For director Floria Sigismondi of The Partners’ Film Company, an artistic family heritage and a passion for photography have led to sterling work in music videos and now a truly promising career in commercial film direction.

Following studies at the Ontario College of Art, the 30-year-old Toronto artist began to take on assignments as a professional stills photographer specializing in fashion ads and editorials. Seven or eight years on, she directed her first commercial for production house Revolver, an nba promo for the Toronto Raptors.

Sigismondi says a deep interest in painting has led to ‘more of an organic approach than a technical approach’ in her photography. ‘It’s more theatrical – a pushing of colors and makeup – than journalistic.

‘This whole thing comes from my parents’ background in opera,’ she says. ‘We’ve always been in the theater.

‘I’ve never taken pictures on a tripod,’ says Sigismondi. ‘It has always been more about movement, so the transition (to film) was easy for me.

‘Then Partners’ got together with Revolver and they were just interested in my work. I was quite surprised at the time because I had only done music videos, and it was quite experimental work.’

Sigismondi has directed clips for mostly alternative Canadian bands including Our Lady Peace, Pure, Tea Party and I Mother Earth. She’s also done clips for a couple of u.s. artists.

Reflecting an obvious interest in painting, Sigismondi says image composition ‘and the way things sit in the frame’ are vital concerns for her.

‘You can actually create stress points, you can actually create a lot in the way that you crop.’

For instance, you can ‘push something towards a corner where there’s lots of space and it feels tense. It doesn’t have to be there, but you are putting it there, and all of sudden you’re creating pressure on one side of the frame.’

She says her training as a stills photographer has made her ‘really picky.’

‘I think lighting is really important, and a lot of the time I’ll also design the lighting and work with a dop who kind of understands the sensibility and will expand on it.’

On the Raptors shoot, out of Cossette, Toronto, Sigismondi created a focal point using pin-lighting to highlight the backs of players’ shaven heads.

A Mac cosmetic spot features a filmed version of a 30-page catalog Sigismondi shot for the client.

In a Toyota commercial for the Tercel and Paseo models, out of Saatchi & Saatchi, Toronto, Sigismondi says she wanted to take the product out of limbo, a place where hard-to-light automobiles tend to reside. The spot’s narrative plays off a first-car and/or first-love theme.

‘One of my things is to create these sets,’ says the director. ‘I wanted to create a big, forced-perspective room, kind of designed after my bathroom, which is up in the attic. I love the way the walls converge towards the center point.’

The car set consisted of lines of light pointing to the now ‘more enclosed’ product, with on-set color gels and post color-correction applications used to create matching background tones, she says.

Sigismondi’s reel features all manner of techniques, explosive colors and a painter’s feel for composition.

At the moment, she says her commercial aptitude favors the non-mainstream as well as image messages targeted to younger audiences – teens and young adults. One of her commercials is a backstage-style concert spot series for Molson.

No doubt, one of Sigismondi’s best assets is a producer who believes in her talents completely, Partners’ founder and president Don McLean.

The dean of Canadian commercial producers, with more than 30 years in the business, McLean says Sigismondi ‘has as much pure talent as anybody I have ever encountered. I am totally and completely convinced she will be a star.’

‘As with any good director, and this goes for any director, she will go for her own ideas and what she wants to do. What good is a director who just rolls over? I think Floria does it (asserts herself) with as much charm and as gently as anybody I know, but she comes with a point of view and she will fight hard for it. She is a winner, an absolute winner.

‘She is an artist, a painter, a brilliant stills photographer, a very successful music video director, and her mother and father are Italian opera singers,’ says McLean.

‘She is one smart young lady. I don’t think there is any limitation to what she can do.’

On the gender question, Sigismondi says it might be ‘a bit more difficult for a female director to be taken seriously starting out, but I think if you don’t make it an issue, it’s not really an issue.’

Sigismondi also works out of New York through production house The Underground and is developing a multimedia sculpture, sound and photography installation in nyc. She’s also writing a short film.

Other spots on Sigismondi’s reel include a Vaseline spot for MacLaren, a Concerned Children’s Association psa message and a u.s. pool for Mystic soft drinks.