Talia Beale

What role did creativity and creation play in your upbringing? How did those early experiences shape your path as a multi-hyphenate artist and director?

Being the youngest child with large age gaps between my siblings there were never any boundaries to my play. I was allowed to get on with things so I played in abundance. From having a constantly growing Lego town to hoarding things in my garden shed like a DIY museum, to spending countless hours on Sims 3 to playing snooker with rotating characters at youth club. Play was discovered in multiple different places, formats and people for me too – my sister always told me there’s more than one way of doing things so naturally that’s trickled into my broad approach to creativity and world-building has been cemented within my DNA.

Director, Writer, Musician, Photographer, Digital Artist… these stills are taken from multi-hyphenate Talia Beale’s landscape photography portfolio

What did the script look like when you came on board for this Fred Perry spot? How did you collaborate with such a historic brand to create something that feels fresh and true to the next generation?

Academy approached me saying that Fred Perry was looking for a part-music video, part-film that felt like a love letter to going out. One which explored niche and authentic people who live for a certain scene, and why they get ready in the way that they do. The brief was purely made up of questions to explore rather than a pre-made idea that I had to cater to. I wanted to bring the film to the underground where a marketing team hasn’t sculptured anyone’s image or tongue yet; to a space where imagination, collaboration and hustling is bubbling at its centre, one that’s been a second home to me since 2018 – i was also curious why i too, am drawn to such a community of people. 

So the Fred Perry team put a lot of trust in me. They kept the brief extremely open the whole way through – which is a rarity, but it meant I was able to completely run with the idea and put everyone’s ear to the ground without brand rules and regulations diluting its message. I presented them to a few friends who have bold, dynamic and go-getter characters and then the story made itself. 

You involved your friends in the filming of “Get Ready.” What was that experience like, and what aspect of getting ready for a night out did you most want to capture and communicate through them?

Creating with friends will always make work feel euphoric. It’s the most comfortable I’ve felt on set for sure. I’d be documenting and creating with these guys anyway, so it’s sick when there’s a solid team to help elevate the whole vision and help roll it out into the world. After having an initial interview with everyone before the shoot, I wanted to further explore the repeated themes of feeling overstimulated in London, the do it yourself mentality and that ‘choose your character’ style ethos. 

Your work has a raw, real, and unfussy feel, even though it undoubtedly takes countless hours to produce. Do you feel drawn to showing life “as is,” and what drives your approach to authenticity?

Nothing drives my approach to be authentic, my vision so far is raw and unfussy because that’s how I am, that’s how Tottenham made me, to be sure of yourself within what’s imperfect and to move with purpose, I want things to feel true to me so that’s how I show up for projects. 

I’d say whimsical, uncanny moments are what I’m really drawn to. The nonsensical and theatrical corners of life that may or may not exist within the real – I like when things are complex and there’s 4,000 things happening at once and people try to make sense of something that really has no linear understanding. That art house film approach is my desired approach but the budget has to be healthy enough for me to do that. 

You’ve commented previously that you feel we’re in an era with “no defined subculture,” where young people are exploring multiple interests and areas simultaneously and prioritising experimentation. What do you think is behind this shift, and how do you think this will impact the creative industries and society more generally as Gen Z makes their mark on the world?

It’s hard to pinpoint while I’m still a part of it, but social media runs through our realities like a hypnotic river. That’s probably why. Everyone has a very small but loud hyper awareness of almost everything. Let alone to mention the front row seats we all have in each other’s lives. We’re like a constantly turning mix and match flip book of our desired selves; who are inspired by other collaged selves, often presented through an online self. Gen Z’s identities will always be attached to the internet as long as we’re on it, so how can there be a defined subculture when we represent such a huge network of differing information? Any industry will always remain scary to me no matter who’s behind it, as long as there’s class wars it doesn’t matter if Gen Z’s making their mark or not. I guess Gen Z will make things more open and accessible and fun but at the same time more complex.

Among your many skills is your work as a musician under the TaliaBle name. How does your work in film and visuals influence your music making, and vice versa? How did sound design play a role in “Get Ready”?

I see visual and music as one, without borders, it’s all art! So my music is a place; TaliaBle is a character, the sound and lyrics are narration and the visual allows it all to exist in a shapeshifting world. I use TaliaBle to take risks, create spectacles and be loud with those inner voices. A fun fact is I often use myself as an experiment with visual ideas that haven’t won a pitch for signed artists and vice versa. Both outlets inform each other. 

The sound for Get Ready was actually a beat my producer randomly sent to me to rap on while I was in an edit session at assembly rooms. The film didn’t have music at the time so I quickly airdropped the beat over to see if it worked with the visual and it did; So it stayed for Fred Perry instead of being a TaliaBle song. 

What advice would you give to brands and agencies trying to connect with Gen Z in a genuine way?

Have genuine people on your team haha! 

What are you currently working on? Are there any dream projects or new directions that you’re excited to explore?

Recently I’ve begun doing more 2nd unit directing within commercials which is something I’m looking forward to doing more of until I’m ready to tackle one on my own. I’m finishing up directing some socials for an Academy commercial at the moment which will hopefully lead to a dream of mine to direct a commercial like ‘Nike – nothing beats a Londoner’. I’d also love to creative direct a whole campaign with an experimental musician; Curating their live show visuals and set design to their merch, release party, music video film, visualisers, and IRL promotion. I want to give someone the whole package!

Interview by Becca Nichols

@taliable

@talia_beale

@academyfilms

Academy website

Talia Beale website