We’re talking about filmmaking, right? The director calls, "Action!" and the film moves through the camera at a given number of frames per second. The lens captures what it is directed to capture. It doesn’t make any difference if the lens is aimed at a car, a cow or a can of beer. Laurence Fishburne could be doing back flips atop an 18-wheeler or dramatically reciting a customer testimonial. You could be watching from row 15 in the theater or cushion three on your couch. Features, music videos and commercials—it’s all filmmaking. And the 2004 playing field will be more level than ever before.
For the past three years, the commercial production world has been living in fear. TiVo has scared the hell out of us. We’re terrified of alternative means of advertising that could take dollars and production days out of our pockets. And the economic nightmares haven’t helped. Companies have closed left and right, and not just on the production side. Agencies that were powerhouses in the late ’90s are now nothing more than notations in backed-up databases.
Yet, the feature film industry has continued to grow in leaps and bounds. Audiences are spending more on watching, renting and buying movies than ever before. It seems like there’s a sales record broken every other month. Ticket prices continue to rise and audiences continue to pay. They can’t and won’t resist a great film. They can’t even resist the not-so-great films. They simply must be entertained. They must retreat from the harsh realities of the world around them. And if they aren’t escaping, they’d at least like to dream for an hour or two. Whether in the theater or on the couch, they need filmmaking.
Let’s think about some of the best, most talked-about feature films of the past three years. Not the ones that made the most money, but the ones that had the strongest impact—beautiful, memorable, gripping, gut-wrenching, awe-inspiring, thought-provoking films. Now make a list of the great commercials and music videos of the past three years—the ones that made you laugh, the ones that inspired and amazed you. The ones you wished you had done. Compare this list of short films to your list of feature length films. Compare the filmmaking, the technical innovations and storytelling techniques. Which is the more inspirational, innovative, imaginative and entertaining? How has one influenced the other? Why has the feature film industry repeatedly turned to commercial and music video directors to set their next box office record?
I’d like to suggest that the very best commercials and music videos of the past three years are better pieces of filmmaking than most of the feature films released during the same time. And that the directors we’re currently working with are just getting warmed up.
The film industry overall is in a creative upswing, which is in direct response to the emotional hardships of the past few years. We can draw parallels between the filmmaking we’re seeing today and the filmmaking of the ’70s following the Vietnam War. Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now and Days of Heaven will have their equals before the end of the decade. The directors of these future films are the very same directors we work with today in commercials and music videos. They have things they need to say, and they have an audience yearning to connect.
Of those agencies that have survived over the past few years, a handful have recognized that great filmmaking in commercials is the most effective way to capture their target audiences. They’ve convinced their clients that advertising must connect to human experience in new and poignant ways. I’m constantly hearing the word "real" in creative discussions. "Real" will become a key element of how commercials communicate their message. Additionally, creative teams are applying technical innovation in visual effects to tangible human experiences and emotions. They’re finding new ways to visualize what we feel and how we live.
To achieve this, agency creatives have been looking beyond the obvious choices and searching out directors that may not be particularly mainstream or "commercial." Brilliant, inventive filmmakers have been given the opportunity to step from the fog of obscurity, and communicate their vision to international audiences. Of course, clients and agencies are still slightly skittish about working with someone "new." They continue to emphasize the need for solid, reliable productions. Therefore, they look to mainstay companies, which have delivered with consistency and professionalism to help them in their search for these hidden gems we call the "new" directors.
It seems our economy will continue on a slow trend of recovery, and the commercial production business will inevitably reflect this. Indicators already point to growing consumer confidence, and it follows that advertisers will increase spending. However, the true rewards of the coming year may not be measured in profits and production days. Instead, let us count each and every creative opportunity to raise the bar on the 30-second short film. Let’s applaud every innovation and new technique that pushes us to imagine what is next. Let’s rejoice in a method of communication and expression that lifts us all above the monotony of the evening news. Let’s make film.
