Q. What’s changed in visual effects, design and animation for advertising?
A: Almost everything has but nothing is different.
When I moved to New York 20-plus years ago, BBDO asked me to do a presentation about “my production company, a London-based shop which specialized in stop motion and special effects and was one of the first animation companies to win the Grand Prix at Cannes. BBDO set up the screening for 10 a.m. and they even catered a breakfast!! The room was packed. I was asked to come back for a bid session (anyone remember those?) and each company was paid to do a presentation. Pretty nutty, right?
So, what’s changed since then? The Golden Triangle of production is still based on the same three elements: Schedule; budget; and the holy grail of all that’s good–creative. Schedules get shorter and budgets go up while margins go down. When was the last time you saw a 35% markup? It’s all changed but nothing is different.
On the other hand, the creative leg of the triangle has been through a life altering change that has caused VFX and animation to take on a new role. Two major events caused the shift–one physical and the other mental. The physical shift was the move from analog to digital which happened while I was exec producer at R/GA, one of the first shops (now an agency) to go fully digital. At that point, many production companies and agencies were shut out of VFX and design due to the incredible associated costs. Over the last decade the digital playing field was leveled because most anyone can now afford enough computer power to create small CG animations at home.
The mental shift was a bigger change which people like Glenn Entis (PDI) pushed for 20 years ago and in the last many years Ed Ulbrich (Digital Domain) spearheaded. Glenn crusaded for CG to stop being considered some hybrid technique and to be seen as a production tool. Ed said VFX are an integral part of “production” and should not be thought of as just “post.” Both those changes have indeed happened and we have stepped into the current world of VFX and animation, now a mainstay of production.
The creative style is better than ever which happened because the new wave of directors combine live action and design with total confidence of being able to get images out of their head and into their commercials. This is not restricted to the live action houses working with design houses anymore. In fact, the biggest change for my company has been agencies wanting to work with some of the companies we represent who started in design but now compete head on with the top live action houses.
All the creative rules have changed but one thing remains–the best visionaries turn out the best work. Team them with the top creative agency teams and you have the formula for success with richer and more stunning visuals (effects or not) than ever before. The only limitation is the imagination. And time and money. Wait, isn’t that where we started?
Andy Arkin is owner of N.Y.-based independent rep firm BLAH! blah? (Blah…) for spots and WHATEVER! for integrated communications.
