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The Banquet

The Banquet stands as an industry-leading production company, distinguished by a roster of award-winning directors.

Banquets invoke abundance, shared time, all imbued with creative conversation. It is from here that the best ideas are born, bonds are made, and new stories begin. We welcome you to our table, to share your ideas and to create.

17/10/2025

Born and raised in the north of England, now based in London, is a director and creative with a lifelong passion for sport.

Over the past decade, he’s delivered standout campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Adidas, Visa, Qatar Airways, Budweiser, EA, and Nissan, featuring global icons like Messi, Neymar, Mbappé, Max Verstappen, and Vinicius Jr.

A true expert in sports advertising, David thrives under the pressure of working with elite athletes, bringing out authentic performances from both pros and non-actors, even in the tightest production windows.

Whether the brief calls for raw human emotion or a playful, tongue-in-cheek touch, David brings an instinctive understanding of tone, story, and pace, making him the perfect director to bring your idea to life.

30/12/2024

On Man wrote the score for my first feature film, ‘The Bansky Job,’ establishing a strong relationship that made directing the video for his latest single, ‘Worse Than it Seems,’ a unique collaboration. Our shared sensibilities and clear goals allowed us to create something that functioned both as a music video and a film, where the song acted as a score. We aimed to ensure the music was never secondary to the visuals, with every narrative beat correlating directly with the song.

The concept we developed centered on themes of discrimination and isolation, telling an allegorical story about a woman growing a third eye on her temple and the derision she faces. We wanted to avoid typical horror film tropes, making the eye feel like a medical affliction rather than a mutation. Working with the incredible VFX supervisor Puff Pisanwalerd, we aimed to create an unsettling yet guilt-inducing eye that felt sentient.

Through extensive research into afflictions and mockups, we decided on the eye's placement at the temple for added discomfort. Realizing we needed a physical prosthetic for the final shoot led us to the talented prosthetic artist Suzi Battersby, who crafted stunning pieces that enhanced immersion.

Casting my dad's eye proved essential for the project, as it needed to be commanding yet repulsive. This required logistical coordination to capture shots effectively. The VFX process took around six weeks, with significant challenges in compositing, particularly during the kiss scene.

To ground the fantastical elements, we adopted a documentary approach to the camera work and lighting, complicating motion tracking for the VFX. DoP Anthony Dias chose to shoot on RED with beautiful K-35 lenses for a unique cinematic quality.

Inspired by David Cronenberg, David Lynch, and Charles Burns’ graphic novel ‘Black Hole,’ we cast Katie Clarkson-Hill for her expressive abilities, alongside Richard Mason, ensuring strong performances. It was a challenging yet rewarding project, achieving a balance between music video and short film.

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26/12/2024

25/12/2024

'This is my third collaboration with On Man, and we've developed a strong understanding of each other's sensibilities. When he asked me to direct the music video for "Survive This," I felt a heavy responsibility to create visuals that honored the raw power of the song.

We initially struggled to find the right concept until I found an article about assisted su***de among elderly couples, which inspired our narrative. On Man loved the idea, but we emphasized sensitivity towards the subject, aiming for something intimate and respectful.

We portrayed the central character’s illness as ambiguous and abstract, allowing for personal interpretations while maintaining a surreal element. I wanted the illness to be visceral and painful, so we worked closely with prosthetic makeup artist Suzi Battersby.

With no dialogue, emotion came from performances by Tim Bentinck and Christopher Fairbank, whose real-life friendship enhanced on-screen intimacy. We ultimately chose a monochrome aesthetic, aligning perfectly with the film’s themes. "Survive This" became one of my most rewarding projects.'

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24/12/2024

ON MAN - SURVIVE THIS

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23/12/2024

Director: Ian Roderick Gray
Editor: Ian Roderick Gray
Producer: Andrew Jim Gannon
Writers: Ian Roderick Gray, Andrew Jim Gannon
Director of Photography: Pablo Rojo
Production Design: Alizé Speed
Sound Mix: Rich Aitken
Prosthetics Artist: Suzi Battersby for Red Girl FX
1st Assistant Director: Alexander Moffat
Makeup Artist: Jessica Kell
Colour Grade: Jonny Tully

Focus Puller: Ollie Craig
2nd AC: Alberto Allica
Gaffer: Anthony Dias
Spark: Emily Waldron
Still Photography: Henry R. White
Digital Imaging Technician: Edward Crompton
Production Coordinator: Lorine Plagnol
Runner: Sean White

CAST
Timothy Bentinck
Christopher Fairbank

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Suzanne and Ian Cunningham
Procam London
Edwin Matthews

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20/12/2024

We knew Sky Bet was taking a bold step with this brief, as it marked a conceptual departure from their direction over the past two years.

Their recent output has leaned heavily into a naturalistic, documentary style, so the challenge was to seamlessly incorporate complex VFX that inspire a sense of wonder into this grounded, "real-world" aesthetic.

The key was to ensure everything felt gritty, lived-in, and tangible, enhancing the contrast with the fantastical elements.

Even those fantastical elements had to feel believable, adhering to realistic physics, lighting, and movement. Believability, rather than hyper-realism, was our priority. We set out to build a world full of imperfections, blemishes, and a deliberate lack of polish.

Anything overly stylised or too clean was rejected, and the performances had to authentically mirror the audience's reactions to ensure that each scene was firmly grounded in reality.

We continuously had to avoid anything that felt too cartoony, which is not always an easy task when you’re working with VFX.

19/12/2024

SKY BET - SUPER WEEK

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18/12/2024

AGENCY AND BRAND: Sky Betting and Gaming
Creative Principle -
Lead Producer -

KEY CREDITS
Production Company: The Banquet
Producer -
Director -
Executive Producers - Adham Hunt and Ian Roderick Gray
DOP -
Production Designer -
VFX Lead/Supervisor:
1st AD - Spencer Wilson
Wardrobe Designer -
HMU Designer -
Editor: Phil Currie
Sound Designer: Tom Joyce
Colorist:
Production Manager -
Client Producer -
2nd AD - David Stocks
Runner - Damilola Alokolaro
Runner - Lauren Mooney
Runner - Finn Power
Runner - Max Holland
Football Choreogrpher - Amanuel Kahsai C/O Sports on Screen
1st AC -
2nd AC -
Camera Trainee -
Key Grip (Dolly) - Malcolm McGilchrist
Key Grip (Crane) -
Crane Tech -
Head Tech - Louis Ackland
Grip Assistant -
VFX Supervisor -
DIT -
Video Playback - Nick Forrester
Ronin - Dan Lobo-Pires
RC Operator - James Davis
Drone Operator - Magnus Honeybourne
Gaffer - Stephen Finberg
Post Production:
VFX/CGI: LMNTL
Modeling Lead: Paul Köhler
VFX Production Lead: Joshua Partyka
Roto/Assist: Florian Kocian
Editing:
Assistants: Chris Hutchings / Laura Zvarikova
Producer: Maggie McDermott
Sound Design:
Coloring:
Producers: Sarah Banks and Charlie Morris

Address

Banquet Media Ltd, 78 Mill Lane
London
NW61JZ

Website

https://www.thebanquet.co.uk/

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