ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

10 years, 9 months ago - Marlom Tander

Colin - that sounds like you'll be helping people SPEND money. Everyone does that :-)

The attention grabber would be if your network was such that you could BRING money. If you have some wealthy contacts who trust your judgement, like you on board to keep people focused, and would be a warm approach for a project you said had legs, then you'll have your pick of projects, some of which might suit.

10 years, 9 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Nice ad, for sure.

A lot of people want to do the creative jobs in film, finance and production are much harder to find - do you have money to do your own projects? In honesty I don't there is a glut of 'world class' features, crewed and financed, desperate for a director to come along. In fact, I know quite a few advert directors who are desperate to get features credits.

Speaking of which, according to some of them at least, they feel an advertising CV may count against them! They know people think that ads have infinite time, toys and money thanks to agencies taking a percentage slice of spend, so inflating budgets. It's likely similar in 'world class' movie world when you're Spielberg, but the majority of film shoots are going to have bodged together sections and a bunch of making do. My ad friends feel that people feel they're less inventive for not having to be as creative. Your mileage may vary.

10 years, 9 months ago - Dan Selakovich

Sounds to me like you want to produce. The first step is relatively straight forward: find a great script.

I shot some commercials in the late 70s and early 80s. From my small vantage point then, the advertising firm tried to spend as much money as possible--as their fee was a percentage of the budget. Making a feature is the opposite. (But if you've been at the ad thing for awhile, that means you can probably get some deals from post houses on a feature!)

If you're willing to secure funding, you'll have no problem finding takers. And your experience in the ad world will certainly help in making a prospectus to facilitate finding that funding. The hard part is finding a project that is excellent that will also attract names. Rightly or wrongly, funding is mostly followed by Star power.

But first, I'd really try to narrow down what "world class project" means. What are you looking for? Action, Rom-com, drama? If it doesn't matter (and it should), what aspects make something "world class" in your eyes? I think most everyone under 30 thinks their script is world class. And most people over 30 that have never really been in the business. Since, I assume, you have worked out of London in your ad career, you might want to limit scripts to U.K. locations since that's where your expertise stands. But hey, if you want to make something in L.A., give me a call when you arrive!

10 years, 9 months ago - Colin Charles

Come to think of it Ben, you're absolutely right, I do sound like I want to produce. I don't but I would like to work with a Producer.

Much of what a Creative Director does is selling. After extensive frog kissing, an idea emerges. The Creative Director must convince client that this idea is The Idea. The CD must have a powerful insight into what's going on out there, what people are thinking and then connect that insight to The Idea. It's not just the quarter to half mil production budget, it's the millions in media spend, the allied below-the-line and digital activities and the future of the brand that will be bet on The Idea. On into production, the Director, Editor, Composer, Line Producer and The Idea will all need protection. The CD is ever present, ever calming nerves, ever keeping the vision alive.

About world class, ambitious: American Hustle, Toy Story, Chinatown, Dead Man, Festen, The Conversation, Breaking Bad, Dallas Buyers, Fight Club, City of God, Watchmen, Spirited Away, Amoros Peros: anything that makes a contribution.
You're right Paddy, I came from a different world and slightly a fish out of water but I'm here now, searching for something great. I appreciate everyone who is providing feedback in this thread and everyone who's contacting me off-line. I'm ready to talk about any project that's cared about, big or small, art or commercial.

10 years, 9 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

It'll be interesting to see how much take up you get, as there's not really am equivalent role in film. From your list above, it's a bit production designer, a bit concept artist, a bit production, a bit line production, a bit writer, a bit director, etc., each of which is fule role in itself, wrote distinct from one another.

Perhaps it's a terminology thing - there's almost certainly some very useful overlaps, so breaking down your offer/expanding on it a little may help. I bring things from non-film world and sometimes it works well to shake things up a little.

