As one of an ongoing series of events this year commemorating its 75th anniversary, the Directors Guild of America hosted “30 Seconds To Impact,” a panel discussion featuring five luminary commercial directors and moderated by Jeff Goodby, co-founder/co-chairman of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. The event was held on Monday, June 6, at the DGA Theatre in New York, showcasing the work and insights of directors Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man, James Gartner of GARTNER, Bob Giraldi of Giraldi, Joe Pytka of PYTKA, and the retired George Gomes. A montage of classic TV commercials from these and other directors was also presented. The commercials were provided by SourceEcreative. Attendees from all segments of the commercial production community attended. Prior the event the DGA had extended a special invitation for members of the SHOOT Magazine/SHOOTonline community to attend.
Beyond the DGA’s 75th, another anniversary subtly underscored the proceedings as some 31 years ago the DGA Awards established a Commercials category. Four of the panelists have won the coveted DGA Award as Best Commercial Director of the Year. Pytka won three times for his work in 1982 (Henry Weinhard Beer’s “Future” and “Gallup,” Bud Light’s “Baseball” and “Basketball”), ’86 (Henry Weinhard’s “Chuck Wagon,” John Hancock’s “Brothers,” Pepsi’s “Floats”), and ’91 (Nike’s “The Bo Show,” Hallmark’s “Dance Card”). Gartner won for his entries in ’88 (Church World Services’ “Journal,” LDS Church’s “Braces & Glasses,” Major League Baseball’s “Interesting Friends”) and ’93 (FedEx’s “Golden Package” and “Applause,” AT&T’s “Baseball & Piroshki”). Buckley won in ’99 (Monster.com’s “When I Grow Up,” E*Trade’s “TriMount Studios” and “Broker,” OnHealth.com’s “Friends”). And Gomes was honored as the Best Commercial Director of 1980, just the second year that the DGA Awards had a Commercials category. Gomes earned the kudo on the strength of Sara Lee’s “Red Dye,” Bell System’s “Joey Called” and A&W’s “Dancing.”
It was fitting that Goodby, a noted agency creative who has done his fair share of directing over the years, moderated “30 Seconds to Impact” in that four of the director panelists were agency creatives prior to making the transition to the director’s chair: Buckley, Gartner, Gomes and Giraldi, the latter described by some as one of the original Mad Men. Giraldi was a creative director at Young & Rubicam in the midst of the early advertising creative revolution, earning him the distinction of being named as one of “101 Stars Behind 100 Years of Advertising.”
Of the five panelists, only Pytka does not have an agency pedigree, having broke in as a jack-of-all-trades guerrilla filmmaker who scrounged to slap together documentaries and various programs for the fledging PBS in the 1960s and ’70s. He later diversified into commercials and went on to win the DGA Award in that discipline three times and to be nominated for the honor 15 times–both record all-time highs in the DGA spot competition.
The panel discussion provided backstory and insight into a great many past top commercials that each of the directors had been involved in, including several humorous antidotes regarding working with celebrities. At one point Giraldi jokingly called out to see if his attorney was present to ask if he could discuss a particular incident. The attorney was present and laughingly called back, yes the statute of limitations had passed. Adding to the good-natured sharing of tales was Gomes’ very funny telling of working with Wells Rich Greene on the Alka-Seltzer spots with the now-famous lines, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” and “Try it, you’ll like it”.
Introducing the panel was DGA sixth VP Vincent Misiano.
Curating the “30 Seconds To Impact” event was director Laura Belsey who’s active in long-form and commercials. A DGA alternate board member, Belsey maintains her own Shadow Pictures and is repped for spots via exec producer Jack Cohn’s C-Entertainment. Belsey has also nurtured the careers of numerous up-and-coming directors as teacher of the commercial directing class at the Graduate Film School of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Providing some backstory for “30 Seconds To Impact,” Belsey shared, “I consulted many directors when I was putting this event together and what was extraordinary was how certain spots and directors were always mentioned. I also asked the panelists for their input on what spots they considered game changing and there was a lot of overlap and repetition there too. Another thing that was striking was how the work has really endured…the point we wanted to make was that innovations in commercials–both technical and aesthetic–have had a huge impact on film, television and our culture. Many would agree that NYPD Blue would not have had the style it had if it weren’t for Leslie Dektor’s influential use of long lenses and movement. Twenty years after Ed Bianchi broke classic composition rules with his bold use of negative space, the same framing devices were used in The King’s Speech (which went on to win the Academy Award). Our panelists aren’t just ‘commercial directors’–they are great filmmakers. And funny storytellers to boot.”
Director/DP Timothy Hogan Joins French Butter
French Butter, the food and beverage production company based in Chicago and Los Angeles, has added director/DP Timothy Hogan to its roster. A veteran director, Hogan got his start in still photography and brings extensive experience shooting liquids, fashion and jewelry, among other product categories, to the company.
Hogan brings more than just a DP’s eye to the French Butter talent offering. An experienced teacher, writer and lecturer, he’s done everything from building studios to teaching courses at his alma mater, Syracuse University, to being published in some of the industry’s leading creative and design publications. A self-professed tinkerer who got his start in film after filling just about every role when it came to lighting, rigging and styling his many still shoots, he shares insights into everything from how to approach client relations to keeping your creative spark on his social media channels.
With a reel that includes work for a wide range of brands, Hogan adds an extra dimension to the French Butter roster, which includes founding director/DP Brett Froomer as well as director/DP Jennifer Davick. Hogan’s film work includes such brands as Absolut Vodka, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Sam Adams, Courvoisier, David Yurman, Miller Coors, Johnnie Walker, Gucci and Chanel. Prior to joining French Butter, Hogan had most recently been directing independently.
“Tim has that special eye for detail, lighting and composition that you often find when photographers move into film direction,” said Froomer. “And he’s a true magician when it comes to shooting liquids. I’m looking forward to working with him as we integrate him and his workflow into the French Butter family.”
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