#stuart mcintyre

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'Andrew gave more than I could've ever asked for' : Stuart McIntyre on making Sam Fender’s People Watching video with Andrew Scott | Feature

The commercials director, making his very first promo, says a shared experience with the acclaimed actor drove the project - and his love fo

'...Stuart McIntyre's video for the title track of the new Sam Fender album has a lot in common with previous Fender videos - and one important difference.

The singer-songwriter's anthemic songs tends to inspire visuals that are big cinematic experiences, with a strong emotional core. McIntyre's promo for People Watching follows that pattern, and then adds a special ingredient: the main protagonist happens to be played by one of the world's best screen actors.

In various roles - from Sherlock to Fleabag to All Of Us Strangers to Ripley - Andrew Scott has been a mesmerising presence. In the People Watching video he brings his trademark intensity, and compelling ambiguity, to his role as an apparently rootless character, drifting through small-town America, engaging in a series of brief encounters along the way. But this time he burns up the screen without a word of dialogue.

As the song reaches its crescendo, McIntyre brings in other elements, flashbacks to the past - the home movie footage of a young boy, and a sick woman in bed - into a bravura sequence where the Scott character is overwhelmed by their emotional turmoil. It's a remarkable, transcendent moment to express the potentially crippling impact of grief.

In fact, bereavement runs through the course of the project. It inspired Fender's song, and as Stuart McIntyre explains, it has affected both himself and Andrew Scott in recent times...

Can you tell us a bit more about how Andrew Scott became attached to the project?

SM: Andrew came on board after we were greenlit. I don’t know the exact details of how the label reached out, but my understanding is that Andrew was already a fan of Sam’s work. However, it was the song itself that truly resonated with him. Having recently lost his mother, its themes of grief and remembrance felt deeply personal, and he may have seen an opportunity to explore those emotions through the film.

That personal connection brought an unforgettable authenticity to his performance, making this collaboration all the more meaningful for everyone.

Was there a lot of discussion between yourself and Andrew about his character before the shoot?

SM: Andrew and I spoke at length about the character - before the shoot and throughout. His motivations, his grief, his quiet longing. But more than that, we talked about our own experiences.

One idea that resonated deeply with both of us was how this character is always reaching - for touch, for connection, for something to hold onto. Whether through hugs, holding hands, even through conflict, he’s grasping for something just beyond his reach. Trying to fill a void. Trying to tether himself to the world. That ache sits inside him, unspoken but ever-present.

But the real turning point came when Andrew shared a sketch he had drawn of his mother. The moment I saw it, I knew - that was the heart of the film. That was what he had been chasing all along. Throughout the story, we see him sketching, but we never quite see what he’s drawing, until the very end. That realization gave everything a deeper weight, an emotional throughline that felt inevitable.

It must be said, Andrew gave a lot to this film. More than I could have ever asked for. He allowed himself to be vulnerable, to let the camera see him. That kind of bravery doesn’t happen without trust. And for me, for all of us on set, it was essential to create a space where he felt safe enough to let go, to explore, to give himself fully to the moment.

And you feel it. In every glance, in every silence, in every flicker of his eyes—there’s something raw, something searching. A longing that never quite finds its answer. It’s beautiful. It’s heartbreaking. I’m so grateful.

And did you have much (or any) direct communication with Sam Fender during the process? If so, at which point did he make a valuable contribution?

SM: I didn’t have the chance to speak directly with Sam, but I collaborated closely with creative director, Semera Khan, whose insights became a guiding force in shaping the film’s heart. She shared Sam’s vision, his hopes for the piece, and, most importantly, the weight of the song’s meaning - the love and grief intertwined in his tribute to Annie Orwin, his godma.

Sam’s presence was profoundly felt through Samera’s guidance, in every note of the song, and in the raw emotion he infused into it.

From our very first conversation with Andrew, we kept returning to grief, loss, and the delicate responsibility of honouring those we’ve lost. But this wasn’t merely about telling a story. It was about capturing something unspoken, something that belonged to Sam and Annie yet resonated with all of us. Everyone on set carried their own experiences of loss, their own quiet understanding of its weight. That shared knowing united us, urging us to create something honest, something that mattered.

Since its release, I’ve been overwhelmed by messages from people navigating their own grief, sharing how this film has touched them. It’s a profound reminder of why we create—to connect, to console, and to remind each other that we don’t bear our grief alone.

I’m incredibly proud to have helped bring this story to life, to have crafted something that lingers beyond the screen.'

[thedeptofsales]

A symphony of sports sounds appear in Dicks Sporting Goods latest commercial directed by Stuart McIntyre.

[thedeptofsales]

Stuart McIntyre directed this beautiful new spot for Gatorade, featuring Lionel Messi.

[mellowyknox]

Jonnie Walker Black "A Different Triumph"

Agency: XL Alliance New York Creative Director: Carlos Perez

Production: Steam Films New York Director: Stuart A. McIntyre Cinematographer: Dylan MacLeod Editor: Graham Chisholm Colourist: Wade Odlum

Starring: Jorge Posada

Year: 2012

[mellowyknox]

Louis Vuitton "Dream"

Louis Vuitton "Word"

Agency : Ogilvy & Mather Paris

Production: Steam Films Toronto Director: Stuart A. McIntyre Cinematographer: Kris Belchevski Editor: Stephen Sora Colourist: Wade Odlum

Year: 2012

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Louis Vuitton "Word" - Directed by Stuart McIntyre in collaboration with Ogilvy Paris

Starring Mos Definitely not your average emcee...Yasiin Bey