Perhaps the cultural difference stems from adland already having a client/money then needing creatives and production to spend it, but film land it starts with a story looking for money to become possible. The creative work is already heavily invested by the time any money (and bear in mind that an ad can spend in 30s what a movie will spend Ib 90') is even close to the table. It's how the money is attracted, rather than trying to spend the money creatively within a promotional brief. Just thinking aloud, really :)

10 years, 8 months ago - Martyn Ellington

Dan, are you looking for a screenplay that's mostly completed and looking for a producer to pick it up and develop it or an idea to develop from scratch?

10 years, 9 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Almost all of those world class movies were studio backed, and that's probably as close to an equivalent position as I can think of - championing a project within a studio, on the studio's payroll. That sounds like what you're describing.

As I understand it (and please do feel free to let me know!), your role involves advocacy of a concept in an environment where the money already exists (ie not spec as campaigns). The 'selling' is to convince and reassure that the money is safe to develop a particular concept over another concept, as opposed to going in cold asking for money with just one concept, fully developed. Film finance is always complex, but more akin to a bunch of creatives spec writing a whole ad campaign including proof of how it will give financial ROI before ever talking to the brand to see if they even want a campaign.

There is no 'brand awareness' benefit, no product to shift beyond the product of the film itself, so it absolutely has to stand on its own feet financially at every stage. Investors know this, and so it is HARD to get any cash whatsoever without significant amounts of spec work. Development is usually unpaid at the time and maybe recovered if the film goes into production. I imagine this would be unthinkable in corporate ad-land?

Sorry for the needling into the detail, I just want to be sure I understand what you want to be doing and that you understand the cultural differences, hopefully to reduce confusion. As there's no equivalent role that doesn't also include financial and significant spec work risk, plus having to 'sell' on purely financial terms, it's going to involve a lot of compromise and developing new skills I think!

10 years, 9 months ago - Colin Charles

Thanks Paddy, for taking the time to give me a good answer. I urgently need to correct myself: I did not direct this ad. The Director was Cindy Lee. I was only the Creative Director from the Ad Agency. That means I helped shape the idea, helped sell it to client, helped shape it for research, helped select and brief world class production and helped guide it through pre, production and post. I'm looking for someone with world-class aspirations to do that with them.

10 years, 9 months ago - Dan Selakovich

All that you mention are still part of the producer's job, plus more practical producing skills. So I'll stick with my original "you want to produce." Look at any film, and you'll see a bucket load of producers. Each, hopefully, has a skill set the others don't. For example, you might have a producer that is amazing at distribution and getting deals there, but not know squat about production.

Outside of that, the closest thing I can think of in the feature film world, is a studio Development Executive. (Probably the most hated people in the industry). But D-execs tend to use that as a stepping stone to producing, and the average lifespan of a D-exec is 2 years. One picture that doesn't perform well, and it's very easy to get fired.

So if you want to nurture a film to completion, just call yourself a producer, because Creative Director doesn't mean anything in the feature film world. If you're great at raising money and promotion, team up with another producer that's great at line producing. No need to re-invent the wheel or fight a 100 year old system.

10 years, 8 months ago - Colin Charles

Dan. Carefully considering the options you provide – one of many producers; universally hated D-exec or disrupting a hundred year old system, the disrupting feels about right.
Having said that, your insight into the business is illuminating. I didn't know that there's a purely creative kind of producer. I thought they were all deal makers of some sort and the idea of looking for a person before looking for a project makes sense.
Paddy. You make it sound like I've had it too easy all these years. Our industry used to do a lot of spec work because it was printing money, with a slice of both sides of the media spend. It's tough for an agencies now, the old business model isn't viable. Nevertheless, what advertising and movie making do have in common is that they are collaborative across a range of functions. I've spent a good many years building a specific skill-set and seen a runaway success or two. To take that and transfer it to movie success will be the trick. One thing is clear, as well as looking for worthwhile project, I'm looking for my team. Thanks for your feedback guys, it's actually guiding me and I'm making progress.

10 years, 9 months ago - Colin Charles

I get you. I haven't been clear. I certainly do mean that I intend to help bring money for a world class project.