From Clint Eastwood to George Clooney, the film world is sprinkled with actors who have successfully made a bid for the director’s chair. So today’s aspiring commercial director Sebastien Guy is in good company. Working in LA and Sydney, Sebastien spent years building up an acting career, before diving behind the camera at aussie production house Luscious International a year ago. And with a clutch of gold and silvers from the Australian Cinematography Awards, it looks like Sebastien’s career move has paid off.

When and why did you make the switch from working in-front of the camera to working behind it?
I officially made the switch a year ago when I started to direct. I made the switch because I find directing much more satisfying and creative. As an actor you have limited control, especially when you are starting out. But as a director you get to use your brain and be creative.

How do you think your acting experience has helped your directing work? And do you miss acting?
My acting experience has undoubtedly helped me as a director. I know what actors think, their fears, their motivation. Most actors don’t understand the whole production process, so if you have to do another take, they automatically think it’s because of them and then they can become more self aware and get progressively worse as the shoot goes on. I think I know how to talk and relate to actors, which in the end gives me better performances.

I don’t really miss acting at all, but I still do the odd acting job if I’m right for something and even in commercials once in a while. I think its important for me to keep acting every once in a while so that I’m constantly reminded as a director what its like. You can easily forget because of all the elements that involve filmmaking. But as a whole, I feel much more comfortable behind the camera.

There is a real darkness to some of your work – especially Your Own Worst Enemy. Can you talk me through that spot – the challenges and how you put it together?
It always surprises people who know me when they see my work, because there is such a dark side to it and as a person, I’m a really happy, upbeat and easy going guy. But I’ve always been more attracted to the darker themes. I don’t know why really. But I do feel that dark subtext allows you as a filmmaker to have a great visual style and can really be expressed in some interesting ways.

My Worst Enemy spot was, overall, pretty easy. The hardest part was we had no money, so we had very limited crew and everyone was working for free and we had to work with what we had, not what we could get. But in a way that makes things easier sometimes. Sometimes the best creativity comes from your limitations. Everyone was there on a two-night shoot because they wanted to be there. So the support and energy was fantastic on the shoot.

Are you still based in LA or are you now in Australia? Where are you from originally?
I’m based in Sydney because that’s where Luscious International is based. But next to Sydney, LA is like my second home. I’m originally French and Australian. My mother is French and my father Australian. But I lived as an expatriate around the world, so I grew up going to international/American schools in the Middle East and Asia. French was actually my first language.

If you were me, what question would you ask yourself?
That’s a great question! I’d ask what would be the one piece of advice I would give to aspiring directors/filmmakers? And the answer to that is: Just go out and shoot. Don’t worry about what camera you have or don’t have or how much money it will cost. Work with your limitations and use them as reason to try something different or unique. We all have bad work in us. But you learn from those mistakes and it gives you the confidence to know that you can do it. So by the time you get your first job, you will most likely be reaching into a bag of old tricks you’ve already mastered.

Which piece of your directing work are you most proud of and why?
I think there’s something in everything I’ve done that I’m proud of, because I always try something new every time I shoot. It’s really important to me to feel that I’m growing and learning.
But I’m really proud of Worst Enemy because of the impact it’s having on people. I also did a jewelry ad for a client Samantha Wills, which I’m quite proud of because it was such a different type of ad for me. It’s really light and upbeat for one and there were no actors or narrative story. It was more about just capturing the essence of her brand with beautiful visuals. It was the first chance I got to show another side of my directing. It was also the first time I experimented with the Canon 5D MkII. We shot the whole ad with that camera and the final product was stunning. Callan Green (the DP) did an amazing job. The ad won the Gold at the Australian Cinematography Society awards.

Your work has been very successful at the Australian Cinematography awards – why do you think this is?
I just want my work to look good. I spent years learning to direct by shooting stuff on crappy DV cameras. But now with the advance of cameras, like the Canon 5D, you can go out and shoot something inexpensively and still have it look amazing that I find there is no excuse for something not to look good. Filmmaking is art. Whether it’s an ad or feature film. So the audience should see something visually impressive.

What are your directorial ambitions?
I want to be a kick ass commercial director! I’m so passionate about this and feel incredibly lucky to be in this position. So I want to continue to grow and learn how to be a great storyteller. Of course, I want to direct feature films and television, but right now I want to make great ads. If I do that, the rest will come in its own time.

To find out more go to Luscious International