It’s clear that Paul Kelly of 89 Editorial, New York, really enjoyed working on the four Mini Cooper spots that he recently cut for Mini USA. As he recounts the :30 storylines, the veteran editor can’t help but laugh at the ads’ humor. They are the first broadcast work for the Mini Cooper, a product of the BMW Group, since the account was awarded to Crispin Porter+Bogusky (CP+B), Miami. Baker Smith of Harvest, Santa Monica, directed "Bobby," "Clown" and "Dog"; CJ Waldman, also of Harvest, helmed "Trucker Honk."
The commercials, which promote the stateside launch of the small car, portray all manner of wild scenarios. The off-the-wall "Bobby" features a Brit cop inexplicably patrolling a decidedly American desert landscape, while "Clown" finds a Mini Cooper driver getting back at a very annoying clown by taking the funny man on a terrifying high-speed ride. "Dog" depicts a pooch mistaking the pint-sized auto for a fellow canine, and "Truck Honk" shows that even redneck big-rig drivers love the little auto.
The editor enjoyed working with CP+B. "They’re giving me a lot of freedom. They’re saying, ‘Let’s make short little films,’ " relates Kelly, who is editing versions of the ads that will appear first on the Internet, then on broadcast television.
The initial phase of the cutting process, when Kelly edits solo, is very important. "It’s hard for me to get into the film and the process when I have a roomful of people making phone calls and watching every move I do," Kelly explains. "I love to have some time alone, and clients really get it. They let me explore all the film so that I can show them something that we can work from."
Kelly knows that footage of unscripted moments, as well storyboarded shots, can be useful. "I try to use as much film as I can," he says. "Sometimes a director will go off and shoot way more than what is on the boards. I even use mistakes; sometimes those are the best moments."
When editing, Kelly likes to integrate a spot’s imagery and music. "If I’m cutting with a music track, I love the visuals to sync with drum beats or piano cues," notes Kelly—who in addition to his spot work cuts music videos, having edited clips for Faith Hill, Eric Clapton and Shania Twain, among others. "I love the music to work with the editing instead of it just being this random music that I’m cutting over," he points out.
Music plays a big role in Kelly’s life outside of the editing suite, as well: He’s a composer/musician who’s scored spots for Calvin Klein, Miller Lite and the American Motorcycle Association (AMA). Kelly also contributed to the soundtrack for Oliver Stone’s 1999 feature, Any Given Sunday.
Kelly got his start in film and commercials early on. Eager to get some experience, he worked as a production assistant at R/Greenberg Associates, while still a student at New York’s School of Visual Arts. In ’88 he moved to Los Angeles and worked in a number of different production positions, before landing a job as an assistant editor at editorial house Rye Films, Hollywood (now in Santa Monica), in ’90. Kelly had found his niche. In ’94, the Connecticut native returned to the East Coast. He joined bicoastal Lost Planet, where he was an editor for five years before shifting over to Bug Editorial, New York, where he cut spots for clients such as Volkswagen, Kodak and Reebok. He signed with 89 Editorial last year.
One reason for Kelly’s move to his new roost was his long working relationship with executive producer Bob Cagliero, who joined 89 Editorial in 2000. When Cagliero was a partner/senior producer at Ogilvy & Mather (O&M), New York, and Kelly was cutting at Lost Planet, the two enjoyed collaborating on several American Express projects.
Since he joined 89 Editorial, Kelly’s jobs have included Kodak’s "Album," directed by Ed Nammour, then of now defunct Cylo tvc (Nammour and executive producer Beth Kinder recently launched Free Market Films, New York); and three more Kodak spots: "Leaving," "Soccer" and "Triplets," helmed by Walter Kehr of Palomar Pictures, Los Angeles, out of O&M, New York. Kelly recently put together "Anthem," a :60 compilation of several Kodak commercials, created for broadcast during the Winter Olympics, and is currently cutting a three-spot package for AT&T Wireless, promoting mLife, via O&M, New York.
