Behind the Lens with Jay Palmer: Brisbane Film Director for Commercial Campaigns

Brisbane film director and cinematographer Jay Palmer is stepping into 2026 with a sharpened focus on commercial advertising, following a breakthrough year directing national television spots for major brands.

Based in Brisbane and working regularly in Sydney and Melbourne, Palmer specialises in people led, visually precise campaigns that balance carefully considered camera movement, lighting, and performance to create emotive, memorable films for brands.

With this growing body of work, Palmer is aiming to attract bigger clients and build a more consistent slate of commercial campaigns.

Building a commercial advertising portfolio

Palmer is a director who values flexibility, scaling each production to suit the budget while giving clients the option to bring in more creatives when needed. He enjoys working in the corporate, lifestyle and advertising space, and this year is shifting his attention more deliberately towards commercial advertising.

“What excites me about filmmaking comes down to a mix of creativity, storytelling, and the thrill of capturing moments in a powerful way,” he says. “At its core, filmmaking lets people tell stories visually. Instead of just describing something, you can show emotion, movement, atmosphere—things that words alone sometimes can’t fully express.”

For Palmer, the appeal of directing and cinematography is as much about problem solving as it is about aesthetics.

“There’s also the creative control aspect. From choosing camera angles and lighting to editing pacing and sound, every decision affects the final result. It’s like a blend of art and problem solving—figuring out how to turn an idea in your head into something real on screen,” he explains.

He also thrives on the evolving technical side of filmmaking, from cameras and lenses to drones, stabilisers and editing software, and enjoys the constant learning curve.

“And finally, there’s the impact, connection and engagement. A good video can inspire, entertain, or even change someone’s perspective. Knowing something you created can reach people and make them feel something is incredibly rewarding,” he says.

Key message and creative vision

Palmer has a clear long term ambition: “My ultimate goal is to direct a car commercial. I have been fortunate to assist on two in my career and they have stuck with me. To me these are always a nice balance of beautiful camera movement and expert storytelling.”

He wants audiences to feel a sense of connection, regardless of the tone of the work.

“This ultimately comes down to the mood of the work however I would always want the audience to have a sense of connection. I also love creating work that is engaging enough to watch multiple times,” he says.

As a director and cinematographer, Palmer describes himself as “thoughtful and collaborative”.

“I always try to find new ways to approach specific jobs and love collaborating with the clients and crew to achieve this,” he notes.

Visually, he’s most passionate about people-led content, while increasingly exploring more technical sides of storytelling.

“I’ve always been drawn to people-led content. However, I’m now branching out into more technical sides of storytelling. I like the idea of carefully considered camera moves and lighting to tell a story,” he says.

His overall visual goal is simple but ambitious: “I want my work to be emotive and memorable. The goal is to create a sense of feeling with the audience - that may be excitement, suspense, humour, etc. I just don’t want anything to be boring.”

Recent milestones and standout work

After reviewing his portfolio, Palmer points to his three most recent projects as the clearest representation of his style: the watch commercial, the fast food spot and the betting commercial.

“The watch commercial was executed really well with the time constraints we had on the day. The fast-food spot blended a fun story and the talent were great to direct. The betting commercial was probably my biggest milestone. I was flown to a different city and had the largest crew I have been a part of as a director,” he says.

His biggest standout project from last year was directing the watch commercial, which he considers a career milestone.

“I feel like it’s a milestone in my career as it was the first job where I completely let go of a camera and focused solely on directing,” Palmer explains.

He invested heavily in preproduction to make the shoot as smooth as possible.

“I invested a few hours each day leading up to the shoot to plan out every shot, action and reaction from the talent. I also created the ad ahead of time on my phone with the cinematographer to ensure there would be no hiccups on the day.”

The spot was shot in studio, allowing him and the team to refine the visual details.

“The shoot was in studio and we were able to light it really well and hone in on the talents actions with carefully considered camera movements and transitions,” he says.

Although he did not submit work for awards last year, Palmer plans to do so this year.

Contact

Palmer is currently based in Brisbane but is available for projects in other parts of Australia and overseas.

For potential collaborators, creatives or clients who want to reach him, they can contact him via his website, where the landing page showcases the best representation of his current work:

https://www.jaypalmer.com.au/

Jay Palmer
City: Albion
Address: jaypalmer.com.au
Website: http://www.jaypalmer.com.au/