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In this edition of ‘Creative Pursuits’ we catch up with Fluid Director/Editor Zeke O’Donnell to talk about how he got his start, recent projects, and the secret to delivering a good sight gag. 

You spent several years working as an editor for FLUID before making the leap to directing. How has your editing experience influenced your process and aesthetic as a director?

I consider myself an editor who also directs.  Every director should tinker in editing.  I feel that having a hand in both gives you deeper insight for both disciplines.  Editing is a process similar to building.  Every shot is a piece of raw material and some materials work better than others to construct a solid foundation.  I found that it was extremely helpful to have been through this process over and over again before getting behind the camera.  I try to conceptualize how the shots will play together, and I also try to gather lots of additional coverage that might be useful editorial pieces.  I’m also much more savvy about the “fix it in post” mentality.  There are certain things that can be executed well after the shoot, and some that are really best done practically, and it’s nice to be confident about these types of decisions on the fly.  Aesthetically, editing has given me more appreciation of wider shots and their place in the edit.  I think that a lot of my earlier directorial attempts feel a bit tight in terms of coverage so now as a director I feel that supplying more variety of coverage for an edit makes the end product much more dynamic.

How would you say your work has evolved over the years?

In college, I made videos for a comedy troupe and with my friends.  It was a lot of fun, but also amateur hour in terms of how I shot and edited it.  I doubt that I spent more than a couple of hours cutting any single video.  Now I spend much more time agonizing over an edit.  I’d like to think that my work has become more precise and thoughtful year by year.

Your recent spot work for Ski Safe shows off your aptitude for visual humor. What’s the secret to telling a good joke through imagery? Who are your icons when it comes to comedic filmmaking?

The key to visual humor is revealing the joke in a way that may catch people off guard and surprise them.  Also, you have to know what’s funny about a sight gag and make sure that the tone of the performance is on key.  Good talent can elevate a bad joke or ruin a good joke, so cast wisely.

When I was an adolescent, I watched Robin Hood: Men in Tights about a hundred times.  Mel Brooks had a window into my soul.  Comedy has changed so much since then.  Judd Apatow seems to have a chokehold on the comedy market these days.  Some of his stuff is really funny, honest and real which I think is refreshing.

We hear rumors that you have a history as a “performer.” What kind of performance did you do?

When I was a child I would dress as a clown and did tricks for my family.  I did a fair amount of theater in high school.  In college, I was in a sketch comedy group.  I’ve stopped performing out of necessity.  There’s too much important stuff to do on the other side of the camera.  Now I have a daughter and she likes to be entertained so it might be time to get a new clown outfit.

After college you moved to NYC to work intern with Morgan Spurlock on the documentary Super Size Me. What was that like and how did that experience affect your career in film?

At the time I wasn’t sure that anything would come out of Super-Size Me.  They operated out of a small office in Soho and it seemed pretty shoestring to me.  They had a white board that was used to keep track of the dozen or so projects that they were trying to get off the ground.  They were hustling.  Super Size Me was a great idea for a film and I’m really glad that it took off the way it did.  Morgan has a lot of charisma and an unwavering can-do attitude, and I believe his demeanor in no small part contributed to his success.  When I started out, I was green and timid, but over the years I’ve become more loose and confident and I’d attribute that in part to working on SSM.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working in film?

I had a back up plan of becoming a doctor.  It was a stupid plan, because I feel a little bit sick whenever I see blood, but I fulfilled all of my college premedical requirements in case the film thing didn’t work out.  Knock on wood.

What film/music/TV show are you really enjoying right now, or what’s causing you to form a pop-cultural opinion—good or bad?

Television is going through a renaissance right now.  There are so many good episodic shows that are able to dive so much deeper than film can because of their breadth.  Right now I’m watching Friday Night Lights, which I find extremely enjoyable.  AMC has been knocking it out of the park with Breaking Bad and Madmen.  I’m not one of those people who work in our industry and don’t really watch television.  I love TV!  I saw a print ad on the subway the other day that said that the average American watches something like 13 years of television in their lifetime.  I’m sure that figure is about accurate for me, and I don’t regret it at all.  Good television is an enriching experience.  That being said, there’s a lot of crap on television that scares the shit out of me.  Jersey Shore, Fox News, I’m looking in your general direction.

hushstudios:

The Telly Awards has named HUSH as a Silver winner in the 33^rd Annual Telly Awards for our piece titled MARSH “IGNITE”.   With nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, this is truly an honor. 

Join us in celebrating! Check out the Telly Award-winning piece here!

Voting for Internet Week’s Make the Stage 2012 has been extended until…today! We’re casting our vote for Nice Shoes’ Brian Bowman and his Creative Coding panel.

