They were in a big hurry because the - whisper whisper - client wanted to zip this one through. Whisper, whisper – government – whisper – now damit... so we all rushed into a room, locked the door and were introduced to the project by the agency producer. The Prime Minister had realized that the public was tired of paying the budget overruns of the government run airline and had decided in a moment of genius to sell Air Canada to the Canadian public. The Canadian public was not yet aware of his intentions ergo - whisper whisper- and the law said it was not legal to advertise or sell shares before the privatization had taken place. The Prime Minister, however, figured he could load the dice a bit and suggested a commercial be made that would make the shares more attractive and have the title “Share our Tomorrows”.
The communication concept was that a group of passengers would get on a 1940’s DC 3 aircraft, enjoy a pleasant flight and land magically in a supersonic vehicle in the year 2050. We all went to work for the PM with great enthusiasm.
Air Canada had revamped a DC 3 with the latest flying aids and comfortable seats for the transport of not-in-a-hurry executives. The director flew to Calgary where his crew had commandeered the DC 3. The first search was for an airport that was visually similar to a 1945 - 1950 airport. Claresholm, (south of Calgary), had a good one with three runways in a triangular formation so it was easier to find a wind direction to lift a DC 3. The designated pilot refused Claresholm – It was apparently twenty feet too high in altitude and a DC3 thing needed twelve more feet of runway. The search continued and a rambling location manager called to say that Swift Current, aka“Speedy Creek, Saskatchewan looked good. By this time someone with knowledge and power over pilots got rid of the fellow who needed twelve more feet and gave us Mister Cool, a 747 pilot just in from Bangkok. The head grip fixed the aging hangar doors so we could store the old DC 3 overnight. At three in the morning we gathered to set up the shot for the early morning loading of passengers. They were all there, the sun rose, passengers in costume climbed aboard, the sun flared perfectly in the lens and we had our principle moment. After an interior shot we covered a glimpse of the handsome man waving in the window and the complementary shot of his wife with toy doll wrapped in the motel owner’s antique table cloth with an answering wave. We now arrive at a critical moment when the new pilot is asked to lift the flying thing off the runway. He giggles and lifts it off in one hundred feet.
Two pilots both the same but quite unlike each other.
In the early days of air travel a DC 3 could not achieve enough altitude to fly over the Rockies so it had to travel in the valleys. In deciding how to do a follow shot through the Bow Valley (Banff) we learned that helicopters can not fly fast enough to fly with the DC 3 even at its slowest speed so we hunted up a plane that matched the DC 3’s speed and had a 2X2 ft. door at the rear for the camera to protrude. Takeoff was again 3.00 AM because we wanted morning light on the face of the mountain behind the subject aircraft. It’s wonderful how many things there are to learn in life. When you fly along the face of a mountain, the subject air craft flying side by side with the camera aircraft are subjected to violent downdrafts that curl over the mountain and shake and rattle you in a frightening manner (and make the assistant cameraman lose his breakfast. The director’s job was preparing and passing barf bags - pass in for empty, pass out for full). We shot a lot of film and did not have a piece of useable product longer than two seconds. We came close to disaster and also saved the day when a violent down draft threw the two planes together. The DC 3 panicked and peeled off. The shot of the plane peeling away was smooth and useable. We were on time - a few more shots were slipped into the schedule; the DC 3 chasing the sun’s reflection and a prairie kid looking up at the plane.
Back in Toronto, a superb craftsman prepared the supersonic aircraft and the landing port. The production house rented a defunct pipe factory because there wasn’t a studio large enough to do the job. An excellent crew prepared a huge star field by poking holes in black back drops. The hero of the set construction however, was a fellow who painted moons. The largest moon was a 40 foot circular structure mounted high in the studio on which my hero painted moon craters with spray guns. He had not been told where the light source was going to come from so he painted one side of the moon with shadows on the left and the opposite side with shadows on the right. Genius.
The cut spot read well. Shown on the air, the only complaints were - next time you chose to zip about in the air over Canmore, (Banff National Park) could you wait until after breakfast please. A complaint from an antique car buff in Saskatchewan claimed that the 37 ford sedan parked beside the waving wife had two too many chrome strips in its grill.
__________________________________________________________________________
Bill Irish is a 40 year veteran of Canada’s Communication Industry.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Good Bad & the Ugly
Children aged three to five were chosen, one by one and carefully tested for their verbal skills and personal charm. The casting took two days and an interesting mix of performers was engaged. One curly haired three year old decided she didn’t like this “casting” thing and she wasn’t going to say a word to anyone no matter what. She didn’t, but the
director asked that she be included because in a cut of ten kids, a curly haired nod from an angel might spark a moment.
