It seems to be a scene out of a hostage movie. A weary plainclothes police officer stands on the street with a megaphone in hand. As searchlights cut through the nighttime sky, troops of police stand ready and helicopters circle overhead.
"Alright, come on out of there!" the cop cries out through the megaphone. "You’re gonna have to do better than that, copper!" yells back one of three criminals seen in the encircled building. "Alright," responds the officer, matter-of-factly. Using an overhead projector, he proceeds to detail manpower and sharpshooters, almost as though he were a CEO giving a company-wide presentation. After he is done, one of the criminals, obviously overwhelmed by it all, leans out and asks, "The sharpshooters—where are they again?"
A voiceover explains: "Sometimes, it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. Kinko’s. Express yourself." Funny, visually arresting and pointed—those are the features of "Bank," a Kinko’s spot from TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles. The style of "Bank" is a hallmark of the spot’s director, David Denneen, who directs via bicoastal Anonymous Content.
The Sydney, Australia, native has shot several memorable ads, including "Rescue" for Citibank, out of Fallon Minneapolis, and "Fight," for Nissan, out of TBWA/Chiat/Day, which depicts two crash test dummies in a fistfight over who gets to test a new Nissan. "Most of my ads are fairly strong visually," observes Denneen. "I would say I have a good eye … but I have been known for my storytelling skills, too.
"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a DP [director of photography]," he continues. "I could draw really well, and I got into advertising."
The young man started as a commercial artist and then switched over to working as an animator; today he cites Walt Disney and Chuck Jones as influences. After getting "fired from a few places," in 1965 he began Film Graphics, a Sydney-based company that he still runs today. It is a major source of animated and live-action spots and longform work Down Under. In ’76, Denneen won an Oscar for Leisure, an animated short film. Soon after, he began directing commercials in Australia out of Film Graphics; in ’90, he started helming American commercials through bicoastal Atherton (now Cylo tvc). "I was looking for better scripts and a challenge," he says of his decision to start helming spots for the U.S. market. Two of his better-known U.S. ads were for Nike—in’98 he helmed "CEO Jordan," out of Wieden+Kennedy (W+K), Portland, Ore., featuring Michael Jordan dividing time between basketball duties and his business empire. In ’99 Denneen directed Nike’s "Business School," also out of W+K and featuring Jordan.
Denneen feels that his background as a graphic designer allows him to switch from humor-based personality spots to those involving lots of effects. For instance, on Nissan’s "Fight," he knew what would work, technically, to efficiently create the best spot.
"The agency wanted the test dummies to come to life," he recalls. "A lot of people were talking about CGI or puppets. I said, ‘Why not get two guys dressed up in [crash dummy] suits and do it for real?’ I felt that we should do it for real on a green screen, and add the background later. We shot with a forty-five-degree shutter to give them a staccato, jerky action—a puppet feel. After [shooting] that, we actually stretched them out in post. We also did a couple of CGI shots to take away one guy’s neck thickness, because on the dummy, it’s narrow." (Animal Logic, Sydney, was the effects company for "Fight.")
Denneen feels that using real people rather than digitally created performers made the test dummies look more authentic. "I felt going with real people was better because, with CGI, you are really relying on the animator to make it look convincing; and with puppets, there are a lot of restrictions because of the wires," he explains. "With my background as an animator, I could just hone in on the problems. Having a good background and having experience is half the job in being a good director."
New Roots
About a year ago, Denneen shifted his representation in the U.S. from Cylo tvc to Anonymous. "After nine years [at the same company], I thought it was time to move on," he says.
He was attracted to the company by Anonymous’ forays into features, and its interest in new media spots. "They were [one of the] first to explore commercials made for the Internet," he notes, referring to the short films for BMW out of Fallon that were directed by such feature helmers as Guy Ritchie and John Frankenheimer, and produced through Anonymous.
"Advertising is becoming more of an entertainment thing," continues Denneen. "Longer-format commercials will be made for the Internet."
Denneen enjoys working for U.S. agencies because "of the opportunity for creative interpretation. Most commercials are written, researched and approved before I come on board, but they need help to develop them," notes Denneen. "I’m strong on storyboards. … It takes hours and hours, but everything relies on the pre-production. You can’t skimp on pre-production. If you skimp on it, shooting will be a nightmare. If you do your homework, the shoot is easy. Even though it can be physically hard, you can sit back and enjoy it."
Denneen is currently working on a package of Jim Beam ads—"Bloke’s Dilemma," "Crocodile" and "Ally"—out of Young & Rubicam, Sydney, for Australian television, and says they will, as always, reflect his biggest influences: such visual stylists as Ridley Scott, who directs ads via bicoastal RSA USA; David Fincher, a fellow Anonymous helmer; and Alan Parker (Angela’s Ashes, Evita). Denneen says he has been offered features, but for the moment is "totally locked into" shooting commercials and running Film Graphics on his periodic trips to Australia.
"Right now, we are looking at some [feature] scripts," he reports, noting that he is also working on some of his own projects: "I’d like to do a good thriller."
As for his commercials, the director is actually pleased about his typecasting as a comic, yet visual, stylist. "I’m a jack-of-all-trades, but if it helps agencies decide on hiring me, it’s good," he opines. "This business is so competitive, it becomes a way for them to recognize you. It’s like being an athlete with a particular specialty."