Nola Pictures director Nick Lewin gave us the scoop on his early beginnings as a PA and editor at RSA, recent work for Lowe’s, Nissan, and Splenda, his love for photography, and more.  

Could you describe your experience starting off as an office runner for Ridley Scott Associates? What was the day-to-day like, and was this your first exposure to film?

I started working at Ridley Scott Associates, as it was then called, when it had been going for about six months. I had worked as a PA on features before that. That was hardly exposure to film. I merely put sugar in coffee and had no idea what was going on. But, then I was at RSA for four or five years and went from PA to Editor where I learnt an amazing amount about the basic grammar of film. What cuts and what doesn’t. The editing room is a great place to learn, not only technique but also how to exist on no sleep.

How did you make the transition from editing to directing? 

Editing prepares you well for directing so I leapt at the chance. And soon after, formed a production company and was soon enough up and running. Quite early on I started working in the States although I lived in the U.K. It was a great time to start. Great agencies and great clients.  We were expected to try out the unexpected, to shoot tests on everything. Push the negative as far as it would go. Try different wardrobe, make-up and hair. Play with comedy and dialogue and all the while be prepared to experiment, consider possibilities. For me it was a golden age and I loved every minute of it.

Your body of work for Volkswagen is very diverse — from ‘Turbonium” which  demonstrates your penchant for photo-composition and design, to narrative-driven spots like ‘The Great Escape,’ featuring a freewheeling grandpa and his grandson to the time lapse technique in the docu-style “Amulet”. How did your work for VW evolve over the years, and which spot was the most fun to work on?

I was lucky to meet Alan Paffenbach and Lance Jensen and work on a project for them at Arnold before the Agency won the VW account. We got on and had a good chemistry so they got me involved in the VW Beetle campaign. They worked with quite a few directors over the years and I worked on several different spots. For me there is one major criterion. The idea. Always the idea. How best to tell the story? Arnold always pushed, made me really think through the whole project and find ways to interpret it that were not obvious. Also casting. Always casting for people who brought something better to the party. People who gave the spot some attitude.

There’s an element of humor in a lot of your work. (Your spots for Budweiser are great examples.) Do you prefer commercial work where there’s a bit of levity?

I’ve been asked about humor and levity. I love comedy, mostly the more subtle comedy that’s in the writing and timing and not the body language. But I also like any idea that has performance at its core. I love working with actors and letting them bring their ideas to the table. In many instances they carry the core idea. They have to deliver the storyline in a believable way and I am there to help them. I truly believe if you have the right cast so many problems disappear.

When the cast is right, then the fun can start. Playing with the possibilities. Trying out different ideas and nuances. Such a great way to work.

I really try to fight against the notion that we can sort the casting out on the day, make people younger or older or see if they can be funnier. None of that ever seems to work and hundreds of takes later video village is a sea of angst as we all try to see what little bits might make the grade.

No, get the casting right and then avoid all that! 

You’ve worked with a wide range of celebrities, from the world’s most famous athlete to an incredibly diverse group of comedians, movie and tv stars. What’s the secret to making that work in a commercial?

Working with great actors, comedians and celebrities brings its own challenges. Really, it’s so important to do your homework. Think in advance of the possible questions that might come up and have your answers.

I think the single most important thing with pieces that are dialogue driven is to make sure that you are coming in on time. Sort that out before you shoot and all is golden. Sorting it out as you shoot is a nightmare and confuses everyone! 

Every now and then it is worth walking out and looking back at the camera, a crew, a battery of lights and video village and you can see why people clam up. It’s a pretty terrifying sight. Just remember that and have some sympathy for the talent. In most instances they are all we’ve got! They are the idea!

Could you speak to your approach to your personal photography? What captures your eye and how does the discipline inform your commercial work?

I have a large interest in photography and spend a huge amount of time taking stills. Very old-school. All film and large formats. 120 and 5x4. Usually inanimate objects. Very shallow depth and very abstract. I can get completely lost doing that and time flies by. It really has no relationship to my directing job. Completely different and totally therapeutic.

What film/music/TV show are you into at the moment or what’s causing you to form an opinion, good or bad??

What movies do I like? My tastes change the whole time. I love European cinema. I love classic Hollywood. Also 70’s Hollywood. I love Asian cinema. We live in a world where it is all there for us and not hard to find. There is so much great film out there. So three films I love.

1.The Conformist

2. Playtime

3. Margaret.

Classic movie, French masterpiece and modern indie piece, all just amazing and this list will change all the time.

