ads must push the envelope

Barry Peterson

DOP, Toronto

There is definitely a great career to be had in television advertising. But, like any other industry, it has its ups and downs and is constantly undergoing a metamorphosis. The best thing the industry can do is try new things and not fight progress.

I know that there exists a whole commercial philosophy, but as a dop – I’m not affiliated with an agency or production house and not as involved with a commercial from start to finish – I’m not sure if I’m aware of the subtleties of the industry or why things are the way they are. But I do think that the public is getting tired of the norm.

Being involved in both commercials and film, I see a reluctance in the commercial end to try things that are different creatively. Maybe it’s because of having to deal with conservative clients and big budgets. Whatever the reasons, it’s not typical of the television advertising sector of the industry to shake things up.

One thing that is indicative of the industry is that it will latch onto something – a style – and then overuse it and not bother thinking up something new. One year I remember everyone was using the shaky camera. It was everywhere.

If you look at other mediums, magazine ads for instance, there seems to be more exploration and more experimentation than in commercials – the Guess print ads are a good example of this.

In the future, television advertising is going to have to push the envelope, creatively speaking, or the audience will get bored and turn the channel.

If you look at the successful television spots, you’ll find they are the ones that push the creative, both on the production and agency side, or that have taken a chance, and they get the market’s attention. We see this a lot in other countries – British spots, for example.

The challenge of television advertising is that you only have 15 to 60 seconds to tell a story, and within that relatively short time frame you’ve got to not only grab the viewer but leave them with something, leave them remembering the product. You’ve got to be innovative, but not necessarily flashy.

Sometimes you can get too complicated and use something like special effects just for the sake of using it.

When I first started out in this business, I was a special effects dop, and people had a tendency to get excited about technology and operate under the belief that if you had a spot and put a special effect in, it would automatically make the commercial good.

But a great spot starts with a great idea. And when the concept and form come together – with the style enhancing what the idea is – that makes a great spot. If it’s done well, the viewer won’t even notice the effects.

But the bottom line is you have to do something people will notice, and remember. There are a million ads out there and you have to make the one that will stand out – make people watch and look at for whatever reason.

I think that a little fear from the cinematographer/art director/producer/director point of view is a good thing. At the end of the day, when I come home and I’m a little worried – if I wonder maybe I’ve gone too far – then that’s a good thing. Anytime that has happened to me, it has always worked out really well.

A little fear goes a long way.