Does anybody work in commercial production as a way to keep their skill honed for longer narrative work? I'm working on building up a commercial directing portfolio to hopefully get more work directing, but wondering if anyone else has already done this and what peoples thoughts are. Also would love advice from people on the best path to take to get started in commercial directing. I've already directed two feature films, both with distribution, and am finding that the commercial world and the movie world are somewhat separate, to some degree.
Filmmaking / Directing : Commercial Work - Getting a Start by Jared Isham
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Jared... Mature logical approach... Call your local Film Commissioner and get a list of Production Companies in your region that shoot 30-second commercials... Now go be a PA... DOV SIMENS
Wow, Go be a PA? As in Production Assistant?
Yeah Rafael - a PA. There is a huge difference between crewing on a FL film that often drags out over a month of shooting days and a 30 second spot that needs to be written, cast, shot, edited and delivered in 24 hours.
What kind of commercial are you talking about, if the commercial has many locations it requires more days of shooting, you can shoot a commercial in one day, then there's another day for editing, and then sound and then color correcting... Directing is directing, if you can direct a feature, you can direct a commercial, if time is the difference in a low budget feature time is also a big factor, but both mediums need preproduction, production and postproduction
If they need a commercial in 48 hours finished with all this stages, then they have a planning problem
Jared, It is a very mature proper way to proceed... Dov
Rafael, They may indeed have a planning problem – none of my business. My business as the Producer/Line Producer & Director is to shoot, edit and deliver the finished product on time & under budget. I just did a 30 second spot for one of those drugs you have to drive your Doctor crazy about. Three characters, one interior location – 6:00am call, first shot by 7:00am. Half a dozen shots with a few camera relocations, done shooting by 11:30am. Break for lunch, back by 1:00pm – send the actors home – crew breaks the set. I work with the Editor from 1:00 to 4:00. Spot rendered and delivered by 5:00pm. New car spots over on the coastal headlands or a winding, leaf strewn mountain road take a little more time. A 6:00am call to final rendering and delivery in 48 hours - or less.
That's a pretty hectic schedule Doug, but it doesn't mean that every commercial is done that way. And it also doesn't mean that an Indy filmmaker needs to start as a PA if he wants to eventually direct a commercial, PA is a learning level position most of the times, so I don't think that's the kind of advice to give to a filmmaker who has done features and wants to do commercials. Look at the Corona beer commercials, They're not done in 24 or 48 hours, there's an ad agency involved, there are previsualization sessions, everything needs to be approved by the client before and after shooting the actual commercial.
Rafael yeah, that’s a pretty hectic schedule indeed and certainly not one that you’d like to follow day after day. But the commercial market is segmented into many tiers. National clients do use add agencies with their multitude of players; regional clients tend to seek area wide agencies and producers. Local clients lack the budgets for the large agencies and tend therefore to look to local production companies. I can shoot and deliver a finished product for a local store, car dealer, auto repair shop…in 24 hours or less. The OP’s question had to do with getting started in commercial production – I suggest you start locally and I also suggest that if you have some serious filmmaking credentials and want to break into the fast paced small time local commercial market where you may have to learn all the jobs required where you may be a boom operator at 7:00 and working steady cam by 9:00 and setting lights at 10:00. So yes; go be a PA on a couple of these high speed projects. Learn how to work under such tight constraints. It may be beneath your personal dignity, but that’s just how it is in the real world.
Right Doug, now I understand what you meant, that's why the first time I asked what kind of commercials you were referring too.