chemistry

Peter McHugh,

Creative director,

Chiat/Day,

Toronto

What ‘goes wrong’ in a presentation are sort of the same things that go wrong with a job interview or a date. Sometimes you’re way off, sometimes it’s a really close call, but for one reason or another, you don’t proceed to the bonus round. Call it chemistry, Call it luck. Call it something French and incredibly philosophical. I dunno.

One thing I do believe is that it is at least partially the responsibility of the director and production house to make it easier for the creatively impaired creative director to realize what a director is capable of.

And if the word isn’t getting across to creatives about the accomplishments of Canadian directorial talent, production houses might take it upon themselves to advertise and publicize and celebrate those accomplishments.

Most good creatives pride themselves on discovering up-and-coming talent, and being aware of what established talent is doing, but people get busy. Make it easier for people to stay abreast.

When I was working in the States, I had done a fair amount of editing with Larry Bridges from Red Car in l.a. When he was making the transition from editor to director, he asked me if I had anything simple and manageable that he could do on spec. It turns out I did (I imagine most creatives have a few of those stashed away in a drawer somewhere.)

So, for somewhere around $2,500, we shot and edited ourselves, and presented it to my client at the time (Anheuser-Busch), which bought it in a heartbeat.

Of course, we had to go back and do some more refined shots (their request), but it was one of those things that I don’t think we would’ve sold in storyboard form. So perhaps directors – especially those starting out – would benefit from thinking outside the lines. Besides, it was a lot more fun than doing a ‘regular’ commercial.

As for the state of the Canadian post-production industry, I’m really impressed with the level of post-production talent here, as well as the available technology. Barring a schedule problem or a particular piece of equipment, I see no need to post in the u.s.