I’ve always made it a habit to read the various commercial trade publications. It keeps me on top of what both the production and agency sides of the business are up to.
The business model for a commercial production company hasn’t changed much in the 19 years that I’ve had my own company. Everybody is on the lookout for the next “hot” director who will propel their company from the “B” list to “A level” in the minds of agency creatives.
The trades chronicle this quest, giving us lots of interviews with agency art directors, producers and creative directors that clue us in on what they are looking for. On the production side, the publications profile the directors who are doing the most high profile campaigns during any given period.
Obviously, the director should remain at the top of the food chain. But lost in all this coverage is one simple truth; show me a successful production company with any kind of longevity and I’ll show you a company with great production support. It’s great production that takes a company from point “B” to point “A.” No one stays on the A list or any list for long without the requisite superior support.
Everybody thinks they offer great production, but do they? The answer is….sometimes.
All things being equal (in terms of directorial talent, budget, etc.), agencies will award the job to the production company they perceive as having better production support. (And maybe deeper pockets, but that’s for another column).
So how do we define great production support? It goes beyond a simple enthusiasm to tackle a challenging production. It goes beyond hiring an experienced line producer. I would say that it starts with how one partners with an agency to make sure that they get what they sold to the client, with a minimum of fuss. More importantly, did the production ultimately get done on time and on budget?
Then there are all the little things that add up big in the end. The ability to package the production while supporting the director, finding the right balance between having enough money for the production and having something left over for the company. It’s asking oneself the toughest question; would it be better to pass on a job when you know you can’t support it at a certain production level? It is a business after all.
Support also involves a sensitive subject; the ability of the executive producer to make the director understand the creative and budgetary parameters of the project, to shoot the “board” with objectivity and creative input, but without taking the idea into anther zone. Giving the directors the tools they need without going over the top. I don’t say “no” to a director very much. Bottom line: finding the fine balance between production value and company profit is the key to great production.
Directorial talent comes and goes. Agency creatives come and go. Production companies rise and fall. But the need for great production remains steadfast. Caring about the advertising while making film that’s to the point. Great support means repeat business while developing new business. It’s what builds directors and nurtures careers.
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Carey Melcher is founder/executive producer of Los Angeles-based CMP, a production company that works with nonexclusive directorial talent.