The director lay on his stomach in a pile of pillows. The camera, placed on rails behind him tracked left and right and was aimed just over his head so when the children responded to him they appeared to be speaking to the camera. A second camera on rails was ready and loaded for the moments when the first camera would run out of film. They shot for 2 days, a new child every fifteen minutes. Kodak stock spiked on day 2.
The agency and the client had agreed on what they wanted the children to say. The children came to the shoot without knowledge of what they were going to be asked, in order to be free of mother-rehearsed lines. The director asked the children to tell him with their own words what having a cold felt like and after they did their best with that he gave them the words the agency wanted to hear. The little lady who would not speak in casting heard the camera roll and immediately told the story of her life and a few too many and too private family stories. The editor cut three 15-second spots and one 30-second spot on Miss Curly all by herself.
When the editor made his choice of the moments that expressed the children’s feelings best, it was discovered that there was not a single scripted word included in the cut. The kids stole the show with new and unique ways to explain what a cold felt like.
The client marketers and the agency creatives didn’t get what they asked for but were courageous and recognized the communication value in the children’s inventive explanations.
The director was continually charmed by the children. He asked a little girl how old she was, she looked puzzled for a moment then raised her arm and popped first one finger, then another, then a third finger and explained that she was “Pwactithing to be fowah”. A slightly older performer looked distressed when asked what he was going to be when he grew up. With a look of disdain he answered “an adult”.
The director was complimented on the choice of children and asked how he made his choices. He explained that first he didn’t make the choices alone. The agency always had professional opinions and were right as many times as he. He explained that his own personal system was to check to see if the adult attending the child was clean. After that he checked the willingness of the child to make steady eye contact. How closely would the child approach the director when asked to do so? How large was the child’s territorial imperative? How did the parent treat the child? Once the director did not think the boy the agency wanted could do the job. The director pouted a little but did as he was asked. Bell Telephone’s agency in this instance was very right, the young man was able and consistent.
____________________________
Sometimes on the time-limited shoot day the exact expectations of a client or agency can not be realized because reality rears its ugly head and something has to be adjusted to use the time well. Most agencies have people who are experienced professionals who can accept a rational change. All directors have seen some who can not.
On a Trans Canada Telephone shoot, a child was prompted to cry by a supposedly accidental spill of ice cream onto her pretty dress. The resulting cry was so heart-breaking everyone immediately agreed to cheer her up and find another solution.
Three little girls were required to skip. The shorts of one child kept slipping – it made a much better shot when she jumped, jumped, yanked, jumped, jumped and yanked.
The cowboys and the group of wild horses were going to do a stampede. They waited while a cloud entered the valley on a shoot where sunshine was required. The cloud proceeded to the middle of the valley and came to a stop. It proceeded to gradually diminish in size until only a tiny piece covered the sun. The time for the shot had passed and no one thought to invent an alternative.
The men who were employed by Ford to do the preparation of cars for photography were their own bosses. The camera was placed, the crew was ready and the sun was setting. The car preparers chose to prep both sides of the car on a shot that showed only one side. In spite of the screaming director, they approved the car for shooting shortly after the sun had set.
A too frequent blunder on a commercial shoot is when someone asks the director to try the thing that just popped into their mind. Few understand they immediately lose the shot the director had planned because of his need to adhere to a strict time schedule.
The storyboard showed the lovers ambling through a light forest. The production company found the forest and completed the shoot. On their way back to St. Johns, they passed a huge grassy area. The cars screeched to a stop, everyone tumbled out and because of the previously undiscovered beauty of the location, they shot the entire commercial again. Back in Montreal, the client didn’t even notice and approved the spot without question.
_______________________________________________________________________
Bill Irish is a 40 year veteran of Canada’s Communication Industry.
director asked that she be included because in a cut of ten kids, a curly haired nod from an angel might spark a moment.
The director lay on his stomach in a pile of pillows. The camera, placed on rails behind him tracked left and right and was aimed just over his head so when the children responded to him they appeared to be speaking to the camera. A second camera on rails was ready and loaded for the moments when the first camera would run out of film. They shot for 2 days, a new child every fifteen minutes. Kodak stock spiked on day 2.
The agency and the client had agreed on what they wanted the children to say. The children came to the shoot without knowledge of what they were going to be asked, in order to be free of mother-rehearsed lines. The director asked the children to tell him with their own words what having a cold felt like and after they did their best with that he gave them the words the agency wanted to hear. The little lady who would not speak in casting heard the camera roll and immediately told the story of her life and a few too many and too private family stories. The editor cut three 15-second spots and one 30-second spot on Miss Curly all by herself.
