Eleanor US Welcomes Connoisseur of Craft Femi Ladi

Lady Eleanor caught up with the Connoisseur of Craft himself, Femi Ladi, to hear the inside scoop on Ladi’s grand directorial adventures.

Lady Eleanor: As a filmmaker, how do you continually find inspiration to fuel your creative endeavors?

Femi Ladi: I believe inspiration is all around us, and as a filmmaker I make a conscious effort to remain open to it in its many forms. My natural curiosity drives me to explore new experiences, which often sparks fresh ideas.

I actively work on refining my taste. I immerse myself in a wide array of artistic expressions—whether it’s cinema, music, photography, or live performances like theater,  visiting galleries and reading foreign novels.  While I engage with these art forms out of genuine interest, I’m also intentionally receptive to how they might influence my own work. As I aim to create films that are rich and multifaceted, reflecting the broad spectrum of artistic influences that I'm inspired form.

Recently, I’ve been particularly fascinated by video essays on the theory of filmmaking, which have deepened my understanding and provided new perspectives on the craft.

Lady Eleanor: In your own words, what does the essence of 'craft' signify to you, both personally and professionally?

Femi Ladi: To me, the essence of 'craft' lies in the deliberate and skillful use of every artistic tool at your disposal to elevate a creative idea. It’s about ensuring that each element of filmmaking—whether it's the type of performance, cinematography, sound design, editing, grading all harmoniously integrates into the overarching narrative. When these components are thoughtfully and tastefully woven together, it hits deeper than just the surface level and it subconsciously speaks to the audiences in a way I find fascinating and profound.

Personally and professionally, I view craft as the meticulous attention to detail that transforms a concept into a fully realized, resonant piece of art. 

Lady Eleanor: Could you elaborate on your creative process and how it aids in crystallizing your vision for a project? 

Femi Ladi: My creative process is something I’ve honed over time, much like any skill that improves with practice. I see creativity as a muscle that can be trained and strengthened through consistent effort. As I mentioned earlier, I’m always open to inspiration, and I make it a habit to jot down ideas whenever they come to me, even if there’s no immediate project in mind. Some of these ideas turn out to be promising, while others might not lead anywhere, but I find the practice invaluable in keeping my creative flow active.

One of the most effective strategies I’ve developed for crystallizing my vision is to focus on a single, key idea. By simplifying the core concept, I can more easily explore how to use every tool in filmmaking to reinforce and enhance that central idea. This approach allows me to channel my creativity in ways that are both innovative and aligned with the overall vision of the project.

Lady Eleanor: Take us behind the scenes of your critically acclaimed music video, “MY FAMILY”. 

Femi Ladi: When I heard the track, I was like, it's so raw, and it's so in your face, and it's so aggressive, but what they're talking about is brotherhood. It's actually quite sweet what they're talking about. I didn’t want to change them in any way. I want them to just feel as gully as they are. But, I want to bring something that feels heightened to the original idea. 

It was a bit different, because Pa Salieu, the main artist, was in Coventry, and BackRoad Gee was in London. And they're maybe, like, two hours away from each other. But at the time, Pa Salieu, because of like, legal reasons or whatever, couldn't leave Coventry and BackRoad Gee didn't want to come up to come to Coventry. And so it was like, how do you connect the two worlds in a certain way? I tried to use every tool of filmmaking to tell the story. So I was like, in this one, listen, let me just use the camera as the storytelling thing, if I replicate the exact same moves using this robot in Coventry, I could bring a robot down and it does the exact same moves in London, I could have something cut easily between the two, so it feels like very similar, it feels seamless when I cut between the two. 

Instead of actors or dancers or whatever, I got all of their real friends. They were just so authentic. Everything that they were doing, just felt so real. And I think you could see that straight away in it. I just allowed them to be completely themselves. Then just tried to observe it in this kind of heightened way.

Lady Eleanor: What was the wildest obstacle you faced on set, and how did you solve that problem?

Femi Ladi: In the STORMZY music video, they wanted a monkey to roll weed. I was like, I don’t think this is possible. But we spoke to the handler and they said, yeah this is possible. If you send over the grinder, we’ll teach it, and it will do it. Four days before the shoot we got word that the monkey had learned to do it. I was like, this is amazing. 

Then, we get on set and the monkey was just like smacking it around. I don’t think the animal handler knew what grinding was, so she just gave the money the grinder to play with it. We’re shooting for about an hour and a half, just trying to get it to grind, and it didn’t do it. 

So we got his backup monkey to come in. As soon as that monkey came out, it attacked our first AD. It just slapped him straight away. So we got back the original monkey. 

It was just this weird moment when we’re worrying about this monkey grinding. Then, there was a take where it almost started to do it. Me and the VFX supervisor were brainstorming possible solutions and we figured out we can isolate his fingers and create a gif out of it. He made something real quick and it worked. It looked like the monkey was grinding. 

