I wish I had a dollar for every production company rep that asks me: "How much money have you got for the spot?" Now don’t get me wrong. Not ALL production companies ask this. Only the STUPID ones.
Why would a rep ever ask a creative director or agency producer a question such as this? And shame on them if they answer it. If I were a client, I’d fire the agency in a heartbeat.
Let’s say, for the sake of discussion, I did answer it. "Glad you asked," I’d say. "I have a half million dollars for the spot." You can bet after hearing that number, the production company will bid as close to that number as they can. Probably $459,500. Leaving $40,500 for music or post, they’ll say. Gee thanks!
Now, of course, if I answer, "I’ve got $200,000 for the spot", somehow they’ll miraculously find a way to do it for $198,500. Where did all that $300,000 of fat go? You mean I could have OVERPAID by $300,000? Give me a break!
Any rep that asks "How much money have you got" is insulting my intelligence and wasting my time. Let’s try it another way. The way my clients expect me to conduct business on their behalf. You send me some directors who you think are great with let’s say, irreverant humor, since my storyboard has that dynamic. I’ll look at their reels and see if I’d like to bid one of your directors.
Then I’ll ask you 3 simple questions:
·That beer spot on his reel, how many days shooting was that?
·Who was the DP on the spot?
·If I were to use that DP and shoot that same number of days (exclusive of talent and post), what’s a "ballpark" number I’d be looking at?
These aren’t difficult questions, are they? You’d be surprised. After two days, the rep finally phones me back.
"Well, Mr. Dornfield, I can get you the name of the DP, but that spot was done over three years ago and nobody around here seems to know how many days it took to shoot … or how much it cost."
Don’t know … or don’t want to say?
"Oh really," I reply. "I’ve done over 200 spots in my career and I can tell you how many days it took to shoot each one … with no paperwork to look up."
You mean to say the director doesn’t remember the time when the generator broke down and he lost four hours of shooting time? Or when it rained all morning, or the talent took 47 takes to read his lines. Please, let’s not play games!
Here’s a big secret I’m going to reveal to TV production companies everywhere within the sound of my keyboard. My job as creative director is to find the most talented director and buttoned-up production company for my client and produce a spot at the lowest price possible. Then, with the money my client has saved, they can buy more air time, run more spots, and drive more customers through their doors. That’s what I get paid for. And surprise: That’s what you get paid for!
"Well, you know Mr. Dornfield, if you send me the storyboard, I’ll have Jim take a look at it and if it’s really cool and hip (for his reel), he might do it for whatever your budget is."
Do I look like I have hay growing out of my ears? I remember doing a pre-pro in L.A. two years ago for an Office Depot spot. I’m riding in the van with the director, the DP, and six others from the production company. The director is talking to the DP in the front of the van: "You know, you can order the Ferrari in any color you want. You show them the color and they’ll paint it."
Hey, that’s terrific. I’m shooting a half-million dollar package and these guys are thinking of buying Ferraris. Is this a great country or what?
Don’t get me wrong. Anyone with talent who delivers a great product deserves to be paid well for it. But, don’t be so arrogant, or so stupid, as to discuss buying Ferraris in front of a client before (or after) a shoot. And if you’re a rep who likes to ask, "How much money have I got for the spot?," please, please, don’t call me.