David Gray
Starter “A.M. Coffee”
Agency: SouthPaw
Production: Hungry Man, bicoastal/international
DP: Joost Van Starrenburg
Editorial: Cut + Run, bicoastal/international
Editors: Mike Douglas and Conor Flynn
The Guardian “Distractions”
Agency: BMP DDB, London
Production: Hungry Man
DP: Giles Nuttgens
Editorial Johnny Bongo, London
Editor: Alistair Jordan
Affiliation: Hungry Man, bicoastal/international.
How did you get into directing? I was a creative and a creative director on the agency side of the business and used my years of production from the agency side as a source of education for a future directing career. For me it was a natural progression in the business.
Why do you want to direct commercials? I really love the production end of this business but hate to narrowly define what I do as directing commercials. I think it’s much broader than that. Directing television commercials is definitely a large part of the job description but it’s getting really exciting as companies look to new ways of marketing themselves–whether it’s creating viral pieces, short films, longer format or anything else that involves taking a concept and putting it on film or digital. I really get excited with the idea of seeing, creating and being a part of initial ideas and then bringing them to life.
What’s your most recent spot project? I’ve actually been quite busy. I’ve been shooting new work for a number of agencies. I just finished shooting an Orange Mobile campaign in the U.K. for Mother in London. Just before that I shot new campaigns for E-Loan out of Merkley+Partners, New York, and a new campaign–or sort of mini sitcom, for Nike who just re-launched Starter.
Do you have plans to work in other areas–e.g. shorts films or features or TV? Have you ever done any of that in the past? I think everybody in this business has some sort of dream or vision of doing that. Whether they’re a writer, art director, producer or director, motion pictures are an extension of what we all do but on a much larger scale. Basically it’s another way of taking an idea, a piece of someone’s imagination, and bringing it to life. But basically at this point I’m concentrating on learning as much as I can about directing smaller scale projects. I’m learning a lot and still have a lot to learn.
What do you think is the best part about being a director? There are a number of great things about being a director. It’s a bit repetitive but I have to say the best thing is the rush of taking an idea and then bringing it to life on a set with actors playing the roles, a ton of crew members helping you bring that vision to life and basically the whole thing being in your hands at that point.
What’s the worst part? The worst part is that it is all in your hands. No, but I think the worst part is that here in the states when you’re done shooting, the job is out of your hands and you’re not expected to be part of the post process. That’s one thing I like about shooting in London. It’s your job to not only shoot it, but to also cut it. It kind of makes sense to me.
Who is (are) your mentor(s)? I would have to say that my mentors are Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein [of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco]. I worked with and for those guys for six years and learned so much from them not only on a creative level but also on a human level. Their relentless passion for creating great advertising and finding creative solutions for companies has been well documented and awarded, but there was so much more that I learned from them. One of the greatest things was to be collaborative and open and smart enough to realize that you never know where a great idea is going to come from. Just because you’re the creative or creative director doesn’t mean that it has to be yours. A great idea may come from a producer, a media planner, the receptionist or dare I say it, an account person. It’s your job as a creative director to then siphon all that information and use your instincts to make the best piece of communication. I really see the production process in the same way. I like sitting down with creatives on a job and being collaborative and seeing how we can make that initial idea even better. Even while we’re shooting, we’re always throwing out new ideas, sometimes an idea may come from an unexpected source like a grip or another crewmember. It’s not about egos at that point, it’s about making the project we’re working on the best it can be. And I attribute that to them and their philosophy on the business.
Not counting your own work, what’s your favorite recent ad? Why? I really like the Breakfast spots for Burger King [out of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami]. I laugh my ass off every time I see them. I love that they brought “The King” back from my childhood and use him in such an unusual and disturbingly humorous way. I love how he just kind of pops up at people’s homes, never speaks and how it’s all slightly over-cranked as he interacts with people. He makes me laugh and yet scares me at the same time in the same way the Oompa Loompas did in the original Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. It’s retail fast food that’s been done incredibly well. It really goes to show that you can do great work for any client in any category.
