`Brilliance’ fades,

but legacy remains

Several hundred people from across the advertising and commercial production community filled a Toronto church May 17 to mourn the loss of director Richard Radke.

Profound feelings of shock and sorrow were palpable within the solemn gathering, which took place only five days after Radke died from a brain aneurysm resulting from an accidental fall in his apartment.

Radke was 40 and, after only six years directing, at the height of his career.

Leo Burnett creative director Martin Shewchuk, who had worked closely with Radke since he broke into directing from the ad agency business in 1988, said at the memorial service:

‘He was a brilliant filmmaker who loved his craft. I think his boundless energy and enthusiasm turned some fairly good scripts into some of our most popular campaigns.

‘We often talk about how valuable our partnerships are with our clients. I cannot imagine that there was anyone in the film industry who was a better partner with us than Richard Radke. His talent and friendship cannot be replaced.’

Later, many from the service met at the offices of Radke Films to celebrate the man who had had such a powerful effect on the industry in such a relatively short period of time. Most conversations were punctuated by a deep sense of loss, but there was also, in the talk, a strong feeling of closeness and community.

Several people reflected on the way the otherwise sharply competitive advertising and production business comes together for collective support at times of mutual need.

‘Richard was the consummate dialogue director,’ says Shewchuk, whose connection to Radke was particularly close because both came from an art directorial background, and also Shewchuk acts as both writer and art director on most of his advertising projects.

Shewchuk says Radke would always rewrite his scripts upon receipt, often change them again during casting and once more on the production floor and sometimes even during editing.

‘He was never satisfied,’ says Shewchuk. ‘We argued all the time, but more often than not when I saw it on the screen, I realized he was right.’

Radke directed close to 40 commercials for Burnett, beginning with a campaign for Crispy Crunch involving a young couple cavorting in their apartment and fighting over who gets to bite the Crispy bar. Other major Burnett projects included Bell Canada, 7UP, various Kellogg’s spots including a Christmas commercial, and a public service spot for the Addiction Research Foundation.

‘He enjoyed, and had a great ear for, the way people talked,’ says Shewchuk. ‘He had a great love of movies, so I guess that was part of it. He simply loved the sound of the human voice and could commit it to film in a way that was not studied or mannered, but very natural.’

While Radke was best known as a dialogue director, his talent went beyond directing performance. His work was always stylish, tasteful and diverse. He was equally at ease capturing the natural beauty of the Prairie outdoors for Manitoba Bell as he was pulling together a complex multifaceted shoot promoting the launch of pizza at McDonald’s Restaurants.

Radke was also skillful at marketing himself. Raised in the Bronx district of New York and an art director in agencies in New York before coming to Canada in the early 1980s, Radke was plain-speaking and very deliberate about how he built his career.

He started as a director with Rawi Sherman Films in 1988 and went to work developing his talent with the same commitment and ingenuity that he brought to every film shoot. He honed his craft with every commercial he directed, and there were many of them.

Last year he logged close to 100 shoot days for clients in Canada and the u.s., covering a wide spectrum of product categories from stalwarts Bell Canada to Kraft General Foods and Honda Acura to Utah-based Church of Latter Day Saints.

The company he started two years ago in a partnership with The Partners’ Film Company is now up to 10 domestic directors and has three u.s. affiliations. It will continue under the direction of general manager Edie Weiss.

So will the Radke name.

Radke Films and Partners’ have announced the creation of the Richard Radke Apprenticeship Program. The program will provide for a full salaried apprenticeship each year for an up-and-coming director, director of photography, editor, producer or assistant director.