Benjamin Flaxman

Australian-based Director & Producer, Benjamin is one of those masters of the dark arts: food shooting. He spends his days and nights diving into the depths of the saucy oceans, avoiding being singed by immersive flames, flying around in the kitchen air or gently observing bubbling ponds of simmering soups.

There are three pillars to Ben’s work: make the viewer hungry; present the subjects honestly and realistically even if it’s heightened realism; and tell a story that is visually dynamic. Whilst certain projects require some hybrid visual effects, Ben’s style is predominantly about doing as much in-camera as possible and being more reliant on editing so that the subjects look their best and stay true to the honesty of the moment. Ben works with a variety of tools from Phantom High Speed & Alexa Cameras, motion control rigs, models and probes – all when the story calls for them. However, he spends most of his time in the macro world where he gets up close and personal with his subjects. There is nowhere to hide here – all the defects and subtleties come to the fore. This is a key part in maintaining an honest approach but requires attention to detail and patience to bring out the critical nuance.

Originally trained in performance and theatre and also being an experienced Commercial Producer, gives him a good basis of being able to work within the confines of budget and time and creatively adapting to suit the scope.

Over the past fifteen years he’s been let in on many of the food world’s secrets. “At first I didn’t know what I could bring to this world as I had been producing work that was heavily DOP focussed”, Ben explains, “however, through playing I came to find a voice and style that tied into my love of cinema and the cinematic as well as making eye-catching visuals with my various collaborative DOPs and staying true to myself. I also love integrating food and human interactions. Ultimately, for me, it’s about old fashioned storytelling as we go on some form of journey and not just a series of pretty pictures; although that doesn’t mean the pictures can’t be pretty.”