By Robert Goldrich

LOS ANGELES --

In our recent Agency Heads of Production Series (SHOOT, 2/11, p. 16), several ad shop production chieftains discussed their evolving roles as they diversified into forms beyond the traditional :30. At the same time, for some of their colleagues at various agencies there could be growing pains attached to adapting to a changing marketplace. Nonetheless, it’s change that many seem eager to embrace.

The SHOOT Series–authored by Kristin Wilcha, SHOOT‘s senior editor/creative & production–resulted in feedback from overseas artisans who saw parallels between themselves and their stateside counterparts.  A couple referred specifically to Fabrice Brovelli, head of TV production at BETC Euro RSCG, Paris, as an example of an exec who’s meaningfully exploring new options and intelligently dipping agency toes into branded content waters.

During his recent visit to Los Angeles, Brovelli met up with SHOOT and shared his take on new-media opportunities. He expressed particular enthusiasm over a series of short films BETC Euro RSCG is developing in conjunction with media agency MPG, Paris, and a French TV channel on behalf of department store client Carrefour.

In France, he explained, department stores are not permitted to run commercials on TV, a restriction that will be lifted next year. So the quandary for Carrefour is how to make a significant impact on television sans spots. Brovelli said the answer is a series of short stories about people in everyday life and how Carrefour helps them in some way. The shorts will run before select TV programs–not during the advertising journal block segments. Though he wasn’t yet at liberty to publicly discuss project specifics, Brovelli described the films as “image pieces” that he hopes will offer a fresh new dynamic for the branded content space in France.

“This kind of work is just beginning to emerge,” related Brovelli, noting that there’s a major movement in France generally to reduce the number of ads on television. Thus even advertisers who don’t have spot restrictions like those placed on Carrefour are grappling with what to do outside the commercialmaking realm in order to build their brands and business.

 

WATER BOY

In this vein, Brovelli has been deemed by some industry observers as a head of production to watch given his involvement in the Evian “Voices” commercial, which spawned an advertainment initiative that included a successful CD release and a Water Boy character that realized icon status through a popular music video. The starting point was Evian’s international spot “Voices,” directed by Pedro Romhanyi via Bandit, Paris. (Romhanyi is repped in the U.S. by Oil Factory Films, Beverly Hills.) The ad shows adults singing in children’s voices the famous Queen song, “We Will Rock You.”  The tagline was that Evian “helps you feel young at heart.”

After having clearly associated the music with the brand, BETC Euro RSCG produced a CD single of children’s “Voices” in partnership with Universal Music. The CD cover was conceived by the agency without an Evian logo. The assumption was that consumers did not always need to see a brand’s logo in order to recognize the identity of the sponsor. The CD cover instead has an image of a microphone hovering above a glass of water, an Evian symbol.

This in turn spawned a music video in which an animated character, Water Boy, emerges from the glass. The character became a youthful icon for Evian, and the video clip–with animation directed by Soand Sau via French studio Quad Productions–gained heavy airplay and popularity.

From the video clip came an album with other songs (“I Love Rock ‘n Roll,” “Forever Young”) sung by children. The Water Boy character was on the CD cover.

The original CD single became a hit, attaining gold disc status after four weeks and later reaching platinum. The album also earned a gold disc. The rotations of the music on radio and the video on TV were equivalent to huge media investments. The ’04 Gunn Report ranked the BETC Euro RSCG work for Evian as the 6^th most awarded TV commercial/campaign in the world, with recognition from such competitions as Cannes (’04 Gold Lion), Clio (two Silvers), the New York Art Directors Club (gold), D&AD, New York Festivals, Eurobest 2005, the Cresta Awards, the Mobius Awards and Grand Prix Strategies.

Brovelli joined BETC Euro RSCG seven years ago as its head of production. Among the agency’s high profile campaigns are Air France “”Flight” and “Cloud” directed by Michel Gondry, Peugeot 607 helmed by Frederic Planchon, Hollywood Chewing Gum directed by Tim Burton, Orange helmed by Wong Kar Wai and BNP Paribas directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Known as a supporter of young, up-and-coming directors, Brovelli has also worked over the years with then emerging talent such as Neil Harris, Guillaume Canet, Antoine Bardou-Jacquet and Antony Antanasio.

At BETC Euro RCSG, Brovelli oversees a department of 30 people, including nine producers. Several of them come stateside to shoot. Brovelli himself was recently in New York for the lensing of a spot for electricity concern EDF, directed by Gondry of bicoastal/international Partizan. Brovelli’s other recent endeavors include a Badoit sparkling water spot helmed by Radjic Thierry of Irene, Paris, and a Remy Martin ad directed by Paul Gore of Cake, London.

    Though he doesn’t have any directorial aspirations, Brovelli is no stranger to helming. He has several music videos to his directing credit as well as a short film, I Love You So, which received an award at London’s Straight 8 Festival of Super 8 films several years ago. He and BETC Euro RSCG music supervisor Christophe Caurret are also organizers of and DJs on Panik, a series of monthly electronic music parties that have played in different international markets.

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