Recent Articles
Written by jessel on September 15th, 2008 | 2 Comments
When I was still in L.A., I was part of a screenwriting group. We met once a week and we would read portions of our script out loud to the group. We tore each other’s scripts apart. This was the fun part. 
Of course, it wasn’t fun when it’s your turn on the chopping block.
But I learned so much from my group and it was one of the few activities I looked forward to all week. The same concept can be applied to filmmaking. What most people haven’t thought of and would greatly benefit from is forming a Filmmaking Mastermind Group. Click here to read the rest of this article.
Written by jessel on September 11th, 2008 | 3 Comments
Last week I posted Part 1 of the Building a Spectacular Spec Reel series. If you haven’t read that article, read it first. It will be the foundation for what follows in the next few articles in the series. In that article, I discussed two crucial factors in putting together a spec reel: Concept and Genre.
Think about those two elements before you do anything else.
Okay, now that you have some inkling of your concept and the genre you want to focus on, it’s time to get down to specifics.
What company will you make a spec spot for?
Avoid High-Profile Brands
Nike, Apple, Budweiser, McDonald’s, etc. Forget about these massive companies for now. Stick to smaller brands or even regional ones.
The problem you’ll encounter doing a spec spot for a well-known brand is that advertising creatives know these brands all too well. Some of them may even have worked on these brands. They will be very familiar with the strategies and objectives of these companies. They’ll know if you’re not doing it right and it will directly affect their objectivity. They’ll be subconsciously comparing your spec spot to the multi-million dollars spots those companies are running now.
The secret is Click here to read the rest of this article.
Written by jessel on September 8th, 2008 | 1 Comment
What do Cameron Crowe, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Baz Luhrman, Robert Zemeckis, and George Lucas have in common? Besides being accomplished directors, they all had mentors who guided them throughout their careers.
Wealthy and successful businessmen and athletes also have mentors. Tiger Woods had his first coach at a tender age of 4. Michael Dell couldn’t have built Dell Computers into the juggernaut that it is today without gray-haired suits showing him the way. Click here to read the rest of this article.
Written by jessel on September 5th, 2008 | 4 Comments
There is absolutely nothing more important to a commercial director’s career than a demo reel. Not education. Not connections (although this is important). And not experience.
A jaw-dropping reel will facilitate a director’s entry into the advertising world and keep him there. A demo reel serves as his resume and calling card. A demo reel shows the advertising agencies and clients what he’s capable of.
Think about it. You can’t just knock on the door of an agency or client and say you want to direct their commercial and you have nothing to show. (Actually, there are instances when you can do this but it’s tougher. I’ll explain that in a future article. ) Commercials cost anywhere from tens of thousands to millions of dollars. Would you trust just anyone to direct them?
But how do you put together a demo reel when no one will give you a job to begin with?
If you went to film or advertising school, you most likely walked away with a nice, newly-minted demo reel hot off the DVD burner. But what if you didn’t go to film school?
That’s where the spec reel comes in. A spec reel is a collection of ‘fake’ (speculative) commercials produced specifically for the purpose of showing a director’s talent. From my experience and from those I’ve talked to in the business, anywhere from 2 to 4 commercials should be enough for a spec reel. Two amazing commercials on your reel will get your foot in the door.
So what do you need to build a spectacular spec reel? Click here to read the rest of this article.