Music is the same. I can veer from Chet Baker, past the Beatles and into the world of Salif Keita. I have several iPods, each with too much music. But they are all there and I listen to music the whole time. As I write this I am listening to a band called First Aid Kit from Sweden with a guy called The Tallest Man on Earth about to start.

Danish Television is seducing me at the moment. Borgen and the Killing are just superb. Very dark and beautifully executed. Then there’s always Larry David. I actually record stuff and watch it later. I find that easier.

Your recent work for Lowe’s, Nissan and Splenda demonstrates your facility with humor, performance and visual effects and continues to enable you to defy categorization as any one type of director. Care to comment? 

Well, that is where I am at the moment. Anticipating good ideas and an enthusiastic team to do them with. Thankfully, I’ve had wonderful creative opportunities to explore, to bring in visual techniques from other mediums, so when I am presented with an idea I may think of any number of ways to approach it. Ink blots, time lapse, Rube Goldberg, moco, cg, dogs and monkeys, whatever….  All these things and all these brilliant specialists are at our fingertips so if we carefully select the talents we need to enhance the crew it’s all due diligence but great fun and very little drama and life stays interesting.

We’ve learned a lot over the past year as more of our brand partners take advantage of our Strategic Marketing services. Since the list is growing, we thought we’d satiate your curiosity and offer up a list of six things you might not know about our efforts:

1. Our contact lists are tailored to suit the needs of each client. 

You give us a wish list of potential clients. We deliver a list of contacts that are researched, optimized and edited line-by-line to ensure optimal yields.

2. Our Direct Marketing team goes beyond cold-calling.

We work with our clients to identify high-value leads among their industry connections, collaborators and past clientele.

3. We‘ll turn the metrics into concrete sales leads.

We’re able to take standard industry metrics like open rates, click-throughs, and bounce backs, then distill them into easily disseminated breakdowns for follow-up.

4. Through consistency, we’re able to track who’s engaging the most over time.

One of our greatest strengths is creating a curated list of brand advocates whom we’ve identified as being most receptive to your company message.

5. We customize every message with the best content for your brand.

By marrying PR and marketing efforts, we’re able to turn all of your most notable accomplishments and press into a seamless message.

6. We don’t just shoot off the same message to thousands of contacts. 

Are your clients using some of your offerings but not others? Are you trying to attract clientele across multiple industries? With proper list segmentation, we’re able to customize your message for your audience. 

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This article originally appeared on shots.net on February 3, 2012. 

When an anonymous agency unveiled a Ferris Bueller-themed 10-second teaser spot featuring Matthew Broderick last week, the advertising world and fans alike were going crazy with theories about who could be behind the campaign and what client was attached.

From speculation that it was Pepsi (due to the font at the end) to theories that the hotel room set meant it was a travel firm, the conversation was buzzing before the full-length commercial aired. RPA and Honda emerged as the culprits with a fun-filled ‘seize the day’ style message and here EVP/ECD Joe Baratelli tells us about opening the brief up to the whole department, using the rights respectfully and what he’d do on his own ultimate ‘day off’.

How did the Ferris Bueller idea come about?

We knew the new Honda CR-V was going on sale on 1 January and we had the campaign in place. The ‘leap list’ idea is for people to make a list of things they want to do before the things they have to do – before you make a leap into your next stage in life, like getting married or having a baby, the versatile CR-V can help you accomplish whatever adventure.

We knew that the Super Bowl, timing-wise, would fit into the launch, but we wanted to make something special given the stage. Ferris Bueller fits the ultimate idea of going out and doing what you want before it’s too late. He wanted to show his friends a great day before they went off to college. It was a perfect fit.

Is the process for creating a Super Bowl campaign different to a normal spot and do you feel extra pressure?

There is always pressure for a big car launch, but with the Super Bowl, it’s heightened. We opened it to the whole department; gave everyone the original brief, let them know that it needed to tie into the campaign, but told everyone to go for it. There were a lot of ideas that used known talent.

Why do you think there has been a big surge in preview and teaser campaigns this year? Almost like advertising the advertising…

Volkswagen really set the bar last year by leading with the 60-second of little Darth online. It really created buzz and anticipation for the game day spot. It was a discovery for a lot of people to be able to say during the game, “Check this out, I saw it online, it’s great…”. Obviously this has been heightened this year with a whole bunch of commercials or variations being released early.

Did you enjoy all the speculation that the teaser received?

Sure, that was the plan. We wanted it to be a true tease. Who’s it from? What’s it for? Is it a movie? We thought long and hard about how much to give away. Ultimately we made the right move.

Do you think the fact that we’re seeing the work before game day takes away from the ‘big reveal’ during the event?

