Berlinulls who's mcqueen Has All the Answers
Rainer Spix's German production company, the one with the curious name, aims to shake up the industry. And no, there are no movie stars involved.
Berlin's who's mcqueen Has All the Answers
Rainer Spix's Berlin production company, the one with the curious name,
aims to shake up the industry. And no, there are no movie stars involved.
By Anthony Vagnoni
Just so you know, it's not Steve. That's probably the first question Rainer Spix gets asked when people hear about his Berlin-based production company, who's mcqueen picture. So if its not the famous American movie actor of "The Great Escape" and "Bullett" fame, just who is the 'McQueen' behind who's mcqueen?
The mcqueen in question is actually named Ian; he's one of the people who backed Spix when he launched the company last year. The idea for its unusual name came to him when people kept asking him just who this guy was, Spix explains with a laugh.
A veteran EP who's worked in Hamburg for the past decade, Spix decided last year to go out on his own and set up a company that had a different look, a different vibe and a different creative aesthetic to its work. His goal, he says, "was to concentrate on making creative commercials, and any other film format that makes a producer's heart happy and brings lots of fame and glory." So far, he's off and running.
Spix holds the title of EP and Managing Director, and he oversees all production at the shop. He works closely with EP Katharina Strauss, who handles sales, marketing and strategy. There's also a who's mcqueen office in Zurich that's managed by EP Philipp Petersson.
The shop has produced a range of work in various formats since their launch. This includes traditional TVC work for advertisers such as McDonald's, Beck's and Bahlsen, as well as spots for the apparel company Bonprix, the German retailer 4cost, the child protection organization Terre Des Hommes and the electronics chain Conrad's.
And, true to Spix's plan, who's mcqueen has pushed the boundaries in other areas, producing several quirky and imaginative music videos for the German recording artist Herbert Grönemeyer (both of which were directed by Kai Sehr) and an over-the-top exercise in moody weirdness for SoHo House titled "Evokation," directed by a someone known simply as AKIZ.
Given this body of work - all of which has been produced in a relatively short time - what's the company's reputation like? "We're young, creative, a little bit rock n' roll, and moving away from the '80s and '90s," says Spix, by which he means the old way of working where roles were clearly defined and the output of a production company was often highly predictable. "We offer flexible producing for the client," he continues. "We're focused on making good and creative work, even if the budget is very tight - because we put the money into the spots we produce, and not the car pool. The spots themselves show that this works, as we've had a great first year!"
Spix and Strauss point out that the company deals with its directorial roster in a different way than most other production houses in Germany. "Most of our directors work exclusively with us, which is not that common here," says Spix. The relationships are more than just professional, he adds. "Everyone we work with is a friend. We don't like arguing, screaming or bad moods on set."
The roster reflects the image of who's mcqueen as a progressive, forward-thinking outfit, Spix notes. "They're mostly from a new generation. No more '80s behavior, no egotistical attitudes." This applies not just to its main roster, he says, but also to the directors they represent via their agreement with the US-based Saville Productions, which boasts a collection of both feature and commercial talents. "They work with some very big name directors," Spix explains, "and they're well-known for their creative work. They wanted very much to join us, so that together we can create fantastic projects of all sorts. These are always done on the highest level, and with the utmost professionalism."
Strauss notes that the who's mcqueen approach is to build long-term relationships with its director corps. "We're really looking towards the future, and the directors know this," she says. "They invest more in their pitches. They realize that we're going after quality, not quantity. It benefits everyone."
While the company's self-image may be little bit 'rock 'n roll,' their business-side approach reflects a very no-nonsense style, as you might expect from a German production shop. "We have a very close relationship with our client partners, and they know we'll try to help in any case," Spix explains. "We're an honest company and we take the business very seriously."
They also pride themselves on working with that seemingly universal production problem of the day, the tight budget. It's almost always accompanied by a long list of things the client needs. "We manage difficult parameters like this very quickly," says Spix. One way is to suggest a battery of viral and internet solutions.
Examples of this abound on their showreel. For Conrad Electronics, they've produced a series of documentary-style virals that show what people can do with the kinds of products they can get at the store. In one spot, a guy builds a robotic scarecrow, all lit up with LED lights. The campaign was directed by Jonty Toosey; according to Spix, "Scarecrow" was one of the most successful, proving such a hit that the client put it on air. "A half-million people watched it, and the client noticed a spike in foot traffic in the stores of almost thirty percent," he says.
Another notable piece is the Grönemeyer video titled "Fernweh," which roughly translates to English as 'Travel Bug.' The video, Spix says, reflects a real-life experience. "The director, Kai Sehr, was wearing a head-mounted camera, and together we travelled through six different countries in Asia and Australia." The video captures a day in the life of a man, seemingly bored, who's struck by wanderlust. From his apartment he hops a cab, heads to the airport, grabs a flight and lands in Asia. The result is an improvisational tour of different locales, cultures and customs, all of which was captured as it happened.
A project of a completely different stripe is who's mcqueen SoHo House short, "Evokation." It opens on an attractive chambermaid cleaning a room at SoHo House in Berlin. She furtively begins to gather up anything you can eat - the chocolate from the bedroom pillow, mints from a jar, bits of unfinished bread off the room service tray lying on the floor in the hallway. She then makes her way down to the darkened indoor pool and sets this garbled bounty by the edge, then retreats to the shadows to watch.
All of this is shot in a hand-held manner, with the lighting coming from a single source, almost like we're following her with a flashlight. Slowly, a blob-like creature emerges to grab the treats and scurry back. The woman, while watching, seems overcome with an emotion that lies somewhere between pity and lust.
The film was directed by AKIZ and was a test for a feature film he's planning to shoot next year, one that Spix says who's mcqueen may very well produce. It was initially designed to run on the web, and plays the role of a coming attraction for the film while also serving as a provocative piece for the SoHo House brand.
who's mcqueen also produced an animated short for Terre des Hommes titled "Paper Worlds" that promotes the organization's work at protecting children by placing a young girl at the center of a bustling city constructed entirely out of sheets of newspapers. Directed by Gregor Erier, the spot shows this hard-edged world being transformed into a green paradise.
The company also has an eye on the environmental impact of the work they do. "When you produce with us, you'll produce 'green,'" Spix points out. "We've already put our office on a carbon diet and tried to reduce our CO2 generation as much as possible. This year, every production we do will be CO2-neutral, as we have a way of offsetting anything we generate during productions. We also have green energy in our office, and we're doing the little things that help, like doing away with plastic cups on set and cutting back on travel as much as possible or using hybrid cars whenever we can." (The company has laid out its green approach on a section of its web site, which you can find here.)
With all this going on, we asked Spix what his outlook was for 2012. Not surprisingly, it's upbeat. "In the next year I project more creative work," he says. "After all, we're filmmakers who want to do great work. But not only commercials, we also want to make our mark in feature film projects!"
A note to movie stars - if someone asks you "who's mcqueen?", now you'll know.
Published 8 November, 2011
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