Director Joachim Back recently departed his native Denmark for the U.S., signing with Park Pictures, New York, for stateside representation. But there have been other travel stops as of late for the director’s work, the most notable being Cannes where his three spots for Viagra–“Golf,” “Office” and “Couch”–collectively garnered a Gold Lion. The win came via Canada as he helmed the Viagra campaign through The Partners’ Film Company, Toronto, for agency Taxi, Toronto.
Now based in New York, Back was formerly nestled at his own Copenhagen shop, Bacon, which he started in 1999 with partners Kasper Wendendahl and Martin Werner, who still run the company. Happy to be free from the stress of running a production house, Back is looking forward to entering the U.S. market and concentrating solely on filmmaking.
“Him having done really great work in Canada is helping here because before he had a lot of European clients on his reel, a lot of European agencies,” said Park Pictures’ executive producer Jackie Bisbee. She noted that this European fare “didn’t translate so well here, but obviously the Canadian work does. He did a spot for Hyundai and he did this Viagra campaign, so that has helped tremendously.”
Back has a remarkable ability to execute comedic spots. In the Viagra commercials, he features people in relatively normal situations: playing golf, taking a coffee break and speaking at a press conference. In each scenario, the dialogue turns into what we assume is talk about the speaker’s sexual prowess. We’ll never know what the character is saying though, as his voice is replaced with a long beep and a Viagra pill is superimposed over his mouth.
In “Balaclava” for KFC, through Silverhammer, Toronto, and The Partners’ Film Company, we witness a severe case of mistaken identity. On a frigid day, we see a man leave his house and put a ski mask on his face to protect himself from the cold. On the street, a man wearing a similar outfit and carrying a large sack literally runs into him and continues down the street. Suddenly, as the first man we met stands on the corner innocently, the police surround him. “Why go out when you can stay in?” a voiceover asks. “Call KFC for delivery.”
“His storytelling is so precise and detailed that you find yourself laughing at the details,” Bisbee noted.
Although he is interested in pursuing more commercials with subtle, dry humor, Back is, like most directors, also interested in other genres, particularly in spots with strong visual elements.
When asked why he loves commercials, Back explained that beyond the energy and the challenges that lie in the medium, it represents a way to realize the visions in his mind. “I like the fact that you can get something out of your brain — and you can see it.”
Prior to Bacon, Back was repped by Easy Film, Copenhagen, for three years. Before that, his spot roost was Metronome, Copenhagen.
