Photoplay signs visual wizard Melvin Montalban

Photoplay Films has announced the arrival of film director Melvin Montalban.

The director behind cinematic campaigns including Peugeot ‘Know Who You Are’, Samsung ‘Get Back In The Game’ and Bundaberg Rum ‘Unmistakably Ours’, Montalban’s clever in-camera trickery and focus on strong visual narratives have seen him collaborate with top tier creative agencies including Leo Burnett, The Works, Clemenger BBDO and BWM/Dentsu.

He has also directed playfully bold music videos for progressive Australian artists such as Boy & Bear, The Rubens and White Shadows. With a background in editing, motion graphics and visual effects, Montalban often draws on his technical fluency in post when approaching and shooting highly detailed visual projects.

To view Melvin Montalban’s directing work click here.

Says Montalban: “Part of the appeal of Photoplay is that they feel like a family of filmmakers. Their focus on commercials as well as long form shows a love of storytelling, above all else.

“I’m drawn to scripts with a strong character-driven focus that can be expressed with a bold visual style. For me, crafting an emotional response and telling a story in an unexpected way is key to a good campaign. I also look forward to moving more into performance direction and getting stuck into some larger campaigns.”

Says Oliver Lawrance, executive producer, Photoplay: “We are incredibly excited to have Melvin join the Photoplay fold; he is a super-talented director who brings a flair for design and in-camera magic to his visually emotive storytelling.”

Montalban is currently developing his sci-fi-drama feature Flesh Without Blood with Screen Australia. Alongside co-creators Erica Harrison and Poppy Stockell, his dark comedy web series Triple Oh! is a recipient of Screen Australia’s Gender Matters funding, and is also in development. His short films, Rope Burn and Cupid, have each screened at 20-plus film festivals in Australia and internationally.