When the editor made his choice of the moments that expressed the children’s feelings best, it was discovered that there was not a single scripted word included in the cut. The kids stole the show with new and unique ways to explain what a cold felt like.
The client marketers and the agency creatives didn’t get what they asked for but were courageous and recognized the communication value in the children’s inventive explanations.
The director was continually charmed by the children. He asked a little girl how old she was, she looked puzzled for a moment then raised her arm and popped first one finger, then another, then a third finger and explained that she was “Pwactithing to be fowah”. A slightly older performer looked distressed when asked what he was going to be when he grew up. With a look of disdain he answered “an adult”.
The director was complimented on the choice of children and asked how he made his choices. He explained that first he didn’t make the choices alone. The agency always had professional opinions and were right as many times as he. He explained that his own personal system was to check to see if the adult attending the child was clean. After that he checked the willingness of the child to make steady eye contact. How closely would the child approach the director when asked to do so? How large was the child’s territorial imperative? How did the parent treat the child? Once the director did not think the boy the agency wanted could do the job. The director pouted a little but did as he was asked. Bell Telephone’s agency in this instance was very right, the young man was able and consistent.
____________________________
Sometimes on the time-limited shoot day the exact expectations of a client or agency can not be realized because reality rears its ugly head and something has to be adjusted to use the time well. Most agencies have people who are experienced professionals who can accept a rational change. All directors have seen some who can not.
On a Trans Canada Telephone shoot, a child was prompted to cry by a supposedly accidental spill of ice cream onto her pretty dress. The resulting cry was so heart-breaking everyone immediately agreed to cheer her up and find another solution.
Three little girls were required to skip. The shorts of one child kept slipping – it made a much better shot when she jumped, jumped, yanked, jumped, jumped and yanked.
The cowboys and the group of wild horses were going to do a stampede. They waited while a cloud entered the valley on a shoot where sunshine was required. The cloud proceeded to the middle of the valley and came to a stop. It proceeded to gradually diminish in size until only a tiny piece covered the sun. The time for the shot had passed and no one thought to invent an alternative.
The men who were employed by Ford to do the preparation of cars for photography were their own bosses. The camera was placed, the crew was ready and the sun was setting. The car preparers chose to prep both sides of the car on a shot that showed only one side. In spite of the screaming director, they approved the car for shooting shortly after the sun had set.
A too frequent blunder on a commercial shoot is when someone asks the director to try the thing that just popped into their mind. Few understand they immediately lose the shot the director had planned because of his need to adhere to a strict time schedule.
The storyboard showed the lovers ambling through a light forest. The production company found the forest and completed the shoot. On their way back to St. Johns, they passed a huge grassy area. The cars screeched to a stop, everyone tumbled out and because of the previously undiscovered beauty of the location, they shot the entire commercial again. Back in Montreal, the client didn’t even notice and approved the spot without question.
_______________________________________________________________________
Bill Irish is a 40 year veteran of Canada’s Communication Industry.
Megapixels or Bust
Take a look at the link at the bottom of this post. I'll wait. (doo, doo, doo, dooooooooo, doo, doo, doo, doo, do, do doooooo - elevator music, while I wait - really, say it slowly out loud a few times)
While a bit of a simplification, it does explain why for the vast majority, the whole mega pixel thing - at this stage - just doesn't matter.
Going back to my previous blog it also explains why the 5 mega pixel camera on the iPhone is better than the 8 mega pixel one on most Android (phones) is better. Sensor size. (the iPhone one is bigger) So in one sense size matters but in another it is what you do with it that counts. Come on you were all thinking it....
This does apply to the production world too. Again, this is a bit of a simplification but basically it holds true. The 5d and 7d from Canon. The big difference is the sensor size. But, since web and tv content (as opposed to feature films) are lit for easy viewing (lots of light) the net effect is that the smaller image size of the 7d is fine. Do you need to blow up the image for theatrical release? Zoom in really tight to deal with sfx? Then the bigger sensor size and slightly more pixels of the 5d is good. There are of course aesthetic reasons and technical ones. However, I guess that about 60%+ of what is shot today, for commercial use is for promoting a product that is format independent. Meaning, that the product promotion is not effected by Film or HD (whatever the format).
