Riff Raff Signs Johnny Kelly to Directing Roster
April 2, 2026
Eccentric comedy is one of our favorite strategies for punching out of adland clutter, and it’s deftly handled here by director Ugo Mangin and Brussels prodco Hamlet for French ride-hailing app Heetch thru Paris agency Grinta.
Ugo Mangin: “One of the creative challenges was balancing dialogue-driven comedy with a strong use of visual and sound glitches. The film was built around the idea of an ‘infernal loop’, where the narrative itself behaves like a glitch, so every layer, including storytelling, editing, sound and VFX, had to work together without losing clarity.
“The film was built around the idea of an ‘infernal loop’, where the narrative itself behaves like a glitch.”
“Another challenge was blending different visual languages from digital culture (3D, video games, social media) into a cohesive whole. Four graphic artists worked on the film, each handling specific sequences, allowing for diverse approaches while maintaining overall consistency.
“Most of the effects are 2D, and some generated using AI and refined in After Effects. One artist focused specifically on embedding hidden codes throughout the film, some obvious, others more subtle, adding depth across multiple viewings.
“From a production standpoint, the relatively modest budget pushed us to be inventive. We approached the project almost like a music video, prioritizing strong visual ideas and rhythm, while maintaining close collaboration between agency, production, and post-production teams to maximize impact efficiently.”
Client: Heetch
Agency: Grinta
Co-founder/CEO: Mickael Krikorian, Julien Scaglione
Copywriter: Max Harrington
Art Director: Gianni Leotta
Assistant Art Director: Raphael Samson
Production: Hamlet
Director: Ugo Mangin
EP: Clément Martorell
Producer: Elsa Philippe
Line Producer: Zélie Delétrain
Production Coordinator: Salomé Drach
DP: Marques Angelo
1st AD: Oscar Le Pollotec
Set designer: Pauline Petit
Stylist: Anais Kevorkian
Casting director: Teodora Doslov
Cast: Jaden Tshintu, Enzo Casu, Achille Ndari
VFX/post: Hamlet
Producer: Léa Török
Editor: Benjamin Bruel
VFX: Lucas Latil, Clément Chasseray, Ilyès Nezzari, Nathan Grosshans
Colorist: Arnaud Laurent
Sound: Audioscore
Sound design: Marin Cardoze
