Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald is trying his directorial hand at commercial-making on the roster at The Partners’ Film Company. McDonald, whose body of work includes features Roadkill and Hard Core Logo and many episodic television gigs, including Twitch City (which he also coproduces), says he looks forward to the challenge of telling a story in a tight, 30-second space. He also looks forward to the fast turnaround which comes with the territory.

‘On a practical level, commercials are a little more flexible in that you are not tied up for three months doing one thing,’ says McDonald. ‘It’s kind of exciting to be building something from the ground up, whereas in episodic television, as far as the design goes, it is what it is. You come on and interpret the design.’

Episodic television has been keeping McDonald busy, having recently shot an episode of The City for ctv, so his introduction into the commercial world, he says, is invigorating. Truth be known, McDonald served a very brief tenure as a commercial director with Partners’ Ross McLean and John Smythe at Stripes in 1994.

‘I did one thing with Stripes, but it was more of a test, and then I just got shooting other things. Every time they’d ask for me, someone would say, ‘Bruce is off shooting something.’ It was just one of those things where I wasn’t around.’

The director says he is attacking spot-making ‘with a brand-new curiosity because it is a form I’ve never really played with before. To me it is all about design in terms of paying much more attention to the tiniest details, and for me that is a good muscle to exercise.’

McDonald’s first job with Partners’ is a Levi’s spot, shooting with dop Miroslaw Baszak, his camera collaborator numerous times on long-form projects. Learning as he goes, McDonald says he is enjoying the ‘tight collaborative process.’

‘We’ve been spending a lot of time on [the Levi’s spot], and even as I do up my storyboard, Miroslaw is involved,’ he says. ‘It’s great because it is quite tight – 30 seconds long – so the material at hand is very definitive. It’s kind of like making features in that sense: you are very close to the visual team.’

McDonald mentions the folks at Partners’ gave him a collection of commercial reels to help familiarize him with the art form. He admits he was astonished by the amount of ‘fantastic’ spot work being done in this country.

‘They are so smart,’ he says. ‘I think the best commercials are the ones where they let the writer tell the story. There is still in this business, especially in North America, a real fetishistic obsession about seeing ‘The Thing.’ In a way, the best commercials aren’t about The Thing at all. It’s about a great idea and great execution – brought to you by whoever. It’s not about just pointing your finger at The Thing and saying, ‘Don’t you want this?’ ‘

Pressed for a wish list of commercial projects he would like to direct, McDonald offers up (in no particular order of preference): trumpets, pink satin panties, the Catholic Church, black licorice, Canadian wine, Brick Magazine, women’s hats, Kraft Dinner, Export A rolling papers, ov beer and Indian Motorcycle.

McDonald will, of course, continue to do film and television projects, alongside of his spot work.