What about cameras like the hvx 200 - a 720p hd camera - a semi-pro model they call it. Well technically, it has less resolution than the 7d and 5d (720p vs. 1080p) but it has 3 image sensors and much bigger ones too. So, it will do better in lower light and in most cases the picture quality - a touchy, feely measurement, not technical one - can be 'nicer'
There are of course more issues in some cases - sfx work, what your final use is, etc. But basically and I say again - basically -all this is true and real.
As you go up into the Red and other HD+ resolution cameras this truth - basically - holds true. For instance, the work flow for the Red (camera system) is complicated for several reasons, not the least of which is the image size. The size of images is 4k about 3 x that of HD. Huge files that most desktop (Final Cut, etc) have a great deal of problem dealing with. The solution and result of applying some common sense is to shoot if you want to at 4k (if you need the size for theatrical release or sfx (special effects ) work but then transfer the images to 2k or even 1080p - hd and edit as normal. If your going to TV (commercials, etc.) this is the best you can do anyway - tv stations only want 1080p HD size projects. You realize that if you do apply common sense and the above is true for your project, just shoot at 2k. That gives you the image size to 'move' your picture around in post as you are still only using the 1080p size image anyway.
So, the expense of shooting on the Red or Film for that matter (post costs) is a question that people should be asking - in more depth. Yes, there are times to do it. However, for the purposes of this blog entry - think about what you are using it for.
Ask Not What the Format Can Do For You But What You Need The Format For - and push Post people for real answers not ones based on their own snobbish feelings toward certain formats. Most times they get you with the 'What if' (what if you want to do .... later or what if someone changes their mind). Agency people want to know why everything costs so much money. The fear is why.
Don't give into the fear.
Jason
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2U2NyI/techland.com/2010/09/09/two-minute-video-camera-shopping-skip-the-megapixels/
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Android
I lost my iPhone; the rather improbable and slightly unbelievable story is not worth repeating. I lost my iPhone. Once the separation anxiety had worn off, I realized that I was not really missing it. Truth in advertising time here - I have an iPad. The WiFi one, not the 3g one. I can count on one hand the number of times I have wanted to look at something online and didn't have free WiFi nearby. I am looking at a Virgin Mobile MiFi to solve that problem (more in another post).
Back to the lost iPhone: I was not able to 'Find My Iphone' through 'me.com' but was able to change the password and set up the remote wipe. Which means the first time someone tried to use it, the phone would be useless to all but the most determined hacker. And it was a 3g, so almost out of date anyway.
So, what to do next? I could rush out and buy a new '4 or wait until the end of September and see what comes out of Apple once their 'free cover' promotion ends. Rumours abound about new hardware to solve the problem. Either way our various networks in Canada have much stronger / better signals than AT&T - it seems - so the whole 'antenna-gate' seems to be much less of an issue here. The second option is to buy an Android phone. I am with Rogers so to get a good one - comparable to iPhone I would need to switch carriers. Good to me is that latest version of the Android OS and one of two phones from either HTC or Samsung (Sony has a decent one but the bit of fancy software they add to the OS to make it more Sony I find more geared to Kids - another blog). Bottom line is that the advantages of an open operating system that is easily customizable and free (or more free) of corporate control is not worth losing the compatibility the iPhone offers. Also, while the hardware is at least as good between the two platforms in terms of screen and camera(s) the iPhone seems to win out. Can't wait to chat with my daughter with the new 'facetime' (her with my wife's phone - she will not have her own).
If I had the time and energy the Android would be my choice - hacker roots run deep. But as soon as I have to fiddle with something in a meeting and some smart ass says 'That's why I have an iPhone' and that smart ass is a senior creative - it is not worth it. Really.
In the end I dug out the last Treo I had, Rogers helped me out with a new sim and I am limping along. The PIM (personal information management - calendar and phonebook) features of the phone work fine, the web side sucks and I limp along. But I have the iPad. I will wait.
Enjoy,
Jason
Thursday, August 26, 2010
iPad and other technology we may or not need.
As it relates to production, few other topics have as much angst attached to them. Blackberry or iPhone, PC or Mac (why spend the extra dollars on a Mac), Film or Digital - what flavour even, etc., etc. We are not cutting babies in half here, but Solomon wouldn't want to get into the middle of these arguments.
This may be surprising to a lot of People but I don't have a strong opinion either way - just pick the right tool for the job, there is no single solution. So, in that vein I suggest a problem and solution approach. Some based on discussions I have had with others and some more theoretical. Each week a Problem (or Opportunity, as an old boss used to say) and a solution or two based on available technology. Oh, included will be the somewhat insane roadblocks that get thrown up along the way by others based on fear, loathing and misunderstanding.
