London-based director Miranda May brings a fashion-born, Swiss-army-knife approach to commercial filmmaking – blending editorial, music and sport sensibilities with a sharp understanding of brand strategy. Repped by GREATERGOOD (USA), Darling Films (UK), Rep Media and Radiance Pictures, and fresh off a Best Director 2025 Creative Circle win, she’s as obsessed with the log line and emotional brief as she is with the styling on set.

Her work spans fashion, beauty, sport and luxury, as well as music videos and virtual production, with standout pieces for brands like Batiste, Sky, Adidas Huni and Vaseline. From sophisticated, statement visuals to tightly crafted storytelling, she gravitates toward scripts that are bold, stylised and unafraid to say something.

Whether she’s writing treatments powered by visual AI, shooting in LED volumes or mentoring emerging talent on set, Miranda’s mission is clear: to create highly creative, editorial-feeling films that still sit perfectly within a brand’s long-term Journey. Not just as pretty one-offs.

Miranda sat down with CreativePool to talk about her latest virtual production projects, why research and context are non-negotiable for any treatment, and how strong communication – not ego – is the real superpower on set.

Name: Miranda May
Location: London
Repped by/in: GREATERGOOD (USA) / Darling Films (UK) / Rep Media - music videos (UK) / Radiance Pictures - music videos (USA)
Awards: Best Director 2025 Creative Circle

What are some upcoming projects that you're excited about? Tell us a bit about them?

I have two new projects both shot in virtual production studios, a new beauty campaign and a music video with choreography.

What excites you in the advertising industry right now, as a director? Any trends or changes that open new opportunities?

The ability to shoot and travel anywhere is amazing. I love going to all parts of the world to work. I also love how the ad industry is really embracing a stylized approach, naturally I am a very creative Director with a specific style even in commercials so that’s exciting too.

What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?

A script with a really “out there” story and visual concept is what I love. Something where the creative is sophisticated and not afraid of being a statement piece. I come from a fashion, editorial, music world so the more the visual has to say creatively the more excited I am.

How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

The brief is everything so I would outline what it’s really asking me and refine it into a log line. Define the themes, the mood, the emotion, who it’s supposed to be for. This is the core building blocks for creating a really strong, relevant concept for that brand. Research and context on the brand are essential. An ad to a Director is just one film, but an ad to a brand is a small piece in years’ worth of strategy, I’m very aware of that and make sure my concept fits in that journey, not just as an amazing standalone piece. Then, visuals are everything, extremely strong visual references, being really clear about what it is, nothing weak or vague, my treatments are specific, detailed and in-depth, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting, and you’ll see the visual as clearly as I do.

If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?

I think I already answered this question in my response above. Regardless of how well you know the brand, understanding its legacy and its future is the first step every treatment process should take to create meaningful work and a strong idea that responds to the brief with purpose.

For you, what is the most important working relationship for a director to have with another person in making an ad? And why?

The difference between a director and a creative person is social skills. Anyone can write a treatment or think of a good idea, being a director is about communication and decision making. With that in mind, the most important relationship is all of them, there is no one “more or less important”, a director should be able to communicate with everyone, but the most important thing a director needs in any of their relationships is the ability to know what they want and communicate that effectively.

What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?

Fashion beauty sport luxury. Anything creative, stylised and editorial. Anything with great story telling or a striking visual or both. I am a writer and a visualiser. I can do the stuff that looks good, I can also do the stuff that tells a story. And I love both.

What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

No one thinks I’m the director when I walk on set. I’m told the models are supposed to go to the other room, or the makeup team aren’t supposed to be here yet. I was told: “Don’t sit there, that’s the director’s chair” once. But I happily prove them wrong every time – it’s fun.

Have you ever worked with a cost consultant and if so how have your experiences been?

No.

What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

No problem is crazy, things happen and you need to deal with it and move forward.

How do you strike the balance between being open/collaborative with the agency and brand client while also protecting the idea?

It depends on the client, the relationship they have with you and the agency. Again it’s about communication. At the end of the day, it’s your job to communicate why something is the right decision for their concept, if you don’t communicate it well enough, they won’t get it and that’s on you. It’s also at the end of the day their job to make decisions, and you need to honour that. As long as you create an idea that’s right for the project, you shouldn’t have a conflict between what you and the client wants.

What are your thoughts on opening up the production world to a more diverse pool of talent? Are you open to mentoring and apprenticeships on set?

I already mentor a lot on set, i do a lot of workshops, panel talks etc.

Your work is now presented in so many different formats - to what extent do you keep each in mind while you're working (and, equally, to what degree is it possible to do so)?

Knowledge of deliverables across platforms is essential but it shouldn’t affect the idea. Create the core idea, execute it in all the formats next.

What’s your relationship with new technology and, if at all, how do you incorporate future-facing tech into your work (e.g. virtual production, interactive storytelling, AI/data-driven visuals etc)?

My last two shoots were virtual production, I use visual ai in all my treatments. Times are changing and you need to move with them, in a way that benefits your ability to communicate an idea.

Which pieces of your work do you feel show what you do best – and why? Include 3-4 links and a sentence or 2 about each piece of work!

Batiste, Sky, Adidas Huni, Vaseline.