Director Larry OFlahavan, formerly of bicoastal HKM Productions, has launched See Spot Run, a satellite of Metro Pictures, the Marina del Rey house headed by executive producer Craig Farkas. The new venture will be based on the Metro premises.
OFlahavan said he was looking for greater creative control, particularly in terms of budget. When youre a contract director for a company, especially a large company like HKM, you have a tendency of not really being in control of the budget, and thats the key for a director, he contended. At the same time, OFlahavan said, By the end of my two years [at HKM], I felt Id learned a tremendous amount and that I was ready to embark on my own.
HKM was the directors first commercial roost. While there he helmed spots for Nike out of Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore., Philips via New York-based Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG, Budweiser through DDB Needham Chicago, Volkswagen out of Boston-based Arnold Communications and Butterfinger via J. Walter Thompson, San Francisco.
His experience prior to HKM was a mix of formal education and in-the-trenches experience. In 94, he completed his masters degree at the American Film Institute (AFI), by which time hed already registered on the industry radar thanks to a spec spot for then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton. Another OFlahavan spec ad, The Fugitive for Ray-Ban sunglasses, copped a Silver Hugo in 95. And currently his spec spot, Kowalski for Budweiser, is being judged at the Chicago Film Festival.
OFlahavan had originally planned to launch his own company early next year, but he was approached by Farkas after the exec. producer saw the directors reel and heard of his plans to go solo. After meeting with Farkas, OFlahavan said working under the Metro umbrella appealed to him because of the shops client-friendly atmosphere, ideal office space and high production standards. He also felt comfortable with Farkas. The thing I liked immediately about Craig is that he comes from the camera side, OFlahavan said. He understands what it means to be a director because hes done it; he did it for years in Hong Kong with [Metros Asian operation]. That kind of mentality and respect for what the camera does [attracted me]-and he knows graphically what to do so that the frame has a high production value. That was one of the first things we talked about and once I heard that kind of language I knew I was in the right place.
For his part, Farkas said the bottom line was that he was interested in working with OFlahavan, and if the director sought independence, Farkas was prepared to offer it. [Larry] and I sat down and talked about what he was looking for, Farkas said. And I showed his reel to our reps [at Metro] and everybody was really excited about his work. We decided that we were interested in setting up a satellite for him to give him his own identity.
That identity, according to the director, combines comedy, good storytelling and strong dialogue. But his shop will also focus on the idea summarized by its namesake, See Spot Run. Seeing a spot run is our main target, he says. You dont ever want to see a spot get pulled. He also says the name conjures up images of our childhood, because its that kind of language thats used in our first readers, and its burned into our [memory]. In other words, the director would like to make spots whose images stay with the audience. More simply put, OFlahavan says, I just want my spots to be good.
Crossing Over
Also part of See Spot Runs identity is what OFlahavan characterized as the planned eventual addition of three feature directors to the shops roster for spot representation. OFlahavan declined to give specifics since no deals are firm and the directors in question are currently occupied with feature projects, but he did say that aside from being talented, the directors will bring something important to See Spot Run. Whats happening out there is that people are recognizing dialogue, he said, and getting dialogue actors to do their thing. These guys can bring great actors to the table. [They have] the kind of pull you want.
As for crossing over the other way, OFlahavan says, Id love to break into the feature market. It may not be far off. His most recent reel, which was put together for the launch of See Spot Run, was designed with a narrative sensibility that the director said appeals to feature executives as well as spotmakers; he has already been pitched several scripts. His interest in features hinges on the desire to tackle narrative storytelling in a longer format. With a feature, he said, youre not saying, ACan you do it faster please? Get through that door in two seconds. Still, he concedes that whether a story is told in 90 minutes or 30 seconds, the same restrictions apply. You still have to get everything timed out, its just timed differently.
Thus far, OFlahavan has secured his first two projects under the See Spot Run banner, both out of DDB Needham Chicago. The first is a four-spot assignment for Budweiser. The second involves some additional shooting for a General Mills/ Golden Grahams spot which OFlahavan originally helmed.
See Spot Run will be repped by the same independent trio that handles Metro: Brent Novick on the West Coast, Tim Harwood in the Midwest and Nancy Workman on the East Coast. Metros directorial roster includes director/cameraman Larry Shui and directors Brian Lai and Robert Lee. Shui is a company partner.