Reading that sentence back suggests that I may be have an opinion about the insane angle - come on, you would be worried if I didn't try to throw one in somewhere.
Okay, so come back - hopefully once a week (or so) and see what comes of this. And yes, I have blocked your ability to send in your own thoughts and ideas - there is only so much criticism one man can take.
Jason
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Hey Otis, Ya Wanna be in Films?
Written for Rogue Artists by Bill Irish
________________________________________________
I was a gopher-labourer in tiny Wilder film studios on Berkeley Street Toronto when a Tourism job came in. The regular camera assistant was busy so I was told to learn how to pull focus, “Oh yes and while you’re at it” get on a plane to Nova Scotia, go location hunting and find a performer or two. Life was good.
The Lunenburg docks were recommended for our attention so I found my way there, stood on the docks for a day watching the activity and looking for the perfect Nova Scotia fisherman. On day two a battered old scallop dragger with iron sides tied up and half a dozen rough looking characters rumbled down the ramp. One of them was wide and strong with a heavy growth and clothes that proved he worked hard for a living, Gathering up my courage, I approached him and asked him if he would help. It was an easy and pleasant affirmation, he told me his name was Otis and “yes” he would meet me here at sunrise one week from that day. Half an hour after unrise on the alloted day there weren’t any picturesque fisherman on the docks, just the cameraman and I walking impatiently up and down. I wished I had asked for a phone number and finally approached a business man in a beautiful suit to ask if he might know Otis. The business man was of course Otis, all spiffed up and shaved for his film debut. He promised to return to his fisherman appearance in a week. He did, the cameraman shot and I pulled focus. Otis was great.
Otis was a descendant of survivors from a ship that went aground off the coast of Nova Scotia. The survivors were of Dutch heritage and they had intended to become farmers. The survivors came ashore to find not much in the way of farmland but instead a perfect and picturesque harbour tucked into the coast. A resilient people, they became fishermen and boat builders and helped build the modern community of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The shipwrights became internationally known for their abilities whenoneoftheirships,theBluenose,consistentlywonschoonerraces. Asecondlargeshipwasbuilt in meticulous detail for a film entitled Mutiny on the Bounty, which also brought the shipwrights much appreciated attention.
Otis was well known in this community. He lived in a small white house on the hill above town. The house was old but Otis maintained it well. It was a pretty house, very white and very clean. The walks and flowerbeds were lined in carefully placed red, white and blue stones. Inside, everything was dust free and in its place. In contrast with his house, Otis was very rough and rumpled. To give him his due, the roughness was brought about by the way he made his living. Otis was a seaman. He worked on whatever ship would take him, for whatever job was available. He stood at average height with a battered black beret smashed on his head. His face was sun-darkened under a crust of snow-white stubble, two bright steady eyes framed in leather, a thick neck and barrel chest. The anatomy of ocean fishermen is sometimes changed by the demands of their work. A man who pulls nets into a dory for half his life has backward hands. The little fingers become as large as the thumbs because the little finger is used to hook the net for second pulls. The demands of Otis’s work had created exceptionally large forearms and a grip of iron.Otis enjoyed his life. However, one day in the year was his favorite. Because the American fishery on the east coast was very similar to the Canadian fishery, there was a lively competition over who was the best at a wide range of fishing skills. On a day agreed to by all, strong men from Halifax and down the coast, came to Lunenburg, as did the strong men from Boston on up. They joined in a vigorous contest of skill and strength. Otis’s specialty was the dory race. At the prescribed time, men lined up in schooner dories and at the sound of a gun, were off, pulling for all they were worth. Young men who had trained all year for this moment, did their very best and crossed the finish line exhausted and splayed across their oars. Otis, who was usually much older, always won. To add insult to injury, he would cross the finish line grasping the handles of his two twelve foot oaken oars and turn them up vertically with only the power of his wrists.
Each year Otis added a new trophy to the spotless wall of trophies in the little white house on the hill.
___________________________________________________________________________
Bill Irish is a 40 year veteran of Canada’s Communication Industry.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Always Pray Before Shooting
The producer was a fit looking thirty-five year old. His past contained the dubious accreditations of drug dealer and thief. He bragged on his two gunshot scars and everywhere he went, he carried a powerful telephone system in a sack at his side.
The rental van plucked a large man from a North Vancouver street at 5.30 a.m. It crossed Lion’s Gate and proceeded through the streets and avenues of Vancouver proper. A tall slim fellow from a home near U.B.C. came aboard and sat up front with the driver. The next addition lived in a rooming house and the one after that in a house without lights and no one to wave good-bye. Two hotels produced two more men. The van picked up the director about 6.30 a.m. He was second last on the list. The last was the producer who was allowed more sleep because he was the client, the decision maker and the man with the money.
