In "Jingle Bells," a delightful Christmas-themed ad that Kieran Walsh directed for Chase Bank, out of FCB New York, the music tells the story. As a camera whizzes through store after store—all of them Manhattan institutions—the chimes of cash registers ringing up holiday purchases sound the notes of the caroling classic. Oh, what fun it is, "Bells" reminds viewers with poignant subtlety, to use your Chase debit card to buy gifts when the company is donating a portion of the proceeds to charities benefiting the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Like many Americans in the wake of the tragedy, Walsh wanted to lend a helping hand. The director, who is represented by bicoastal/ international Chelsea Pictures, was able to make his contribution in the best way he knew how: helming inspirational spots that addressed New York City’s plight. Those included the aforementioned ad for Chase, and "Help Us Rebuild," a PSA for the Manhattan Youth organization—a group that works with children living in the downtown area near the site of the World Trade Center—via Young & Rubicam (Y&R), New York. "I felt it was my way of giving back," says Walsh. "It’s such a great feeling to be involved with a medium where you know you can make a difference."
Walsh is also making a difference in his busy career, as his body of work begins to display a strong versatility. Cautious of being pegged a director specializing in striking visuals—as he has demonstrated in memorable commercials like "Life" for HSBC bank via agency Contrapunto/BBDO, Madrid; and "Swimmer" for Kellogg’s, out of Leo Burnett, Toronto—Walsh has been moving over to more performance-driven spots that represent a return to his roots in college theater. Both "Life" and "Swimmer" were produced through bicoastal Morton Jankel Zander (MJZ), Walsh’s former spot roost.
"It’s tough to break through from being categorized as a visualist," Walsh notes. "But I’m getting there." To smooth the transition, he switched firms in August 2001. After roughly six years with MJZ, he joined bicoastal/international Chelsea Pictures. What impressed the director most about his new roost was that the company execs intuitively understood where he wanted to progress as an artist without his even having to tell them. "They looked at my reel and they just totally got it," recalls Walsh. "I had done a lot of visually oriented stuff, but they realized I was looking to broaden my work to more performance-oriented pieces."
Walsh’s foray into dialogue and performance-based work is on display in one of his first efforts for the genre: USPS’ "Man’s Best Friend" via FCB New York, which he directed while still at MJZ. The title refers not to a canine, but to a global positioning system that the man in the ad receives as a gift from his wife. To her dismay, he begins pacing throughout his home while using the device, announcing essential information like the distance from his location to everything from the neighborhood dry cleaners to El Paso, Texas. The wife glumly retorts, "I should have bought you a tie," in response to which a voiceover notes that priority mail makes returning gifts easy.
For a director known for his dazzling visual style, "Man’s Best Friend" may seem to be rather mundane material. But Walsh is starting to stretch directorial muscles he hasn’t used since his college days at New York’s Columbia University, where he minored in dramatic arts, and worked in numerous theater workshops. Directing theater and commercials isn’t entirely different, notes Walsh. "On stage, the actors emote, and that’s how they grab our attention. In commercials, the camera movement controls the volume, but it’s still the same concept."
For "Man’s Best Friend," Walsh used a handheld camera to follow its subject as he roams around his home, giving the spot the tone of a documentary. The approach allows for what the director calls "beautiful mistakes"—those unplanned moments that emerge between actors as the camera explores them from different angles. "I love working with actors," stresses Walsh. "They really appreciate the kind of hands-on approach I like to take. I just have a lot of respect for their craft."
Walsh recently completed a trio of spots—"Teacher," "Rancher" and "Night Shift"—for Zions Bank, which debuted during the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. The ads were done via agency Richter 7, Salt Lake City. He also helmed three spots," Meal," "Date" and "Celebration," for the power company LG&E, out of Creative Alliance, Chicago. The director contemplates making a move to feature films, and other longform projects.
Though he certainly has an eye for the visual image, the first signs of Walsh’s artistic talent were distinctly musical: He grew up playing guitar and piano, and later developed interests in photography and dramatic arts. Before breaking into the business on the strength of spec spots that impressed MJZ, Walsh toiled in Los Angeles in the early 1990s as a production assistant on a wide variety of low-budget commercials and music videos. It wasn’t prestigious work, but it allowed him to get acquainted with all aspects of the production process. "It was like getting paid to go to film school," Walsh says. "I once was that PA dropping film off at the lab, so I understand what role everyone plays and I don’t take it for granted."
Another benefit of working with Chelsea Pictures is that the house understands Walsh’s preference to continue laboring on the commercials he has shot, after they go into postproduction. "It’s important for me to follow through," states Walsh. "I like to finish the vision I start with."
