Director Vedran Rupic on Creating a Gravy Lake Baptism for KFC and a Kooky Car Chase for Twix

Taking wild briefs and making them even wilder

Director Vedran Rupic’s cinematic and weird-in-the-best-way style is showcased in two recent high-profile spots—one for KFC, the other for Twix. The KFC ad depicts a man being swept up into a chicken-worshipping cult, culminating in his glorious baptism in a lake of gravy. (The work has sparked a minor backlash owing to its religious themes.)

Rupic’s new Twix ad follows a high-speed car chase that shifts into high gear when the pursued driver flies off a cliff but survives. That’s because he lands on top of another car that looks exactly like his vehicle. And it’s driven by a man who appears to be his twin. You follow?

Here, Rupic, who is repped by Business Club in Sweden and the U.K, discusses his approach to ad-making, the reason he stopped shooting documentaries and what his 10-year-old self would make of his career.

MUSE: When it comes to ad work, what draws your interest as a filmmaker?

Vedran Rupic: I generally look for stuff that aligns with my taste. And if it doesn’t align completely, can I try to steer it in that direction? Not because I’m arrogant to think that I have the finest taste. It’s just that none of my instincts work if I can’t do things to my taste. If one steers a director too far from their taste, they are basically driving a car blindfolded. And drunk. Very dangerous combo. But on a more practical note, if one is not doing something according to their own taste, how do you even know when to stop shooting? I’ve been in that situation. Not ideal.

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The new KFC spot really makes me see KFC in a different way. I love that the brand was willing to do something that’s so out there. Can you tell me about the brief from Mother and how you helped shape that concept?

The brief I got was wild, which made me anxious, because I felt the need to make it wilder. The gravy lake stuff got me really excited. And I put in a lot of effort into making it attached to a rhythmic component that we could manifest in the film. So, we used the giant egg for that. But the fine people at Mother and KFC gave me a lot of space to shape the film, which I’m very grateful for.

Where did you film this spot, and what was the biggest challenge? Was there one thing that you felt like you had to get right to make sure it worked? I really liked the bubbling gravy lake.

We shot this close to Cape Town in South Africa. There were so many things to get right. We had to build a small lake next to something that looked like a shoreline. That was hard, because it severely limited our location options. We also tried building a piece of a giant egg. We did everything possible to reduce its weight, but it was still heavy enough to kill a person if they found themselves under it. I also didn’t want to rig it because I wanted the real interaction of them picking it up and dropping it. So, we had to go with an inflatable egg that the fine people at Black Kite could rebuild in CG.  

The new Twix ad from Adam&EveDDB—can you tell me about the vibe you were going for? And were you inspired by any classic car-going-over-the-cliff movie moments?

I downloaded all the classics, and then edited all the car chase scenes onto a timeline. And by classics I also include B-movies. As long as it was vintage, and it had a car chase, I’d look at it. It was a very rewarding experience. Sometimes, the films would have these very elaborate and borderline stupid camera moves, and I was disappointed I couldn’t replicate them because they were too long. But probably the biggest takeaway was that the edit is so crucial for these types of films. Making sure to get enough coverage. It feels like before the advent of CG, one had to trick the audience more with the edit. And I love that aesthetic.

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These KFC and Twix ads feel like scenes from a movie, part of something bigger. When you make a commercial, do you—even just for yourself—try to imagine what happened before and after what we see on screen?

Sometimes I do. And sometimes I deliberately don’t. Sometimes the humor in a piece lies in the complete lack of context. Like, this is not a slice of something bigger. Or in a best case scenario, whatever it is that the viewer envisions, before or after, would have to be something pretty stupid. I love that sweet spot.

Do you tend to work with the same crew when you make commercials?

I try to work with the same people when I can. It speeds things up a lot, which gives one more time to think about details. If one is having these broad, philosophical direction and taste alignments with all new people on every job, there will be zero time to make the film. 

You made documentaries when you started your career as a filmmaker. Can you tell me about the types of films you made early on and why you shifted your focus to narrative?

I started in documentaries because I thought that it would be easier. So, I made a film and found out it was not easier. But I would do everything from small character portraits to films about a specific subject. You notice how vague I am? That’s because I know nothing about documentaries. But in all honesty, I think observational-style documentaries that really hang on to a subject, letting a narrative slowly build while suppressing their urge to influence it, will always have a special place in my heart. I watched a film called Darwin’s Nightmare and figured I could never do a film that good. So, I gave up.

What are you working on now? Any projects happening outside of advertising at the moment?

I’m slowly chipping away at my feature film script. The emphasis is on the word slowly. I’m also developing a product that nobody asked for. Is this a good use of my time? No. But does it make sense to do? Also, no.

Beyond being a director, do you have other creative outlets? Do you draw, paint, sing, write?

I kind of do all of these things, but without the talent. I love to make music, tinker with things, build stuff. But music-making has taken up all my non-work-related creative bandwidth.

And what would your 10-year-old self make of your success as a director?

He would mostly be upset about me failing to become a scientist.