Broadcast And The Cult Of Celeb Directors

In case you didn’t know, Michael Mann, the director of such cheated-of-the-Oscar flicks like “Miami Vice,” “L.A. Takedown,” and “Heat” has recently directed two Nike spots. We actually adore the one above. It makes American football, which we normally find a bit slow, look like a total adrenaline rush. The NYT’s decided to investigate the trend of big film directors who have begun to shoot or continue to shoot commercials. Consider new director Ben Affleck, who is now looking at story boards for AT&T. And then of course, there’s Phil Joanou, Wes Anderson and broadcast veteran Michel Gondry.

With broadcasters scheduled to switch to digital television in 2009, networks are apparently pressuring advertisers to get their spots ready for high definition. Mike Shaw, president for sales and marketing at ABC, said he was seeing results. “Spots are definitely looking better.”

Thankfully, the article mentions the price tag associated with using such high profile directors: ‘”A director without big-screen credits typically earns a fixed fee, perhaps $3,000 a day or $30,000 for a project,” said Wayne Best, executive creative director at the New York office of Taxi, an advertising agency. For bigger-name talent, however, the size of the fee may depend on how strongly the client wants the director, and it is a gamble whether the money ends up on screen or simply to pay for creative vision.” ‘

Obviously, a director with scores of great films under his belt is more than likely going to whip out some impressive work. If brands are willing to pay, you know us advertising execs will provide. Meanwhile, let’s not forget the danger of dealing with clients, high price tags and even, creative off beat directors. Our paycheck writers often say they want one thing, and then change their minds like in the Michel Gondry/Cutwater/Motorola debacle. Read the whole article here.

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