“The Commercial Director” (Part 3)
To read “The Commercial Director” (Part 1) visit:
https://actioncutprint.com/ezine-11.html
To read “The Commercial Director” (Part 2) visit:
https://actioncutprint.com/ezine-12.html
Ok, so you’ve been to film school. Maybe you’ve shot a few spec
commercials and music clips and slowly you’ve built up a show
reel. You now you feel you are experienced enough to earn a living
from your directing skills. However, before anybody will take you
seriously (and give you heaps of money to make TV commercials and
music promos, etc) it helps to have a production company behind
you.
What does a production company do for you? It is up to the
production company to promote you and to find you work. They will
outlay the costs on show reels and advertising, etc and basically
look after your interests – they are your agent. Some, not all,
will have you sign a contract that will bind you to the company.
The reason being, you won’t be able to go off and join the
opposition.
Each production company has their own set of guidelines regarding
what you can and cannot do. For example: some production
companies do not like you approaching advertising agencies
without their say so. Others won’t let you do any self-promotion
at all. They believe it is their responsibility (which is true)
but it can be very frustrating when you haven’t worked for a
while and you find that the producers of the company are too busy
elsewhere to promote you. It is becoming more and more common for
production companies around the world to employ a full time rep
to sell their directors. Alternatively they sign with a freelance
agent.
Regarding fees, once again each production company is different.
A director can usually earn ten percent of the overall budget on
a commercial campaign but this can vary from production company
to production company. Some will give you a percentage of the
overall profit plus your fee – this will give a director an
incentive to keep cost down and not go over budget. The director
can also work on a day rate: for every day that he shoots
(principal photography) he charges a fee.
In my part of the world this can be anywhere from three thousand
to ten thousand dollars a day. Obviously this would vary from
country to country. The director would not charge for time spent
in pre-production or post-production. Production companies have
been known to require the director to pay for any costs over and
above what has been budgeted for. This would be deducted from the
director’s fee. Some production companies will cover your
day-to-day expenses; i.e. mobile phones, petrol, entertaining
clients, etc.
So how do you choose a production company? First, find out who is
hot and who is not. How many directors do they represent? You
don’t want to be just another director on their books. Find out
the types of producers they have – what experience do they have?
Do they have useful connections? What is their background?
Remember you don’t have to settle for the first offer that comes
along.
Big is not always best either. There are smaller production
companies that do very well in the commercial market and in some
ways, when you are starting out, joining a smaller production
company might be your best bet! They say the life expectancy of
a commercial director in one city is between three and five
years. You will find that you are hot one moment and cold the
next. This is no reflection on your talent. It is simply the way
the industry works. Agencies always want to work with the latest,
hottest director (its an ego thing). It is important that you do
not rely on one city or one country to sustain your career. The
more markets you can cover the more work options you will have.
Make sure that the production company you work with has
connections in other markets.
There are various types of producers but I believe most come
under two titles. Creative producer; money producer. A creative
producer not only looks after the money side of a production but
also likes to have a say in the creative process. This can be a
great asset to a director if the producer is well experienced but
look out if they’re not! A money producer is only interested in
counting numbers and leaves all of the creative decisions to the
director, which is as it should be. However, I do believe that on
occasions it can help to have other people to bounce ideas around
with.
So the best advise I can give to anyone looking for a production
company to join is to take your time and don’t rush your
decision. Weigh up the pros and cons and if all else fails – flip
a coin!
That’s it for now. Good luck
Tony Johns
———————————————————–
Tony Johns Biography.
Tony has directed commercials in New Zealand, Australia,
Singapore and Indonesia. Tony has recently come under the
umbrella of WeDoFilms in the USA. Samples of Tony’s work can be
viewed at http://www.wedofilms.com and he can be contacted at
mailto:lintonfilms@xtra.co.nz
Copyright (c) 2001 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
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