxed and giving them tangible tasks that feel fun. I love creating 360-degree spaces for talent to explore and live in, and just letting our camera roll so we can get the in-between magic. I learnt a lot from the acting coach, Miranda Harcourt, when I did a short acting course. I’m definitely not an actor, but I really wanted to learn how to direct talent really well. She taught us how important it is to create a space where everyone feels safe and comfortable so they can truly let go and be present in the moment.
TS: Your films are very people oriented. Was that deliberate?
OA: Yes. I come from a very big family, so I’m half Italian, half Venezuelan. I’ve got eight aunties and uncles on one side, five on the other side, and so many cousins. I’ve grown up around a lot of people, a lot of different dynamics and energies, and a lot of love, so I think I’m just really drawn to having a lot of people in scenes because it’s what I know. My favourite thing is having more people in a scene bouncing off each other.
TS: The challenges that you’ve conquered on your way up?
OA: Probably the biggest one is just self-doubt. Someone once said to me, “You’ll have whatever career you want to have as a director. The only person who will stop that is you because you’ve got the drive and the talent.” Looking back, I can pinpoint moments where I was the person standing in my own way. But thanks to my fierce ambition and pure love for the process, I don’t feel that anymore.
Olivia was also given the honour of directing the 100-year anniversary social spot for Australia’s most famous product, Vegemite:
Huggies- Mothers day
… last year’s Mother’s Day spot for Australia’s most famous baby bottom-care brand, Huggies:
Vegemite- 100 Mitey Years
…and world-famous food brand, Heinz’s, first foray into plant protein:
