Director: Adam Smith
The Guardian "the greatest episode of Doctor Who there has ever been'.
Director: Adam Smith
Producers: Anna Brunoro / Anthony Talauega / Richmond Talauega
Director: Adam Smith
Golden Falcon Award Ibiza International Film Festival
Adam Smith is one of the foremost and visionary directors working in Britain today.
His film of the Chemical Brothers live show DONT THINK was theatrically released in 2012 and has been causing outbursts of dancing in cinemas worldwide.
It received great critical acclaim including a prestigious 5 stars from Empire magazine and was described as “the most intense concert film ever” by The Sunday Times.
His award winning work spans video installations for the Chemical Brothers live shows, documentaries and music videos.
In 2007, he was commissioned by Channel Four to direct four episodes of the first series of the influential drama series Skins.
Six episodes of Little Dorrit, the multi EMMY award-winning mini series for the BBC and WGBH, followed.
In 2010 he was the lead director on Matt Smith’s first series of Doctor Who . His work gained special praise in both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter with The Guardian describing one episode as able ‘to lay credible claim to being the greatest episode of Doctor Who there has ever been’.
2011 saw him complete new visuals and music videos for his long-term collaborators the Chemical Brothers to accompany the release of their latest album ‘Further’ as well as co directing the live show.
He is currently in the final stages of development on the feature film "Trespass against Us" with Film Four.
Smith studied film and video at London College of Printing before co-founding the visuals company “Vegetable Vision” who created shows and installations for bands (including the Chemical Brothers, U2, Beth Orton) clubs, raves and events.
He has worked with the Chemical Brothers since their first gig in 1994 designing the surrealist and visionary video elements of the Chemical Brothers’ live shows which have become synonymous with their work. His music video for Galvanise won the Grand Jury Prize Award for Best Music Video at Resfest 2005, The Independent called him the “the third Chemical Brother” while the Dallas Morning News described Smith’s work as if “Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso did animation for MTV”.
He has also collaborated extensively with Mike Skinner of The Streets (Skinner appears briefly in one of Smith’s episode of Doctor Who). The hugely influential video for ‘Blinded by the Lights’ won the DMA Best Video and was nominated for the D&AD Silver Pencil in 2005. It was deemed “too shocking for TV” by The Sun and praised for “skillful direction” by Creative Review.
Smith also gained notoriety as documentary maker. Wiley -Wot Do U Call It? his film about ‘grime’ was both The Guardian and Time Out 's pick of the day on its release in 2005. His film Ghetto On Sea (part of BBC3’s Tower Block Dreams season) charted the trials and tribulations of running a pirate radio station. While the Channel Four documentary A.I.P.S. (American Infantry Preservation Society) followed a group of extraordinary Englishmen re-enacting the Vietnam War in the Kent countryside. Broadcast on Channel 4 in 2003 and was described by The Times as “a surreal start to the weekend”.
What Goes Up (Must Come Down) his brilliant comedy short film-cum-video stars actor Charlie Creed-Miles’ and features a cameo by Kathy Burke. Dazed and Confused called it an “hilarious taxi romp” and it won the Golden Falcon Award at the 2007 Ibiza International Film Festival
Smith was described by ID Magazine as “the Hype Williams of grime videos, well kind of… if ‘What Goes Up (Must Come Down)’ is anything to go by then perhaps he’s more like the Mike Leigh of hip hop and reggae”.
Smith’s visual flair and instincts for storytelling across a broad range of work has captured the attention of commissioners and allowed him to become one of the most accomplished and in-demand drama directors in Britain.
Director: Adam Smith
Golden Falcon Award Ibiza International Film Festival