I don’t think so. Relatively speaking, you’re still only reaching a small percentage online compared to Game Day views; 10 million online (which after 4 days is astounding), but the online views are much more powerful. The viewer has chosen to watch your video and in most cases, they have either sought it out or had it shared by a friend who loved it. And it has their complete attention. That’s compared to 110 million watching the game. There’s definitely more opportunity for word-of-mouth. In the past that conversation was only after the game, and now it’s before, during and after.

What did you enjoy most about creating and executing the campaign?

Watching, and helping, a great team pull all the pieces together – quite an achievement. The right board; a great client to recognise the potential; the studio for the rights; the talent; the agents; getting the right director; finessing the script and making sure it was respectful to the original film; the Easter eggs; the editing; and the rollout strategy. Giving support and guidance to all involved along the way, that’s what I enjoy.

Do you think there’s a danger in tainting the original film’s memory/reputation among hardcore fans, not only in this case, but with Star Wars etc?

That was always a concern from the outset with this project because it hadn’t been used before. But we were very respectful of John Hughes and the iconic movie he created. We consider it an homage to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  It’s Matthew rather than Ferris, LA rather than Chicago. And all the hidden gems or Easter eggs from the original movie. If you are a fan, there is something to find. Of course, as we’ve seen, there are a lot of distractors and they tend to be vocal. But in the end the positive comments have way surpassed the negative. Other properties like Star Wars have been used commercially for so long it isn’t an issue with the diehard fans. Heck, even John Hughes used the Star Wars theme in the original Ferris Bueller movie back in 1986.

If you were Matthew Broderick, bunking off work for the day, tell us some of the things you’d get up to?

The art museum is one for sure. Love sports, so a baseball game or the track would be another. I’m always up for an exotic meal. Bazaar would be fun. The parade not so much, I’m not much of a showman.

And where will you be watching the big game?

A lot of folks from the agency will be at the group creative director’s house – he’s having a big party. Me? I’m staying home; we have a tradition of a half-time game in the street with the neighbourhood kids.

In our most recent Creative Pursuits,we caught up with Jason Sperling,  Senior VP/Group Creative Director from Santa Montica-based RPA.

What are you currently working on?

At the present moment we’re putting the finishing touches on our Super Bowl commercial and our CR-V campaign. We’re getting set to launch big initiatives for several cars this year. And then pile on top of that campaigns to support every other car in the lineup, all our regional work and everything we do to support our social channel. It’s a big workload, but it’s a big brand with a lot of creative potential.

Describe what it was like being the CD behind the Mac vs. PC campaign. When you were working on the campaign, did you expect it to take off in the way it did?

Well, creatively, yes. It was very different, albeit true to Apple’s tone and voice. But back then, Macs were still that ‘other computer’, and even though Apple had hit its stride with the iPod and iTunes, there wasn’t the halo effect you see today. So I was surprised that when we went for the PC jugular, it really resonated with PC users and helped the Mac catch on.

How would you say your work has evolved over the years?

A few ways. Obviously with the influence of digital and social, and media truly evolving into a creative platform, it’s changed the way I think about things when developing campaigns. Working on Apple has also turned me into somewhat of an impassioned perfectionist. I expect people to care, push and set a high bar for themselves the same way I do. To not be satisfied with first ideas, to protect it from people who don’t understand its potential, and to sweat every last detail on a project until it’s finally out the door. 

Formal education vs. work experience: which is more valuable in advertising?

I think a formal education just makes you a smarter, more interesting person. And ultimately that makes your work smarter and more interesting. But I don’t think you need to come from a Portfolio Center, Creative Circus or Academy of Art to know how to create a good idea. Plus with the way the industry is changing the training you get from those schools has an expiration date. Ultimately, smart people will adapt and do well. And that’s something you can’t teach.

Rumor has it you created an iPad app for kids. Could you tell us a little more about that?

It’s something I developed before I left Apple. When I started working on the marketing for iPad, I thought this thing would have a huge impact in schools. I could see textbooks consolidating themselves into this one device and becoming this amazing new interactive experience. And if all your textbooks were on this thing, why couldn’t your notebooks and notes be on it too? So I came up with Totes M’ Notes, which hearkens back to the old Pee Chee two pocket folders we used in grade school. You can write all over them, cover them with stickers, but then inside, you can take notes, share notes, and have really powerful school tools. Plus being in advertising, I thought it could be interesting if you licensed the folders like you would real ones, but embed all that cool iPad technology. Anyways, it’s an experiment, but its been fun to launch something on your own.

Best thing to happen in music/film/books in 2011?

I think this question might be a little expired. Although I’d say the influence of technology on all these things over the year has been pretty invigorating. Digital movies, 3D programs on TV, ebooks….

Worst thing – the breakup of R.E.M.