commercial in itself

Kurt Hagan,

Senior vice-president,

Creative director,

DDB Needham Worldwide,

Toronto

Here’s a sobering thought for all production houses: every shoot is a commercial for your next job.

That is, if the director spent more time on the cell phone to the Maserati dealer than directing the talent, we’ll hear about it.

If the director decided that everything agreed to in the prepro suddenly became ‘too expected,’ and refused to shoot it, the whole town will learn about it the next day.

Hell, we’ll even hear about the gerbils at the wrap party. It’s just that kind of business.

Now, I’m not saying we expect everybody to be a Boy Scout. In fact, brilliant footage makes challenging temperaments easier to endure. But certain creative teams choose to avoid the histrionics. That’s their prerogative. And certain clients just can’t cope with an enfant terrible.

So if you’ve been invited to bid on a board, scan your memory for previous jobs with the people who now work at the agency. You may discover a clue.

On the other hand, if you are among the three or four directors to whom we do send a board, consider that you’ve beaten out literally hundreds of others. So make the most of the opportunity. Because even if you don’t get this job, you’ll make an impression that will affect our decisions on all future jobs.

Which brings me to the prickly subject of foreign directors.

I suspect that one of the things the imports offer is a relatively clean slate. A good reel and no baggage. In other words, less inside scoop on how they work. But there’s no doubt that a lot of very average American directors are getting jobs, and clients are being charged an unnecessary premium, when there are better choices locally.

While we at DDB Needham tend to avoid the gratuitous use of imports, I can understand how some creative directors, just stopping over in Canada en route to some flashier outpost on their global career path, might find it inconvenient to get to know the local talent. (Hell, some of these guys don’t even spend weekends here. And it’s hard to learn this culture when you’re still sending your dry cleaning to l.a.)

Still, if a specific director offers unique qualities that we truly require to bring our concept to life, then I don’t care if he or she is from Reykjavik. You can’t shop Canadian for coconuts.

And they have to deal with the fact that there’s a new generation of creatives who don’t give a fig who won a Bronze Bessie in 1963 or who directed a brilliant campaign for a beer brand that died before they hit puberty. (And why should they? Advertising is just as ephemeral as the entertainment industry.)

So, admittedly, these must be challenging times for Canadian production houses. But take heart in knowing that there is logic to our choices. A few cases in point:

1. In a recent project the winning director was chosen simply because one couldn’t make the schedule and another’s ‘flighty’ nature was judged so mercurial, it might jeopardize the agency’s relationship with our client.

2. House A is 20 grand high. Director B has done good things for one of the creatives in the past. House C has a director we didn’t know who just finished a great job for friends of ours: film was phenomenal, shoot was smooth. And they’re offering a dop we revere. Decision imminent.

3. Another director showed incredible enthusiasm by actually contributing to an animatic production for research. Based on past experiences, we had sought his views. Certainly if and when it finally comes to production, you can bet he’s got the edge.

4. One of our most successful campaigns in recent years was awarded to a local dop who was just making the transition to directing. The production house put together an unbeatable deal that committed to a ridiculous schedule most established directors couldn’t have managed. It was perhaps serendipitous, but this guy we’d never met did a brilliant job from which we all benefited. (It netted him nine spots in total.)

Needless to say, all the directors to whom I’ve referred have remarkable talent. But often, simple logistics make the choice for us. And what may appear to be a rather capricious decision based largely on the cumulative experiences of the creative department at the agency. Hey, our producers, writers and art directors have been around. And we all discuss our experiences over biscotti.

So when a director makes a great impression, word spreads quickly. When the word is negative, the velocity is enhanced.

Something to ponder during your next shoot.