Radke Films’ Matt Eastman is one up-and-coming helmer with great hope for the future of the business in Canada and the young directors within it. Eastman, who has been directing for just over a year, has already succeeded in gaining the industry’s attention and the respect of his peers. Now he’s added the Playback/Saatchi & Saatchi 2001 First Cut Awards to his list.

With the slowing North American commercial market, success and young Canadian directors have not been synonymous over the last year. Eastman, however, has heard it all before and doesn’t have much time for excuses. ‘There’s nothing I hate more than the line among Canadian directors, ‘Don’t let the Americans in, they’re stealing all our work.’ Whatever the script is, put your whole life into it. Ultimately, I’d like to be bidding jobs against Americans and getting those jobs. I’d like to think that I’ll beat them on my own terms,’ he says.

Eastman’s self-assurance has been bolstered by a very swift rise to the high-level work he currently directs. In January 1999, Eastman began his career at Radke as a research assistant ‘writing treatments for other guys and putting together pitches.’

The company soon gained confidence in him and his skills. By securing jobs for other directors (mostly busy Americans), Eastman proved himself a commercial visionary with a talent for communicating with the agencies.

‘I come from an English major background,’ Eastman begins. ‘Now that I’ve written treatments for so long, I feel really confident – more so than a lot of guys – in being able to get my thoughts clearly across on the page. Writing the treatment is the discovery process right there. I learned that directing is 50% done by the time you get on the set.’

An ‘exhaustive researcher and picture compiler,’ Eastman ‘hates going in to give a presentation if the person hasn’t read the treatment.’

The director’s first commercial job was a spot for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a spot he says is fitting for the First Cut Awards. ‘It’s a right of passage for every young Canadian director – not just to do a PSA, but to do your MADD PSA. That’s an important step in your career.’

Eastman, who came from a writing background, ‘was shit nervous the first couple of times on set as a director.’ Having never PAd, Eastman says the trickiest part was delegating.

‘I want to do everything myself, and on a few [directing] jobs I’ve acted as the production-side art-director. I’ve learned to delegate to a certain point, but at the same time, as a young director, you work with a different producer, cinematographer, editor, art director and props guy every single time out. Each time you have to nurture these relationships.

‘Trust your instincts,’ Eastman advises. ‘If you think that little thing in the corner shouldn’t be there, then move it. And if you think the lighting is wrong, then change it. Just because you’re a young director and your DP is 80, don’t feel bad about saying, ‘Can we try something else?”

Recently, Eastman says, he has become ‘king of the mini-spots.’ All the spots for Five Alive (part of Eastman’s winning reel) were five seconds. He did a spot for IKEA Germany that was 10 seconds, and some spots in Jakarta, Indonesia, that were 10 seconds with five seconds of product.

‘I hate the philosophy that says part of the challenge is making sure that it works in 30 seconds, when everyone damn well knows that it would be a whole lot better if you had 33 seconds. That’s one of the most frustrating things about commercials – it influences how you board. Here’s a call to Canadian broadcasters to open up the airwaves to 33-second spots!’ the director exclaims.

Despite this complaint, Eastman knows his time doing mini-spots has been valuable: ‘Trying to get an idea across in five seconds really teaches you the value of every single second.’

Eastman says he is ‘still trying to find [his] style.’ Originally, his good people skills and lack of technical background led him to believe he would be best working on performances with ‘no cuts or care about locations.’ However, as he gained experience, he realized his original strategy was sometimes falling flat.

‘I realized what really excites me is good art and good graphic design. This is where I feel I can actually contribute something that maybe another director could not.’

In the future, Eastman says he would love to go on to do features. However, he reminds the industry that he loves ads, even to the point where he will sit at home and watch a favorite TV spot over and over, deconstructing the director’s work.

‘My mom was in advertising and advertising is in my blood,’ he says. ‘I grew up with dinner conversations about the ‘evil’ client – not that they’re evil.’ His mom, Dianne Eastman was an agency art director (currently a children’s book illustrator) when he was still a kid.

‘When I was in grade one, I came home from school with a drawing I had done and showed it to my mom. It was an odd drawing with a woman in the foreground and a person with a scythe – the grim reaper – was about to slash this lady. My mom said, ‘Interesting. Who’s that?’ And she pointed at the woman. I said, ‘That’s you, Mom.’ And then she said ‘Who’s that?’ pointing to the monster, and I said ‘That’s the client.’

Eastman is ultra-positive when it comes to the future of the business and his career. ‘There are a lot of young Canadian directors who are really talented. I really feel good about the young creative teams coming into the agencies right now. We all grew up together and we all have the same references. We’re going to grow up together in this industry, and it’s going to be fun.’

Does Eastman care about winning the 2001 First Cut Awards? Certainly, he says, it’s nice. ‘There’s an argument that there should be more craft awards in everything,’ he says.