Ivan Bird doesn’t specialize in working with animals, even though two of the British DP’s most recent spots might lead you to believe so. Both spots—adidas’ "Horses," directed by Ringan Ledwidge of London-based Harry Nash, out of 180 Amsterdam; and Nike’s "Elephant," helmed by Dante Ariola of bicoastal/international Propaganda Films via Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.—were part of high-profile packages for the Summer Olympic Games. Bird, who is a London-based freelance DP, also shot "Boat," the second spot helmed by Ledwidge for adidas out of 180.
The Olympic spots all showcase Bird’s artistic eye, something the veteran of cinematography (who, by his own estimation, has been a cinematographer for about 10-12 years) no doubt developed way back when he worked as an assistant photographer—he continues to do some still photography—and a trainee draftsman. Bird later became a camera assistant, working as a "focus-puller" with a company in England called Park Village, where he was often given the opportunity to do pick-up shots and work with new directors. "I graduated from that, really," says Bird.
In "Horses," athletes from various disciplines—everything from gymnasts to sprinters to high-jumpers and more—attempt to put their stamps on equestrian sports, with amusing results. The spot is bright, splashy and high-energy. The point of the ad is that adidas gear was used in 26 out of the 28 sports featured at the Sydney games—and that, perhaps one day, the athletic shoe-and-clothing company will be in all of them. "Boat" follows a similar theme, once again sporting a vivid palette and quick, breezy pace.
An entirely different, yet equally striking, look is achieved in "Elephant," which features Dominique Pinon from Caro and Jeunet’s 1991 cult classic film Delicatessen. The super-saturated, monochromatic look is accompanied by dreamy calliope music. Pinon and other members of a somewhat run-down circus crouch around a sick elephant. "Can’t you do something?" someone asks. "I’m the human cannonball, not a doctor," replies Pinon. Two-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong happens to ride by the scene. Seeing the troubled pachyderm, Armstrong gets off his bike and gives the animal mouth-to-trunk resuscitation. "Why Sport?" the spot asks. "Healthy Lungs."
"I think Pinon was in mind from the very beginning," Bird says. "I know Dante wanted a very Eastern European-type, beaten-up circus. … Pinon was fantastic. I’m a very big fan of his; it’s so exciting to work with people like that."
As for working with the elephant, Bird admits, "You have to be very patient. It’s interesting. The elephant in Dante’s commercial is very highly trained, but would still only lie down for a limited amount of time, because apparently if elephants lie down for [too long] they start to really hurt themselves with the weight of their bodies on their organs. So every time, you’d have to be so ready. A lot of it had to be hand-held. And she would actually get up—thirty seconds [after lying down] because she could sense she’d be doing herself internal damage. That was very difficult. And obviously such a large animal is quite intimidating."
Ariola’s and Ledwidge’s approaches to their work are very similar. "They’re both quite young guys," explains Bird. "I think they’re both very talented and similar in many ways. They’re both quite visual and very good with people."
And both directors are collaborative in their approach, according to Bird. "I much prefer working that way, rather than turning up and being told what to do," he notes. "When I first started off, you would be told what to do. It’s changed so much now, even from when I started."
Much of Bird’s work tends to be post-intensive, which the DP says calls for great discipline. For instance, "I just did a commercial for a telephone company over here that was very post.
"Basically it’s a car chase on top of a bar. We used real cars, and that all had to be matted together," he continues. "It was very exciting, but you have to be very disciplined about your camera angles, and when you can, actually physically get down on the models."
One of Bird’s favorite commercials is "Surfer" for Guinness via Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London. It was helmed by Jonathan Glazer, who is handled in the U.K. by Academy Commercials, London. "It’s won many awards in Europe. It’s been hailed as the advert of all times," Bird explains. "The Guinness campaign is that good things come to those who wait, as it takes quite a long time to pour a pint of Guinness. The whole campaign is based on things that take a long time. And the spot is these four guys waiting for the ultimate wave. As you can imagine, they wait a long time. It was a fantastic thing to do—a real insight into surfing and surfing culture."
Even though Bird picks a European spot as one of his favorite ads, he doesn’t really see a fundamental difference between working on commercials for the European and American markets. "A lot of people might think there’s a European film language and an American film language," he explains. "But I don’t know that there is. … It’s kind of good, or bad. And I think the good ones in America are fantastic the same as the good ones here."
Film work has also been keeping Bird busy of late. He recently finished a 15-minute short film, tentatively titled Still Voices, for director Susie Roberson, which won a UCI award for best British production from the BBC. He also worked on Sexy Beast, a feature film directed by Glazer, for Fox Film 4, which played at the Toronto Film Festival. Bird says that feature film work is "hugely different in terms of commitment. You’re doing it for twelve weeks and you’ve always got to be one step ahead … [At the same time] it’s simpler in many ways, because essentially you don’t have the control you might have in commercials."
Right now Bird’s biggest goal, which he says is still in the "dream phase," is to do a period film. But he’s not interested in directing. "I’ve been asked that question a lot, but I actually quite like what I’m doing now. So I’d like to do that for a fair while longer and master this. I mean, every day you learn something different, something new."
