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C.R.A.Z.Y. FOR COMMERCIALS

By Keith McArthur Globe and Mail, April 10, 2006

It’s almost time to break for lunch on a Toronto Commercial shoot and the crew is getting restless.

Many of them have been on set at the downtown parking garage since 4:30 a.m., but acclaimed director Jean-Marc Vallée isn’t quite satisfied with the current shot.

“A little less smiling. I like that, but a little less,” he tells the actor referred to on-set as “big guy”.

At last month’s Genies, Mr. Valée’s film C.R.A.Z.Y. won eight awards, including best picture and best director. Considering such success, he’s not the kind of guy you’d expect to find slumming it in commercials.

But Mr. Vallée follows in a long line of celebrity directors — from Spike Lee to David Cronenberg — who have taken time away from feature films to direct ads.

While money is part of the draw, directors say they also love the chance to get behind the camera between projects, as well as the challenge of telling complex stories in a short period of time.

“I’ve learned to love this very short medium,” Mr. Valée says between shoots. “I like to tell stories, even though we only have 24 seconds to tell them.”

(The last six seconds of a typical 30-second spot, he points out, are devoted to the brand logo.) Directors also like the chance to slow things down.

While feature films budget about one day of shooting for every seven minutes of final footage, a single 30-second commercial may stretch over a 14-hour day — or longer.

John Smythe, executive producer at Partners Film Co. Ltd., said he’s always on the lookout for feature film directors who could make the transition into commercials.

In addition to representing Mr. Valée, Mr. Smythe has worked with Mr. Cronenberg and has (unsuccessfully) pursued Norman Jewison. He says Paul Haggis, the Canadian Director whose film Crash won best picture at the Oscars, is also on his list to pursue.

Even Woddy Allen was lured into commercials in 1991, directing a series of Italian commercials on consumer awareness for $2.3-million (U.S.)

But directing ads can be a culture shock for some. On a feature film shoot, they are the sole creative masterminds. On a commercial shoot, there are marketing directors and brand managers and art directors looking over their shoulders.

“There’s a slightly more workaday quality to it. I don’t think it feels like selling out, but you’re not really in charge creatively,” says David Wellington, who has directed films and TV series, but also loves ads.

Canadian director Jeremiah Chechik says a director’s primary job for a commercial is to sell a product, which means many voices are involved in artistic decisions.

But that doesn’t mean the process isn’t art, says Mr. Chechik, who has directed ads for Wal-Mart, as well as directed movies, including National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

“I can show you many films that are done cynically for the money and I can show you really great advertising that was done through passion,” he says.

As for Mr. Valée, he’s already directed five commercials this year and plans to do more. He’s busy writing a new film and likes the way commercials get him away from the isolation of writing.

Mr. Valée has been directing commericals for several years, but thanks to the success of C.R.A.Z.Y. he can be very choosy about the projects he picks.

The latest campaign is a campaign for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario and the Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Mr. Valée says he was attracted to the spot for its strong script and the fact that it presents a story that continues over two commercials.

Because of his background as a film director, Mr. Valée pays more attention to detail than most commercial directors, say Karen Howe, Creative Director at Due North Communications, the agency responsible for the campaign.

Is there anything he wouldn’t do? Mr. Valée says he has a deal with his kids. They can’t eat McDonald’s, and he won’t direct ads for fast food.

But soon after the interview, a colleague calls back to say Mr. Valée has something he needs to clarify. Reached by telephone the next day, Mr. Valée explains that he’s worried he came across as too much of a purist.

“If I’m offered the chance to make a commercial for a fast-food chain and I like the concept and the story is amazing, I think I’d go for it,” Mr. Valée says carefully.

“I think I’d go to my kids and say: ‘Listen guys, do you mind if I make this one?’”

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