I recently entertained 26 five-year-olds at my sons “drop off” birthday party. This is when the guests’ parents slow their cars down outside your house and eject their offspring onto your lawn, returning hours later with wine stained teeth and leaves in their hair.
Of course, we launched the festivities with a Star Wars-inspired “Jedi Obstacle Course”–complete with a “Death Star Tunnel Crawl”; a “Tire Mace (maze)” (affectionately named after Mace Windu); and a “Whack the Empty Water Cooler Jugs With a Light Saber” game. Winners were awarded plastic Gold Medallions, which they proudly wore for the remainder of the party.
Remarkably, these 33-cent awards created a dynamic change in the behavior of the once-innocent party-goers, reminding me that from a very early age, we are defined by our awards. They shape who we are, how we are perceived, and ultimately position us in the food chain.
I have been directing [what I would like to think of as] pretty sweet regional work for years–adding to the concepts (or taking away when appropriate), keeping things subtle, employing a keen eye for art direction–and maintaining a pretty solid style and voice. More than a handful of times, my name graced the pages of this very publication next to respected directors Baker Smith, Noam Murrro, Jim Jenkins, David Kellogg and the like.
But it wasn’t until last year, when a campaign I directed was honored at Cannes, that I got a taste of what awards can do. I will always continue to grow and evolve as a director, but without really changing the way I approached my job I found myself starting to get boards from formidable ad agencies for national brands. Did I have a sudden burst of talent? Perhaps qualified participants in the obstacle course are just bound to get a medal at some point.
Awards create a buzz, building recognition, followed by an increase in quality boards, resulting in a higher caliber of work, which ultimately results in more awards–repeat cycle as long as you can. This metamorphosis takes the same director, with the same sensibility, to an entirely different level.
Theoretically, directors with skill and talent can be recognized and hired regardless of the creative they’ve worked on or clients they have worked for. But even with good regional work, it seems difficult to suggest a lesser-known director these days. In these times of “Preferred Director Lists,” stiff competition, changing media landscape, and agencies staying lean, it’s harder to stick your neck out and discover new talent.
There are jobs that are appropriate for new talent, and I hope undiscovered directors–myself included–continue to create a presence by finding great creative opportunities and racking up some award credit. Inversely, I implore creative buyers to keep a keen eye out for these emerging Jedi’s, after all there is a reason one kid kicks another kid’s ass in the obstacle course. I’ll be mindful not to treat awards lightly. Maybe I’ll even get a little shelf.
I am very lucky to direct little stories, meet like-minded and incredibly interesting people, and work on projects that hit the “Trifecta” (happy client, agency and director). The greatest award is the reward of the job.
[Matt Pittroff is a director with Twist, New York and Minneapolis.]
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More