I recently entertained 26 five-year-olds at my sons “drop off” birthday party. This is when the guests’ parents slow their cars down outside your house and eject their offspring onto your lawn, returning hours later with wine stained teeth and leaves in their hair.
Of course, we launched the festivities with a Star Wars-inspired “Jedi Obstacle Course”–complete with a “Death Star Tunnel Crawl”; a “Tire Mace (maze)” (affectionately named after Mace Windu); and a “Whack the Empty Water Cooler Jugs With a Light Saber” game. Winners were awarded plastic Gold Medallions, which they proudly wore for the remainder of the party.
Remarkably, these 33-cent awards created a dynamic change in the behavior of the once-innocent party-goers, reminding me that from a very early age, we are defined by our awards. They shape who we are, how we are perceived, and ultimately position us in the food chain.
I have been directing [what I would like to think of as] pretty sweet regional work for years–adding to the concepts (or taking away when appropriate), keeping things subtle, employing a keen eye for art direction–and maintaining a pretty solid style and voice. More than a handful of times, my name graced the pages of this very publication next to respected directors Baker Smith, Noam Murrro, Jim Jenkins, David Kellogg and the like.
But it wasn’t until last year, when a campaign I directed was honored at Cannes, that I got a taste of what awards can do. I will always continue to grow and evolve as a director, but without really changing the way I approached my job I found myself starting to get boards from formidable ad agencies for national brands. Did I have a sudden burst of talent? Perhaps qualified participants in the obstacle course are just bound to get a medal at some point.
Awards create a buzz, building recognition, followed by an increase in quality boards, resulting in a higher caliber of work, which ultimately results in more awards–repeat cycle as long as you can. This metamorphosis takes the same director, with the same sensibility, to an entirely different level.
Theoretically, directors with skill and talent can be recognized and hired regardless of the creative they’ve worked on or clients they have worked for. But even with good regional work, it seems difficult to suggest a lesser-known director these days. In these times of “Preferred Director Lists,” stiff competition, changing media landscape, and agencies staying lean, it’s harder to stick your neck out and discover new talent.
There are jobs that are appropriate for new talent, and I hope undiscovered directors–myself included–continue to create a presence by finding great creative opportunities and racking up some award credit. Inversely, I implore creative buyers to keep a keen eye out for these emerging Jedi’s, after all there is a reason one kid kicks another kid’s ass in the obstacle course. I’ll be mindful not to treat awards lightly. Maybe I’ll even get a little shelf.
I am very lucky to direct little stories, meet like-minded and incredibly interesting people, and work on projects that hit the “Trifecta” (happy client, agency and director). The greatest award is the reward of the job.
[Matt Pittroff is a director with Twist, New York and Minneapolis.]
L.A. Location Lensing Declines In 2024 Despite Uptick In 4th Quarter
FilmLA, partner film office for the City and County of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, has issued an update regarding regional filming activity. Overall production in Greater Los Angeles increased 6.2 percent from October through December 2024 to 5,860 Shoot Days (SD) according to FilmLA’s latest report. Most production types tracked by FilmLA achieved gains in the fourth quarter, except for reality TV, which instead logged its ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year decline.
The lift across all remaining categories came too late to rescue 2024 from the combined effects of runaway production, industry contraction and slower-than-hoped-for post- strike recovery. With just 23,480 SD filmed on-location in L.A. in 2024, overall annual production finished the year 5.6 percent below the prior year. That made 2024 the second least productive year observed by FilmLA; only 2020, disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, saw lower levels of filming in area communities.
The continuing decline of reality TV production in Los Angeles was among the most disappointing developments of 2024. Down 45.7 percent for the fourth quarter (to 774 SD), the category also finished the year down 45.9 percent (to 3,905 SD), which placed
it 43.1 percent below its five-year category average.
The two brightest spots in FilmLA’s latest report appeared in the feature film and television drama categories. Feature film production increased 82.4 percent in the fourth quarter to 589 SD, a gain analysts attribute to independent film activity. The
California Film & Television Tax Credit Program also played a part, driving 19.2 percent of quarterly category activity. Overall, annual Feature production was up 18.8 percent in 2024, though the... Read More