Rain had begun in the early light. On the way out towards Simon Fraser, it thundered down and bounced back up from the road to slow the pace. It softened as they grabbed the Trans Canada and headed for Abbotsford.
Tires whispered and sung and the big man slept. The producer talked to Salt Lake City, Toronto and two other places. Men spoke quietly one to one. When talk slowed, the director outlined the job (a commercial film for the Mormon Church) for the men. He then turned to the producer and asked him to tell the crew what the Church of the Latter Day Saints stood for. The producer showed his usual pleasure at the request and explained the L.D.S. or Mormon Church was a spiritual com-
munity that believed Jesus Christ was the Son of God. For them, Jesus provided the path to eternal life. The community was called Latter Day Saints because they believed the leaders of recent history could add to their body of spiritual understanding.
A small pause and one of the men turned to the big fellow in the back corner and asked, “So, John, what’s your religion?” John, dozy and hoping to be funny grunted “T.V.” and rolled his body to the window. The tall fellow in front recognized this exchange might constitute an affront and said quietly, “I am a Jew.” After a pause he continued. “We are strong community supporters, both of our own religious community and of the broader community we live in. We believe the God of Israel gave us our credentials. Our ethical foundation comes to us via Moses and our holidays and festivals are commemorations of events like a second century revolt and a war with the Roman Empire.”
This quiet and articulate explanation was absorbed. Then the tidy man from the rooming house said, “I am a Muslim. Our religious community is based on obedience to the teachings in the Koran. We have daily regimens that in Canada are usually messed up by our work requirements. Canadian Muslims tend to be more casual than the Middle Eastern ones. We believe the prophet Mohammed spoke for God and his teachings give us everyday guidance.”
Not to be left out one of the crew said, “It’s a long story I won’t tell you, but I am a born again Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian.”A long silence ensued off the ends of the smiles. The vehicle hummed. The sun pushed through. The rich odor of wet cedar filled the van.
Closer to Abbotsford one of the crew said, “I am a Roman Catholic. The actions of some of the clergy have not supported the pride I have in my beliefs. Human weakness aside, I believe the Pope in Rome to be a primary spiritual authority. It’s a convenient religion. You can misbehave on almost any level, go to confession and get back in the lineup for heaven.”
A stop at Abbotsford for egg McMuffins and then everyone spread out along a set of railway tracks to start their day. When the sun lowered and warmed the mountain backdrop, they agreed they had managed a productive day and piled back into the van. They picked up the opposite side of the Trans Canada and settled in for the return trip.
The driver spoke as soon as he reached speed. “Before you all drop off to sleep,” he said, “I want to inform you that I am a First Nations person from up the coast and the spiritual belief of my people is that God is the tree and the bear and me and the highway.”
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Bill Irish is a 40 year veteran of Canada’s Communication Industry.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Almost Canada's Last Cigarette Commerial
Written for Rogue Artists by Bill Irish
Allan Sneath worked for McKim Advertising in Montreal. McKim was Canada’s oldest advertising agency and had been responsible for many effective communicating concepts including Canada’s first bank ads.
The film production house director received a phone call from Allan Sneath on Sunday. He requested that the director be on a plane to Calgary the following day with a cameraman, a crew of film-makers and a pair of running shoes because the commercials he had to shoot must be completed very quickly.
An explanation on the plane included the information that a person who watched the activities of American owned Marlborough Cigarettes for Canadian owned Imperial Tobacco, had, on Sunday, warned Imperial Tobacco that Marlborough was going to introduce their cigarettes into Canada. A strong and well advertised brand name like Marlborough would do Imperial Tobacco’s brands considerable damage. The ‘spy’ who seemed to have very specific information, claimed Marlborough’s first step would be to run test commercials in Peterborough, Ontario.
Allan Sneath’s job was to make three competing commercials that could run in Peterborough at the same time. The Marlborough images were of very strong, healthy looking Montana cowboys riding, roping and living in the outdoors. Allan’s plan was to make commercials with images of strong, healthy, Alberta cowboys. Marlborough had the advantage of time but Imperial Tobacco had an interesting advantage of its own. A smart Imperial executive had, long ago, purchased the rights to the name Marlborough in Canada. If the American Marlborough was going to invade Canada, they had to give the product a different name.
