Beyond assembling an eye-catching reel, there are innumerable factors that go into building a director’s career. These factors can include on-set mo, creative and personal approach to boards and agency relationships.

In the following q&as, players in the ad-making process – including creatives, a producer and a dop – offer their perspective on what makes an effective director.

– Robin Heisey

VP Creative director, Gee Jeffery & Partners

What do you look for a director to bring to a board?

The intuition to develop and ‘plus’ on a board with executional ideas or the wisdom to avoid gratuitous techniques and let an idea live as it is.

On the ability to ‘plus’ on an idea, I’d cite an example where a couple of years ago, Raymond Bark came forward with several really cool ideas that brought a lot to a board we were working on.

One technique was ‘fighting’ a camera move on the scanner in transfer, giving a really distinctive, techy look to our piece (the camera dolly/move that we performed in the shoot is neutralized by enlarging and moving on the scanner – the result is an oddly shifting depth of field).

The second technique, which ultimately proved impossible on our budget, was ‘time slicing,’ where an array of 35mm still cameras is exposed at the same instant from many different angles.

The resulting stills are arranged in a film strip in post, giving the illusion that a camera is moving through a world that is frozen in time.

I was interested to see the technique employed in a number of pieces subsequently, including a Sting video from the u.k., and a recent American spot for Gap khakis (‘Khakis Swing,’ which also featured that hot Louis Prima/Keely Smithy track, Jump, Jive And Wail.

When do you know you’re in good hands on a set?

When I believe completely that the director and I share the same vision, whether it’s my original vision, the director’s vision, or probably better, something in between.

What’s the biggest challenge in finding the right director?

Finding a sensibility that matches the job. For example, we got that with Eddy Chu, David McNally, and Martin Granger on some recent cinema work we did. Eddy was a great action guy with strong talent direction and excellent production resources. David was really good at narrative and high drama, with a really polished, naturalistic touch. And Martin understood genre really well, and is a terrific comedy writer, which is good because it makes me look a lot smarter than I am.

What do you think the hardest part of a director’s job is?

Working with me.

Also, entrusting critical details to people who have the time and the expertise to do it better than (you think) you can (similar to a creative director in that area). I’d also mention the ability to do great work with a chronic shortage of that most important commodity, time.

I’d like to see more reels that rely less on executional gimmicks (skip printing/ blurry anything/tilt & swivel lenses/those cheesy digital filters in post, etc.) and instead highlight ideas, economical communication, simplicity, talent direction, and great, naturalistic lighting and camera work.

I’d like to see new directors who do anything but ‘edgy’ ads – like how about ‘witty,’ ‘funny,’ or simply ‘beautiful’ for a change.

As far as director/agency relationships – I look for communication, respect, and trust. Of course, I never said no to one of those cool production house ball caps.

Did you ever want to direct?

Always. Luckily most directors are smart enough not to let me.

– Jamie Phair

Executive producer, Radke Films

How do you recognize a potential talent – someone who will make it through the clutter?

A new director has to possess some redeeming skill or talent that is part of the directing process, like that of a stills photographer, or a great ability in telling stories. They don’t have to be a complete package, that will come with experience. But they must be good at what they are currently doing (i.e. agency creative, editor, stills photographer), and know where they want to be and realize what the necessary steps are to get there. Perseverance and dedication are a must.

What’s the biggest challenge in the care and feeding of a new director?

Patience. Waiting for the right opportunity for that particular director.

How does a director’s background impact his/her approach/success with agencies?

A director’s background is their strength. It’s their redeeming skill that will shine brightest during the complete production process. For example, someone with an agency background will certainly understand the agency’s and the client’s needs and concerns, and as a result this director should present well.

Hopefully the new director’s expertise is what is needed most for the project they are pitching.

What is the biggest hurdle for a new director?

I’d say that finding the right opportunity to really show what you are about as a director is very difficult. Of course a spec spot would solve this, but spec spots have become too expensive.

If you could say anything to all the budding directors out there, it would be?

Film is an art form and therefore I see directors as artists. It’s not enough to just want to be a director, you have to be able to bring some special talent or skill to it and then be prepared to constantly develop as a director.

– Barry Parrell

Cinematographer

What would you like to say to a new director before you start working together?

First, know what you want. The directors who tend to do the best arrive on set with a clear idea of what they want to achieve and they have shared that idea with the agency, and both are in agreement.

Second, learn as much as you can about my job. A director with a strong visual understanding is much better at articulating his or her ideas to the dop and it always ends up in a better product.

How does a director’s background impact his/her approach on set and the relationship between a director and dop?

The director’s approach has a lot to do with where he or she has come from – agency, feature film, music video, film school, tv. All bring their own unique insight to the commercial and look for something different in their dop.

What makes for a perfect partnership between a director and dop?

It’s hard to say exactly what makes for a perfect partnership because every director is so different. Everybody expects something different out of this relationship.

A good sense of humor and a thick skin go a long way. Things can get pretty stressful at times on set, so a good sense of humor can often take the edge off. A thick skin is also essential. It’s a creative process and sometimes you tend to take constructive criticism a little too personally.

And, as in any relationship, common interests help.

– John Farquhar

Senior VP, co-creative director, Young & Rubicam

What do you look for a director to bring to a board?

First you narrow it down by looking at the reels, trying to get people who are at least vaguely in the category of what you’re looking for. When you get it down to a select list of four or five who are in your price range and are available, then what it really comes down to for me is that first conversation with them.

What I look for in the first conversation is a strong opinion – a strong, well-thought-out opinion on what they intend to do with what’s in front of them. You’d be amazed how many people want to just vacillate, repeat back whatever you said and try to sell you without committing.

What it comes down to is if a director has a sense of energy and a certain passion for what they’re doing, you can redirect them. But if they don’t come in with an opinion, that frightens me, because there’s a good chance they won’t have an opinion on the set where 45 people are going to be asking them questions, not just me.

When do you know you’re in good hands on the set?

There has to be a little Napoleon in every director (or a tall Napoleon). Generally speaking, if they are not outgoing, opinionated and forceful personalities they are not going to get those 40 people on the crew moving, they are not going to get that energy moving in the proper direction, and they are not going to achieve what they wanted to achieve when they started the day.

It’s also when you can sit back and smile, when the dop doesn’t have his hands around the director’s neck, when the talent is sober and the set isn’t flooded.

When a director takes charge the crew respects them for it. There’s a strange kind of smell out there; it’s like a prison yard, they can smell whether they have someone who’s in charge or someone who’s a fraud.

What’s the biggest challenge in finding the right director?

Faith that this person you’ve never met can deliver the intangible you can’t quite articulate.

What do you think is the hardest part of a director’s job?

Because you only have a day or two to do something, the hardest part for a director is having that instinctive talent for knowing what’s best when they set something up. Every shot they set up has a thousand questions, and every answer they give can potentially make or break it. They just have to instinctively know how to do it right.

What would you like to see more often in reels, new directors, director-agency relationships?

When I started there was not a huge amount of choice. What we have now is the whole world to choose from; the whole world will come here to do work. Canadians realize they are competing on the world stage – it’s not a protected industry. What we have available here now is superb; production companies are first-class, and the people they bring to us and the work they do are better than they’ve ever been.

Did you ever want to direct?

No. I would have no idea where the camera goes; parts of it are just mystical to me.