Independent creative lab Los York and its sister production company Los Films have signed director Raphael Vangelis.
A multidisciplinary director with a background in filmmaking, editing, motion graphics, animation, live action and model-making, Vangelis is also known for his art installations that are inspired by the street art of Banksy and Keith Haring. Vangelis’ “Brickflats” series are resin cast boxes that fill the space of missing bricks in walls and buildings and contain colorful figures of people squashed-in, reflecting the cramped living conditions many face in London and Barcelona.
His directing work includes visually spectacular collages of color and movement that are like living artworks. For example, a recent campaign he directed for Casper, the DTC mattress and bedding maker, is a magical fusion of live action and stop-motion camera work.
“Raphael works at a highly seductive, hypnotic level seldom achieved in our industry,” said Los York founder/ECD Seth Epstein. “He is an artist-savant, a wizard, a creator of intoxicating worlds on film. Seeing his work is like stepping into a magnificent dream. He is an accomplished live-action filmmaker who brilliantly blends the real and the surreal. A true discovery, Raphael is already wowing brands and winning bids. This is the start of a beautiful relationship.”
Vangelis got his start in the film and advertising industry as a 3D artist with Buck in New York, later as a director with Hornet in New York and Glassworks in London, and as a creative director with ManvsMachine also in London. Over the years he has built a singular reputation as a fully hands-on creator, immersing himself in projects from concept to postproduction. He has worked on campaigns for top brands from Nike to Bombay Sapphire. Lately, he has been busy exploring the nooks and crannies of European cities, installing his Brickflat sculptures wherever he finds a hole in a wall.
Vangelis said of his colleagues at Los York, “They have proven over and over how to put ideas first and be versatile in any form of execution. This approach fits me and makes me fit in perfectly. Together we hope to work with playful, imaginative brands that look for concept-driven content. I can’t wait to do some high-class mixed media action together–and I don’t mean recycling.”