The U.S settled on the name Maverick. Allan Sneath’s commercials for Imperial Tobacco could carry the name Marlborough. The Americans put the name Maverick on the papers of their Marlborough cigarettes. Imperial Tobacco took their Belvedere cigarette and rewrapped them with the name Marlborough.
Meanwhile, in a field at the Rafter Six Ranch near Canmore Alberta, the director was bouncing along in an old truck as the crew shot a stampede of thirty horses and two handsome cowboys. With that segment completed, they raced over to the Kananaskis River to film a pack train of mountain horses, led by the same, freshly mounted cowboys.
The following morning, the director and his crew arrived early at Horseshoe Canyon near Drumheller. They pulled into the viewpoint above the canyon at 3:00 AM to catch a sunrise that was to appear at 4:30. At 4:00 the camera, crew and cowboy were ready but the man with the single sheep that the story needed, had not arrived. At least the worried director didn’t think he had. Finally in a desperate state, he went over to the only other car in the parking area and woke the man who was sound asleep at the wheel. “Of course I have the sheep,” he said. “It’s in the trunk.” When the trunk was opened, a sheep that had never seen a car before, became airborne. The sheep owner fought the leaping, bouncing, frantic animal down into the canyon, found a few blades of grass, tethered it and left it in to recover.The story the filmmakers were shooting was about a handsome cowboy who looked all day for a lost sheep until, as the sun set, he came upon it beside the canyon wall. The earlier searching portions had already been shot and the sunrise that was to pretend it was a sunset in the story, was what they were attempting to shoot.
The sun was an inch above the horizon when the cowboy spotted the sheep and rode towards it. The sheep that had never seen a car, had also never seen a horse, so as the large dark thing with a man thing ontop approached, the sheep pulled its stake and ran for its life. It should be mentioned that in addition to the problems the director already had, the horse had never seen a sheep! When the sheep bolted south, the horse bolted north. The cowboy was good at his job; he rode the horse to submission, then gently led it to the patch where the sheep had been and tied it to a stone. He turned to the harried director and asked, “If you would bring the sheep back here and give me five minutes, I will make it possible for you to finish your shot.” The director, if a little doubtful, was thrilled.
The sun was a foot above the horizon. Ten minutes later, the sheep was lifted and placed in the arms of the cowboy. Asking everone to step back, he proceeded to walk in circles around the nervous horse. The smell of the sheep began to mix with the smells of the man and the sheep/man that was walking circles around him, became less frightening. The horse calmed and the man/sheep moved closer until the cowboy was rubbing the sheep back and forth along the horse, again mixing smells. The cowboy quietly asked, “roll the camera please” and hearing the camera start, he gently lifted the sheep onto the horses withers then swung aboard behind it. The rising sun was only a little bit past where it should be for sunset.
The commercials were edited in time and sent out from Toronto. The Canadian cigarette ads were shown on the same day, in Peterborough, as the American cigarettes. The stores displayed the two packages side by side. Smokers were confused and both products were dead in a week. The Amer- icans withdrew, their attempt to launch a cigarette into the Canadian market failed. The Marlborough name went back to bed in a vault in Montreal.
Alan Sneath smiled a little smile.
______________________________________________________________________________
Bill Irish is a 40 year veteran of Canada’s Communication Industry.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thanks!
A big thanks to our Agency Producer Blogger - great work keeping us up to date. Her thoughts throughout the day shows us the difference experience makes. Thank-you.
A Blogger Ends Her Day
Ok a few more things from me and then I'm done - have a 9am session tomorrow
The folks out in BC are doing some fine work... Lots of awards going home to Van this year.
Have been to this event at least 15 times and feel older every year, can no longer do the after parties- recovery time is too long!
Event gets more expensive and less is offered- no souvenir books or dvds, very little food, remember when the event started with coffee and donuts in the am?
Still, it's nice to see everyone and The Work (even if I haven't seen half of it- must spend more time on Youtube!) Spiess award and don award janet woods award are always given to deserving people.
I say I won't go again next year, but you know that I will :-)
Until then, leavin' the after parties to the hard core ragers.
G'nite!
The folks out in BC are doing some fine work... Lots of awards going home to Van this year.
Have been to this event at least 15 times and feel older every year, can no longer do the after parties- recovery time is too long!
Event gets more expensive and less is offered- no souvenir books or dvds, very little food, remember when the event started with coffee and donuts in the am?
Still, it's nice to see everyone and The Work (even if I haven't seen half of it- must spend more time on Youtube!) Spiess award and don award janet woods award are always given to deserving people.
I say I won't go again next year, but you know that I will :-)
Until then, leavin' the after parties to the hard core ragers.
G'nite!
