Defined by their bold, inventive approach to storytelling and genre-bending style, New York-based director duo rubberband have spent the past decade carving a unique body of work. Known for their eclectic collaborations and an affinity for shooting on film, directors Jason Sondock and Simon Davis regularly collaborate with some of the world’s most recognisable brands and musicians.

They first met in 2012, when they were introduced by mutual friends, having both attended NYU. Though their paths had never crossed, they joined forces when Sondock stepped in at the eleventh hour after Davis’ camera had broken prior to a music video shoot with A$AP Twelvyy of New York rap collective A$AP Mob. Buoyed by the vibrant collaborative spirit of the creative community around them, the duo has been working together ever since.

“Personally speaking, the people that I felt inspired by in terms of making a career were a lot of musical artists that we were lucky to be around,” Davis enthuses. “Being around all the A$AP guys right when they were starting their career was a really inspiring thing to have proximity to. It was just a very exciting time in New York.”

A shared studio space in SoHo served as a base of sorts, where a revolving cast of collaborators, including director Jordan Hemingway, fashion designer and creative director Andrea Saresti and photographer Alberto Colombo would regularly pass through. “Simon would be there editing for 20 hours straight, and Jordan and I would be bleaching photographs in the kitchen sink,” Sondock recalls. “That was probably the most inspiring thing to me – trying to make a career in whatever it is that we’re making a career in – it’s that time.”

Their hard work paid off and, following positive critical notice for their short-form work, rubberband quickly established itself as a creative force to be reckoned with, forging relationships with various brands, fashion houses and creative agencies.

In the experiences that we’ve had, perhaps nine times out of ten, film speaks more to me, both in ways that are tangible and ineffable

In addition to recent campaigns for Gucci and Mango, their work has included Nature, a project created for fashion house Loewe that captures the synergy between star athletes and the great outdoors. A series of charming vignettes created for Burberry alongside creative agency Frosty blend the brand’s heritage with the duo’s affinity for the surreal through short slice-of-life tales fronted by the likes of Olivia Colman, Barry Keoghan and Little Simz.

“Everybody who worked on that set had a very clear vision, but they also had a lot of trust in us,” Sondock notes. “We’ve worked with them on a bunch of projects, like our Air Jordan films in Paris and our first couple of Calvin Klein campaigns. We have a lot of trust with them, so the feedback process for that was quite organic and really quite lovely.”

It’s that sense of trust among collaborators that has proved invaluable. While some directors choose to interpret commercial briefs more literally, work-for-hire provides fertile ground for experimentation. In some ways, as Sondock explains, a predefined set of creative parameters can actually lower the stakes. In the case of comedic short Dry, created in collaboration with Zara, the duo applied their brand of off-kilter humour to the mundane environs of a New York laundromat, with hilarious results.

“Commercial or branded work that we do is usually stuff where we can have some say in the script, direction or the idea,” Sondock says. “That doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the limits and the boundaries that brands put on us. I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have written a weird movie about a dryer that comes to life because he gets fed up with two guys arguing over him and goes to catch a cab, had Zara not come to us.”

We wouldn’t have written a weird movie about a dryer that comes to life had Zara not come to us

While the needs of the client come first, the duo sees each project, regardless of the client, as an opportunity to inject their own experiences and perspectives into the final output. “We’re all trying to make stuff that is reflective of how we see the world and our perspective on things,” Sondock states.

“Even if we’re making a toilet paper commercial, I think it would be very difficult for us to not bring a piece of ourselves into it, whether it’s something that we’re technically interested in, or we’re having a hard time with family at home. Maybe it just means that the dude in the toilet paper commercial is upset with his brother, or his wife or whatever.”

The tactile process of shooting on film plays an integral role in the rubberband creative toolkit. The duo has worked closely with Kodak over the years, and while by no means a creative dealbreaker, both Sondock and Davis hold the format in high regard.

“In the experiences that we’ve had, perhaps nine times out of ten, film speaks more to me, both in ways that are tangible and ineffable,” Davis muses. “I’m not saying that this is comparable to digital or film, but you have orchestras, and you have The Stooges who don’t know how to play their instruments making Raw Power. All of these things are beautiful and important and needed,” says Davis.

“I just want to make stuff that’s better and more interesting,” Sondock continues. “I just don’t think digital is interesting, but there are a lot of reasons to do it – if you’re doing really intense VFX, if you want to make the camera really small and put it on a crazy rig, or if you need to shoot a bajillion takes and there’s not a tonne of dialogue. There are a bunch of reasons why digital is a great tool, but I just think film is a better tool for most use cases,” says Sondock.

“It’s obviously not just a creative choice,” says Davis. “We’re very blessed that we’re at a point in our careers where we have access to budgets, trusting clients and collaborators who understand how to use these tools. A lot of that comes at a cost that young filmmakers can’t afford.”

The unpredictable nature of shooting on film can also steer projects in unexpected directions. Lovers Till I’m Gone, a short film made with Canadian rapper Skiifall, was shot on film using a Bolex camera. Upon viewing the processed footage, Davis recalls the initial disappointment of discovering that the visuals were affected by light leaks before embracing their imperfections.

“You kind of spend some time, get out of your own way and you realise that it’s just this very beautiful other thing,” Davis muses. “As the film ultimately found its shape, it ended up being this really beautiful signature that made a lot of sense for this love letter to his family, his home and to his upbringing. With the light leaks, it had this kind of home movie quality that added some extra emotional richness to the look of it.”

When it comes to music videos, the duo regularly decline a fee in order to ensure that every dollar spent ends up on the screen. They also prefer to work directly with the artist in question. For Sondock, the most important thing is servicing the music in the most creative way possible. “Ultimately, we want to be in a mutually beneficial, creative relationship with the musician, so we try not to pitch on music videos,” he elaborates. “If a musician knows our work and wants to work with us, we’re going to work with them. It’s going to be collaborative.”

While music videos served as something of a springboard to the commercials and branding work that the duo is known for, the medium continues to provide a canvas for Sondock and Davis to experiment. Repeat collaborations with British singer-songwriter Bakar and Washington-based rapper GoldLink have fostered a sense of trust that enables them to trial ideas while best servicing an artist’s work.

“Early on, we discovered that trying to impose what you wanted to do just wasn’t the vibe,” Davis explains. “When we work with an artist, we try really hard to make something that is as harmonious with their artistic vision as possible, so it’s really important to get feedback. It’s all in service of trying to create the most interesting offering to put out into the world. It’s not without its complications, but it’s also something that’s very welcome.”

Building on these foundations, the duo’s short film, Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma, a collaboration with close friend and rapper Topaz Jones, garnered the duo additional acclaim in 2022 when it received the Short Film Jury Award in Nonfiction Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival.

While some directors may prefer the freedoms of working solo, Sondock and Davis attribute their continued success to their eagerness and ability to hold each other accountable when it comes to stylistic and creative decision-making.

“The idea of being a little dictatorial can be really rewarding when you’re in an incredibly democratic environment not getting your way,” Davis muses. “But I think the beauty and importance of being in a duo is that we have to always explain why. We can’t just say, ‘this is the thing’, you know?”

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