Adam Smith's filmmaking journey began as a teenager, making visuals for raves and nightclubs in a creative collective, which he co-founded, called Vegetable Vision. He is best known for his work for The Chemical Brothers. And you can see him at Playgrounds Blend.
He is best known for his long-term collaboration with The Chemical Brothers. Smith has worked with The Chemical Brothers since their first gig in 1994, designing the surreal and visionary video elements of their live shows. His music video for their song ‘Galvanise’ won the Grand Jury Prize Award for Best Music Video at Resfest 2005. In 2012 Smith directed the critically acclaimed Chemical Brothers concert film Don’t Think. Audiences took to their feet in cinemas worldwide and danced in the aisles. Don’t Think was awarded 5 stars by Empire magazine and won Best Live Film at the Music Video Awards 2013.
Smith has also collaborated extensively with Mike Skinner of The Streets. His banned from TV, video for ‘Blinded by the Lights’ won the DMA Best Video and was nominated for the D&AD Silver Pencil in 2005. Smith’s comedy musical/extended music video ‘What goes up must come down’ starring Charlie Creed Miles (and featuring a cameo from Kathy Burke) won Golden Falcon Award at Ibiza Film festival 2007.
In 2007 Smith directed four episodes of the highly influential drama series Skins (Series 1) which helped launch the careers of Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel and Kaya Scodelario. He followed this with six episodes of Charles Dickens’s Little Dorrit, the multi Emmy award winning mini-series for the BBC and WGHB starring Tom Courtney, Mathew Mcfadden and Claire Foy. In 2010 Smith directed Matt Smith’s opening episode as Doctor Who, an instant hit with the shows worldwide viewers. Documentaries for Channel 4 include an early portrait of the Grime music scene Wot Do U Call It? and A.I.P.S which looked at a group of Englishmen who re-enact the Vietnam war in Kent. Ghetto on Sea for BBC THREE charted the trials and tribulations of running a pirate radio station.
He has made commercials for Nike (starring Wayne Rooney), Adidas (starring Paul Pogba), The National Lottery, and The Children’s Society. His short film for the Jaguar F type launch starring Damian Lewis premiered at Sundance London 2013.
Released in early 2017, Trespass Against Us (for Film 4/BFI and Lionsgate) starring Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson marked Smith’s debut as a feature film director.