After Bessie Partying Begins
Bar was the usual mayhem, 20 deep to get a drink!
Good "mini" food, mini burgers, fries, of course not nearly enough to soak up the amount of alcohol being consumed
11 bucks for a glass of red- don't they know ad folks are cheap?
Good "mini" food, mini burgers, fries, of course not nearly enough to soak up the amount of alcohol being consumed
11 bucks for a glass of red- don't they know ad folks are cheap?
Awards Part 3
Bob mann post prod award:
Michelle at panic and bob, great gal.
Gold campaign TV:
Viagra "confessions"
Sport BC Camapign - fun
Gold online campaign:
Promos for national advertising awards
Janet woods award; sue bell
Best of show campaign - VIAGRA!
Best of show single - artic sun - pepsi- tropicana
All in all, nice quick show, my usual complaints about work I've never seen winning. Gotta run, phone is dying!
Michelle at panic and bob, great gal.
Gold campaign TV:
Viagra "confessions"
Sport BC Camapign - fun
Gold online campaign:
Promos for national advertising awards
Janet woods award; sue bell
Best of show campaign - VIAGRA!
Best of show single - artic sun - pepsi- tropicana
All in all, nice quick show, my usual complaints about work I've never seen winning. Gotta run, phone is dying!
Online Gold
Food Lift - BC Dairy Foundation
Dream - Girl Guides of Canada
Sugar Streak- koodo mobile
Best of Series- Production Design - The Race, Stella Artois
Cinematography/ editing - Dream
Dream - Girl Guides of Canada
Sugar Streak- koodo mobile
Best of Series- Production Design - The Race, Stella Artois
Cinematography/ editing - Dream
Gold Award
The Race-Stella Artois
Balloon Boy - A+W
People are actually invited to podium this year!
The Sun - Tropicana/Pepsi
Ice Creamy Goodness- Science World
Sexuality- Vancouver Film Festival
Balloon Boy - A+W
People are actually invited to podium this year!
The Sun - Tropicana/Pepsi
Ice Creamy Goodness- Science World
Sexuality- Vancouver Film Festival
Craft Awards
Craft award for Chris Sargent, DP for Flame Trail -RBC
Colorist Billy Ferwerda for NewFoundland Tourism
Hard to catch all- credits are fast.
Colorist Billy Ferwerda for NewFoundland Tourism
Hard to catch all- credits are fast.
Finalist
Finalist reel- where did these spots run because I have seen about 30 percent.. Must stop setting my PVR.
Sound Speakers are terrible for a music venue!
Sound Speakers are terrible for a music venue!
Huh?
Info on event is sketchy- no one knows when it starts, when it ends, is there food? They need a freakin producer!
Keynote
Keynote speaker is the guy who directed precious- awesome film. Auditorium half full even though bar is closed outside- why do we come again?
Venue
New venue this year- Royal conservatory of music. Nice windows. But we just got here and bar is closed... WTF?
Cocktails
Cocktails hosted by Grayson Matthews at 'le select bistro'. Enjoying quiche and Kir Royale. It is pouring rain right now - with start time at 4:30 pm EST - hopefully we won't get too wet.
Bessie After Parties
First Post of our Bessie coverage - we begin with some After Party locations.
Amber - in yorkville
Ted's Collision Bar - on College St.
Blondies - Queen St. W (10 pm - 2am)
Stay tuned for all the reasons people will need these After Parties...
Amber - in yorkville
Ted's Collision Bar - on College St.
Blondies - Queen St. W (10 pm - 2am)
Stay tuned for all the reasons people will need these After Parties...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
2010 Bessie Awards!
Bessie Countdown begins... 10 am PST the live blog will open its doors for all of you out there who Can't, Won't or Don't - go to the Bessie Awards show.
Starting next week, guest bloggers - Directors, Agency and Production types will blog on how it all comes together.
For now though catch all the glory, dirt and fun that make up the Besssie Awards. There may not be a Long Bar anymore but after the last year of budget cuts, layoffs and the many compromises we have all made, my bet is that more than a few people will need to let off a bit of steam!
Best of luck to all those nominated and to those who weren't and feel slighted, feel free to express yourselves!
Starting next week, guest bloggers - Directors, Agency and Production types will blog on how it all comes together.
For now though catch all the glory, dirt and fun that make up the Besssie Awards. There may not be a Long Bar anymore but after the last year of budget cuts, layoffs and the many compromises we have all made, my bet is that more than a few people will need to let off a bit of steam!
Best of luck to all those nominated and to those who weren't and feel slighted, feel free to express yourselves!
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