MAK MAHMUT AKAY ON STORYTELLING AND DEVELOPING A DIRECTOR'S EYE
London-born, award-winning director Mak talks about how he approaches directing, the films and references that shaped his eye, and the advice he’d give to anyone starting out.
Mak Mahmut Akay is a film director with a particular feel for sport, but what defines his work is the way he shoots it: full of movement, energy, and just the right amount of playfulness.
A former director at The Mill, Mak has directed projects for Vogue, Vodafone, Samsung with Raheem Sterling, Sainsbury’s with David Beckham as part of its Paralympics campaign, and Montirex, to name a few. He also directed Michelob ULTRA’s feature-length Lap of Legends, which brought together Formula One drivers past and present, received two Emmy nominations, and won four Cannes Lions. More recently, he’s been working on Ferrari x Vantage with Charles Leclerc, which is yet to be released. Across very different projects, the thread is fairly consistent: make it visually exciting, but give the audience something human to hold onto.
In this interview, Mak talks about directing, finding your own style, the realities of commercial filmmaking, his approach to AI, and why he encourages young directors to find their niche early.
D: How did you first get into directing, and what films, directors, or pieces of work shaped the way you see the craft?
Mak:
In Primary School, I would desperately hope for storytelling classes, while the rest of the class would bemoan it if it wasn’t maths. I was so drawn to telling tall tales and drawing comic strips that even as a kid I knew storytelling may be my raison d’être. At age 12, using my family’s DV camera, I started making short films with my friends - Star Wars rip-offs using vacuum cleaners as alien props and Microsoft screensavers as windows to space. We thought they were masterpieces.
Growing up as an only child in my adolescence meant I often had long periods alone, observing the world, witnessing the nuances of people’s interactions. The world became a blank canvas that I could paint any narrative over.
I was also watching a lot of films, which shaped my understanding of the world. Films were changing my life. As a teenager, watching The Breakfast Club taught me that we’re more alike than different; Jurassic Park immersed me in a childlike wonderment, Pulp Fiction’s non-linear narrative blew my mind, Lost In Translation left me feeling wistful for weeks…the list goes on. All I wanted to do was make films that would move people, in the way that I was impacted by them.
D: You’ve worked across different studios, production companies, and creative teams. How does your way of directing change depending on whom you’re working with?
Mak:
The agencies and clients change, but you often have carte blanche on your HODs (DP, Art director, editor, etc). This means that you can collaborate with your trusted creative circle. The more you work together, the more you develop a shorthand, making the process more liberating.
That synergy also allows you to stay true to your creative approach on every project.
D: When you’re starting a new concept, what does that process usually look like? How do you move from the first idea into the visual direction or directing language for a project?
Mak:
For commercial projects, the creative brief will often specify a particular visual language. I tend to receive briefs that require a dynamic visual language with emphasis on transitions. Short films are a little different. The seed for the one I’m currently developing grew from an image of my biggest fear in a heightened form. The script evolved from this single image. While writing the film, I would discover the theme and mould the story towards that. Starting off with a theme doesn’t work for me because the process becomes more rational than creative.
Once the script is ready, I would take my writer’s hat off and approach it as a director. That said, even if the script is ready, it’s only truly finished when the film is released. Every step of the process informs the script, especially during post-production- by editing, you’re still rewriting.
D: How do you protect your own voice when you’re working inside commercial or collaborative constraints?
Mak:
In the commercial world, you’re generally hired for the visual style that you bring to the table, so agencies and clients often welcome you to flex your creative muscles…within reason. Creative obstacles are unavoidable, whether it’s budget, time constraints, or creative differences.
My advice is to pick your battles and fight for the ideas that are dearest to you.
D: In your Ferrari x Vantage project with Charles Leclerc, the camera feels closely tied to him while still revealing the world around him...
How did you develop that camera language?
Mak:
We pitched an approach that juxtaposed focus and speed with a sense of intimacy. The idea was to mirror the dynamics of F1 and Leclerc’s mind. The entire visual approach grew from that. By sticking to those parameters, the limitations end up liberating you to a clearer sense of direction.
D: What would you say to young directors breaking into the industry? How should they think about the process, from shaping the story to directing it, and developing their own style and eye?
Mak:
My advice for young directors trying to break into the industry is always the same - find your niche. Double down on it, at least at the beginning. It makes it easier for production companies and reps to put you up for jobs. It’s an easier ‘sell’. My documentary short films helped me break into the commercial world because it meant that I was put forward for branded doco jobs. This gave me leverage to hone my craft and gradually change the trajectory of my career towards more dynamic and cinematic projects.
D: Your full name is Mahmut Akay, but professionally you became Mak. What’s the story behind that? Could you tell us a little bit about it?
Mak:
Mak is a portmanteau of my first and surname. Born and raised in London and coming from a Turkish/Cypriot background put me in a cultural limbo - I was too British to be Turkish, too Turkish to be British. Disillusioned with the UK film sector, I made a short documentary about the symbolic annihilation of British Turkish people. The film isn’t about the demonisation but the invisibility of Turkish people in British media. I had a light bulb moment after this and started going by Mak. Immediately, doors started opening, and I broke into the commercial world. It changed my career.
The commercial industry is cut-throat and competitive. You’re always up against a pool of talent. Rejection is inevitable when subjective opinions are involved. The trick is to always keep the creative momentum going, regardless of whether it's personal or commissioned projects.
D: You’ve judged Film Craft and VFX at the Creative Circle Awards. What qualities do you look for in other people’s work? What makes an advert stand out to you?
Mak:
Professor and two BAFTA winning animation director Jonathan Hodgson, had invited me to construct a brief and judge the work of Year 3 Animation students at North Middlesex University. To see such aesthetic and narratively disparate interpretations of the brief was a joy to witness.
The main quality I was looking for was originality. It’s an elusive word, but for me it means a familiar concept presented with a fresh, never-been-seen-before spin. The students didn’t disappoint!
D: A lot of creatives seem to have a love-hate relationship with AI. From your experience, where is it actually useful in making a film or commercial, and what kind of approach should directors have when using it?
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D: If you had to recommend three films and three series, what would you choose, and what makes each one worth watching?
Mak:
Seven Samurai - It ticks all the boxes. It’s poignant, funny, tragic, and has great action sequences. A masterclass in writing and directing from Akira Kurosawa. Battle of Algiers - The way it blurs the lines between actuality and fiction is unmatched. You go into the film knowing it’s fiction, but it pounds you with such authenticity that you believe it's all real.
12 Angry Men - 12 characters, one room, no action…yet it’s one of the most riveting films ever made. It strips away excess to capture the essence of why we consume stories: drama. It also highlights the importance of a good script. Koyaanisqatsi - When I saw this film at uni, I couldn’t believe that a film with no dialogue, narrative, or characters would move me so profoundly. It taught me that even if a film has no plot, it can still have a strong story.
Written by Debora Deva
Debbie is a writer, art director, and multidisciplinary creative at TOML Collective. With a background in advertising, she brings fresh perspectives to the journal — aiming to educate, question, and spark new ideas.
Get in touch with debora@tomlcollective.com