Take a look at director Ago Panini’s reel. Admire the stylish, atmospheric spots for BMW, Daewoo, Alfa Romeo and Peugeot. Then think about this: Not only does he not own a car; he doesn’t drive. Panini gets around Milan on his Vespa scooter. How does he get the feel for cars that’s needed to help create such rich spots? He believes his non-driving perspective "helps me to represent the cars as art objects rather than modes of transportation.
"I love cars," Panini continues, "and I can see them as beautiful shapes and forms to be appreciated and admired." This attitude is on display in his recent BMW spot "Unavoidable," out of Publicis in Mid-America, Dallas, which he directed through his stateside roost, bicoastal Moxie Pictures; he is represented in Italy by Film Master, Milan and Rome, and in Germany by GAP Film, Munich.
"Unavoidable," which debuted during the Winter Olympic Games, is Panini’s third spot for the U.S. market. In it, a well-to-do mother pilots her BMW 5 series down an urban street, while a voice lists two ways to find protection from an unavoidable accident: One is insulation from the unavoidable. Her eyes widen as a car skids around a corner, causing a chain reaction of swerves and slides. While she twists and turns the wheel, somehow missing the mess and driving away unscathed, the V.O. offers the second option: "Or, redefine the word ‘unavoidable.’ " It is this hint of irony at the end that Panini feels makes the ad—giving the viewer a way to smile at a story that was really serious.
No matter what type of ad he is directing, Panini feels that certain elements are important. One is story; the other, humor. "Every idea I’m presented with, I ask myself, ‘What’s the story here?’ " he relates. "No matter how good the stunts or effects are, whether it’s a spot, a short, a music video or a feature, it needs to have a story. And some sense of humor is important in life to survive … and, of course, it’s really important in my work."
Agency Background
Getting his start in the ad business as a copywriter, at the Milan office of InterBrand, has helped Panini to work well with agencies and clients. He believes that his understanding of the agency side of the business reassures creatives. Ideally, he likes to be involved in the process as early as possible. He is currently working on a job for Italian food company Findus, where he is collaborating closely with McCann-Erickson, Milan, on the spots’ concepts.
Panini’s approach to a commercial shoot is to prep about 70 percent of what’s going to happen, leaving the rest unrehearsed to get live reaction from the actors, extras and stunts. He feels this gives his spots a fresh and real feeling. He likes to get most of the shoot done in camera—as he puts it, "Get what’s good right there on the set." If a spot requires effects work, such as his Matrix-like effort for Peugeot, or his ad for Aqua Panna bottled water that takes place underwater, he works mostly with Paris-based Buf Compagnie. "They say, ‘Do what you want and then tell us what you would like to see that is not real,’ " he explains.
The director’s interest in film began when he was just six years old. He spent several summers going to the cinema near Portofino, watching a different feature every day, "with my mouth open at what I saw." Always aiming at a career in the visual arts, he studied photography and worked with film on his own. He directed music videos for local bands, spending as much time on sets as he could, and experimenting with animation, a genre that remains a favored idiom: He’s currently finishing his own animated public service announcement for an Italian relief agency called Emergency, that will air beginning in April. He continues to helm clips, which allow him to experiment with new techniques.
In 1997 he parlayed exposure from his prize-winning short film Scorpion (honored at the ’96 Venice Film Festival and others), and several music videos, into a chance to helm a spot through Film Master. On that shoot he was paired with experienced DP Paolo Caimi. "This was the agency’s insurance that at least the film would actually be exposed," jokes Panini. It was the beginning of a very productive partnership; Caimi has lensed most of Panini’s spots.
Panini is excited about helming in the U.S. market, likening it to the major leagues. "Here," he says of the U.S., "you prove you can do it for real. You are far away from home and you’re just considered as a director. They’re not interested in your life, background, or what your mamma thinks."
In addition to the BMW projects, Panini’s U.S. work includes commercials for The Aluminum Association, out of Adworks, Washington, D.C.; the spots were produced through Tate & Partners, Santa Monica. "Mr. Parkinson," a public service spot for the Italian Association for Parkinson’s Disease, done via McCann-Erickson, Milan, won a gold medal at the New York Festival and a bronze Clio, both in ’01.
Panini cites the Coen brothers and classic directors John Cassavetes, Sydney Pollack, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut as influences. He hopes to have more film time to pay homage to these heroes: He has written a feature screenplay called Termite’s Nest that is currently scheduled to begin production in January ’03.
At press time Panini had no firm plans for his next U.S. spot. "But," the director says, "Moxie has contacted me a couple of times to see if I’m really booked all the way through April, so I think there’s something on the fire."