Directing in general is, like it is, it's just loads of fires that you're just trying to put out from your original idea. There's always something that's potentially not going how you saw it. I try to figure out the best solution as quick as possible. I think that's the mark of a good director. 

Lady Eleanor: What inspired your award-winning short film “OBA”?

Femi Ladi: I had this story within me. I hadn't written yet, but I always knew I wanted to make this story. It was a personal, small story. I’m basically the person in the film. It's a bit about my family. They are part of a royal family in a village in Nigeria. And so all my life, when I was younger, a lot of people would call me prince, because they're quite a prominent tribe of where this kingdom. But obviously I didn't believe it, because I grew up on a council estate. 

There was this running feeding amongst a lot of Nigerians in the UK at the time, that everyone's a prince from this village. I was actually quite adverse to it. I actually didn't want to ever really speak about it. Because I was like, it's a bit it's a bit corny. As I have grown in general, as a person, as a human, even as a filmmakers, I’ve looked more inwards, at my family and family stories to find inspiration for things. This was a subject I knew very well. It's almost like folklore that has been told to me so many times. So I was just kind of imagining, what if I got chosen to be the next king of this village? What would that look like in an afrofuturist, spiritual way. 

What metaphors or themes were you exploring in your works such as "Toxic Trait," "Palace," "Jorja," "Victory Dance," and "Disney"?

Each project mentioned explores its own unique set of metaphors and themes, often guided by the specific brief of the project. However, a common thread that runs through all of them is a subtle blend of surrealism and subversion. As a filmmaker, I’m deeply interested in portraying real, authentic human experiences, but I’m equally drawn to Afro-surrealist expression. I'm really interested in creating entirely different worlds that are organically connected to this world. This duality naturally finds its way into my work, where I strive to fuse the tangible with the fantastical. In each of these projects, you can see a reflection of this approach, where everyday realities are often blended in with elements that challenge or expand our usual perceptions. 

"Toxic Trait"

This video draws heavily from the world of visual art, with influences ranging from French Renaissance paintings to modern abstract art. Artists like Kerry James Marshall served as a significant starting point for the visuals. My aim was to create a fusion of Renaissance figurative narrative storytelling that, while rooted in something authentic it also slightly leads into absurdity. The track itself is bold and braggadocious, and the video reflects this by mirroring the audacity found in certain types of rap, which often use wild imagery through similes and metaphors.

"Palace X Alpine F1 X Kappa"

For this piece, I wanted to capture the cheeky and irreverent tone that Palace’s marketing is known for, while also integrating elements of the French F1 company Alpine, as it was part of F1’s introduction to Las Vegas. The challenge was to create something that was both playful and irreverent, yet still portrayed the F1 driver as cool and composed. Again injecting touches of absurdity was key to maintaining the tone of the piece.

"Feelings"

This project began with a brief centered around a Bonnie and Clyde-style visual. My personal challenge was to subvert the genre and bring something fresh to a familiar narrative. Given my penchant for surrealism, I decided to introduce multiple versions of Jorja and her partner throughout the film—playing the protagonists, victims, and even the police. In this world, they are all the main characters. The concept evolved when J Hus was unable to participate, and focus on the friendship between Jorja smith and Jasmine Jobson.

"Victory Dance"

This video was a personal reflection of my own discovery of the vibrant jazz scene in Southeast London. One day, while walking home from work, I stumbled upon an incredible jazz session happening in a hidden venue under a bridge in Deptford. The experience profoundly changed my musical tastes, and I wanted the video to capture the essence of that kind of discovery, finding something unexpected be feeling was just for you fused with my usual hints of surrealism.

"Disney X Balmain"

This piece was inspired by the significance of heritage and spiritual inheritance. Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, recently discovered his biological roots, tracing back to the African continent. His personal journey of rediscovery and the creative influence he found on the continent were central themes I sought to explore in the video. The project also aimed to showcase Balmain’s new line inspired by "The Lion King," blending cultural reverence with high fashion.

Lady Eleanor: What excites you about joining Eleanor?

Femi Ladi: Sophie really, really sold it to me. I really like the ethos of the company. I really like how you talk about the company, and how you talk about the art of filmmaking and your directors. We want to make long-lasting things that we're all proud of. I was really impressed by even the language on the website. The profile of Sophie and what she means is a huge buy in for me as well, being a Black director and wanting to be in this market. Eleanor’s already doing well, but it's still quite a young company. It'll be great to join a company that has a proper vision and grow with them in the US.

And, I like the varsity jackets.

Lady Eleanor: Surprise our readers! What’s one fun fact about you people might not expect? 

Femi Ladi: I'm quite crazy for sports. I think my first love was sports. I still try to like play as much as I can. I’m obsessed with Manchester United. I want to come out with an album one day. I can't sing or anything, but I want to just get my best artists together. I'm also starting a rum company.