While Dan Mindel is a DP with years of experience, whose film credits include Enemy of the State, he isn’t one to lecture on the finer points of cinematography. If anything, he is a humble craftsman who looks at every job—whether it is a commercial or a movie—as a potential learning experience. Even a trip to the cinema to see another cinematographer’s film offers schooling. "Every time I see a movie, I see something that I like, and I just keep learning. It’s a lifelong process," says Mindel, who is represented by The Skouras Agency, Santa Monica.
Certainly, Mindel, a native Brit, has gotten quite an education by working with the talented Scotts—that’s Tony (who directed Enemy of the State) and Ridley. (Both directors helm spots through bicoastal RSA USA.) "I don’t think there’s anyone that I’ve learned more from than Tony, for sure," Mindel attests. "He’s a dynamo, as you know."
In addition to DP-ing Tony Scott’s Enemy of the State, Mindel shot additional photography for the director’s The Fan and Crimson Tide. Mindel’s credits also include shooting additional photography for Ridley Scott’s White Squall, and California portions of G. I. Jane.
As for spot work, Mindel recently DP’d a series of spots that Tony Scott did for Barclays Bank, out of Leagas Delaney, London. The Scott brothers aren’t the only high-profile directors Mindel has worked with. Recently he collaborated with Oliver Stone (Any Given Sunday, Nixon) on commercial campaigns for Motorola, out of McCann-Erickson, Singapore, and for Heineken, through Bates China, Hong Kong.
The Motorola campaign features a particularly noteworthy spot called "Wireless," which is composed of a series of beautiful images shot on location in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. The vistas show how Web-enabled wireless phones offer users unlimited freedom to roam, yet keep in touch. In one of the spot’s most dazzling visual sequences, the supporting cables of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge disappear as a car drives by them. Stone, who does not have commercial representation, directed "Wireless" through Saville Productions, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, and also has offices in Bangkok and Singapore. The Heineken work was co-produced by Saville and Shooting Stars Productions, New York.
Effects-Heavy
Mindel is quite experienced when it comes to working with visual effects-intensive spots. In fact, he’s currently gaining notice for his work on a new commercial for the Honda Odyssey, called "Sonogram," recently selected as Top Spot of the Week (SHOOT, 10/20, p. 10).
The commercial, out of Rubin Postaer and Associates, Santa Monica, and directed by Mark Pellington of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films, finds a pregnant woman and her husband visiting the doctor for a sonogram. The image of the unborn infant appears on a monitor as the doctor and soon-to-be-parents chat.
At one point, the father mentions that he is in the market for a minivan. Suddenly, it appears that the baby is paying attention to the conversation and isn’t so thrilled by what he is hearing. What’s a baby to do? Throw a tantrum, of course.
While the baby carries on—and the mom-to-be comments on his kicking—the doctor asks the father what kind of minivan he is thinking of purchasing, and the expectant dad answers, "Honda Odyssey." "Nice, very nice," the doctor responds. The baby breaks into a smile and gives his parents a thumbs-up.
Because "Sonogram" was a post-intensive spot—Digital Domain, Venice, Calif., created the CG baby—it would be easy to assume that Mindel had had a lot of headaches to cope with during the shoot. However, he contends that it went smoothly. "I don’t remember anything being problematic," he relates. "Mark was very organized about it, and he knew what had to be done. We had a clear path, and it was just a matter of executing it."
Mindel notes that he has been called upon to work on more visual effects-oriented spots over the last four or five years. And he has increased his knowledge of effects by taking part in the post process whenever possible. "It is actually a great training ground," he says.
And agency creatives don’t seem to mind his being there. "Agencies don’t feel so vulnerable if the DP goes. Actually, they like it if you help them time the commercial and color it," explains Mindel. "But then it’s a tricky area, because you’ve got to look after the director’s interest as well."
While director Pellington actually took part in the postproduction process of the "Sonogram" job, he wasn’t joined by Mindel, who was required to be in London to begin shooting Tony Scott’s latest film, Spy Game, starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt.
Mindel has been at work on the project for about six weeks now, and says it will keep him busy until March. During that time, he’ll shoot in England and Hungary. (The film was also slated to shoot in Israel, but due to the escalating violence there, new locations are being scouted.)
Working on films has a certain caché to it, and plenty of people in the commercial industry would love to have Mindel’s film career. As for whether he’ll eventually give up spot work, Mindel says, no way. "I’ve done both commercials and movies my entire career," he stresses.
His commitment to spot work is connected to his desire to keep learning. "I believe you learn the most by experimenting in commercials, and the skills I learn by doing them can be incorporated into my movies," he points out.
Then how about directing? Does Mindel want a shot at it? Unlike so many other DPs, he says he has no such aspirations. "I actually enjoy what I do totally. It allows me the opportunity to practice my craft. I don’t think I could practice my craft and direct at the same time and give it one-hundred percent," he says. "I like to give my job my full attention."
