David Reviews - Soul to soul with Hanna Maria Heidrich.

A conversation with Hanna Maria Heidrich had been on the cards for over a year before we finally managed to 'meet' over Zoom a little while ago. Our wide-ranging conversation focused on 'Souls' - a German-language episodic drama which almost defies categorisation - but eventually took in a great deal more, and it was impossible not be impressed by her verve, energy and charisma.

After we'd congratulated ourselves on finally starting the long-promised conversation, we talked about her relatively low profile in the UK, where it feels, despite her huge success elsewhere, she's still an undiscovered talent. She knows this is mere happenstance, and, between us, we agreed she could not have a more vigorous champion than James Covill at Believe Media UK. It's just the way the dice have fallen... so far.

“I'm now longing for something more quirky, something less polished, something that's less big in a way. And I think that is where the the UK market is more interesting.”

When, in 2018, she was tasked with directing Pepsi's Super Bowl commercial, she recognised that it would likely take her up to the next level. Which it did, but that brings new challenges: "going to the next step means you are suddenly pitching against your former idols, and that means that you don't win all of those pitches."

Pepsi - ‘This is the Pepsi’

As she described her own response to this challenge, you can see how driven she is: "I realised I would have to work so much harder than anyone else, so I would deliver the absolute killer, killer, killer treatment."

But in the rarefied atmosphere closer to the summit of the mountain, being fantastically well prepared isn't always enough: "Sometimes it doesn't matter how good your treatment is, because this other guy has fifteen years more on his reel."

“For years I was sending a message to the universe that was saying, I want to do more car work.”

With a broad smile evident beneath the broad-brimmed hat she wears for our conversation, it's evident she relishes the challenge of this seemingly unwinnable fight and it feels as though nothing could daunt her.

And her confidence has a solid foundation. US agencies have welcomed the opportunity to work with her and she spent a lot of 2022 on the other side of the Atlantic working on a number of different American jobs, as she often has in previous years.

Lexus - ‘Unfollow’

It's probably another measure of her competitiveness that she set her sights in particular on car commercials, probably the product sector where outdated notions mean the ads are least likely to be directed by a woman: "For years I was sending a message to the universe that was saying, I want to do more car work. And I think it was a little internal game as there were not a lot of female directors really doing that."

Heidrich more than ticked that box and really began to enjoy this work, but has set herself a new 'internal challenge': "I'm now longing for something more quirky, something less polished, something that's less big in a way. And I think that is where the the UK market is more interesting."

SKY Originals - ‘Souls’

Having asked the universe (and the creatives who read DAVID REVIEWS) to manifest her wish to see the scripts that would enable her to make the wonderfully quirky advertising she associates with London agencies, we begin speaking about 'Souls' - the drama dreamed up by her partner Alex Eslam during lockdown.

Heidrich directed three episodes of 'Souls', and it's clear that the husband and wife team work incredibly harmoniously together, not least because it's not that long since the couple added parenthood to their already busy schedule.

“The pitching process isn't good for directors any more.”

As Hanna Maria Heidrich details the plot of the drama, her enthusiasm for it bubbles over. She sees it much more as her husband's project than her own - he wrote it, after all - and that allows her to speak about it like a fan might.

It sounded mighty intriguing and when we got the chance to watch it when it was broadcast in the UK, we were delighted to discover that none of this enthusiasm was misplaced. It is an immensely intelligent drama and is fascinating from beginning to end. Often when writers establish a premise as promising as this, the denouement is ultimately disappointing. 'Souls' bucks this trend by providing a very satisfying conclusion, and is beautifully measured and often very funny, on its journey towards it. (It's available to watch on Sky Atlantic, and you should).

Just as we were preparing to say our goodbyes, Hanna had one more thing she wanted to talk about, and it chimed very much with DAVID because it concerned the issue of treatment writing, something to which we have dedicated time and space in the past year.

Hanna feels very strongly that "the pitching process isn't good for directors any more." She set out a number of scenarios which are distinctly unfair to directors: projects where it hasn't yet been determined if they'll definitely go ahead; projects where she has been in competition with four other directors; and, most of all, she feels it's ridiculous that directors provide so many free ideas during the pitching process.

Hanna's answer is to change the culture around pitching, and she's approached some like-minded directors in Germany to establish guidelines in a bid to ensure that pitching isn't slanted against them, and that a flat fee is provided to cover the cost of a pitch.

This imitative has built up a head of steam, and at the time of our conversation, the agency trade body in Germany was about to meet to discuss this idea.

She feels it's an exportable idea, and hopes to persuade directors in other territories to adopt the same principles. Based on conversations DAVID has had with film production companies in the UK, Hanna is likely to be pushing on an open door. The devil is often in the detail but if an international agreement could be forged, no one would be happier than the every busy, ever pro-active, incredibly impressive Hanna Maria Heidrich as it would mean the universe had manifested yet another of her ambitious wishes.

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