Director's Works
Starbucks, Everything Feels Worse John Larigakis
John is a Canadian director and writer. His work combines surreal visual storytelling with subtle comedic performances, practical effects, and richly crafted art direction. He originally comes from the agency side as an Art Director and Creative Director, and he enjoys bringing metaphorical, imaginative scenes to life that wouldn’t otherwise exist in reality. Last year his work was awarded at the Berlin Commercial Awards and at the Advertising & Design Club of Canada for commercial film under 30 seconds and best use of Art Direction in film.
Being a new parent, this spot fell right out of my own experience. I wanted to capture that pre-dawn feeling—up early with the baby, already behind on work, and running on little sleep. In that state, even the smallest inconvenience feels amplified. To make the space feel authentic, we transformed a bare kitchen into a lived-in environment, adding texture, wallpaper, imperfections and character. The giant foam letter block was custom-built with layers of foam and hand-painted for realism, and we found a performer who could nail both the expressions and the physical stunt. After a number of takes with a stunt coordinator, we got the perfect shot: a huge block impact with a bowl even flying up in the background and spinning like a top on the counter. Don’t worry, our actor is fine and well—and his mom loves the shot :)