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One has to wonder where Nola Pictures comedic director Lloyd Stein acquired his resolute sense of humor. His body of work to-date points directly to someone who is more than adept at capturing the inane intricacies of human behavior. Left to their own devices, these seemingly innocuous moments he passes onto the audience can garner an array of responses: outright laughter, giggles, moans & groans, or the ever popular smirk. Comedic genius? Perhaps. Master of the comedic moment? Definitely.
Celebrated by those who have had the opportunity to work with him, Stein began his career as a writer/producer at the on-air promotion department for the Atlanta-based cable network TNT. It would not be long before he moved to MTV in New York where he created, wrote and directed numerous image campaigns for the channel. As his work at the music network captured the attention of ad agencies and production companies, Stein made the jump to directing commercials. Today, with a few industry awards lining his bookcase – bronze Lion (Budweiser via Goodby), two Clio awards, The Kinsale, The Broadcast Design, and New York Festivals trophies - the director has honed his talents working for such notable clients as ESPN, Got Milk, Heineken, Mercedes-Benz, McDonald’s, Nike, Miller Brewing, Sony, Sprint, and Staples, to name but a few.
Although impeccable in his comedic timing, Stein surprisingly downplays his talents, even when pushed to define them. “Well, I did stand up comedy for a while, so I think that I have a really good sense of humor,” he finally confesses. Ever watchful of human behavior, Stein’s knack for understanding what makes things funny is uncanny. His ability not only encompasses the progression of the joke, but the definition of it as well. “You’ll be in the middle of a scene and know it’s not right, that it’s just not funny for a myriad of reasons. Structurally, I can break it down and reassemble it. That’s something I feel I am strong at.”
Case in point was a spot for Bob’s Stores entitled Capri Pants. Casting a large man who would ultimately end up in a pair of Capri pants, and thus driving home the visual component of the joke, was all Stein needed to see in his mind’s eye. “When I saw his character unfold – and he turned to face the camera in those Capri pants, I knew all we needed to have him say was, what?” says Stein. “I have an odd fascination with uncomfortable moments – and setting this up from a voyeur point-of-view proved priceless."
But it’s not only Stein’s ability with such anxiety driven moments that keep advertisers knocking at his door. His recent, although not first, foray into the kid realm is his second ad for client Crayola. His willingness to continually learn from his endeavors is what the director finds as fortuitous. “Every job I’m on provides me with something new to learn,” says Stein, “whether it’s something technical, equipment oriented, or a trick with dialogue.” This time around Stein honed his knowledge of 3D animation, with a little bit of help from post house VFX. “When we first started working on this commercial, I knew I wanted to capture a feeling that the crayons represented. In the end, all the components of film, animation, and music came together and successfully conceptualized the freedom of ‘summer fun.’”
In possession of his own performance background as well has proven to be auspicious for the director. Known for his adept hand with actors, Stein takes delight when his cast is able to lift the words off the paper and make them come alive. “I try to let people experiment, tightrope walk so to speak, to maximize trust between us. Having a working knowledge of performance and a sense of timing has helped me immensely.”
Now looking towards the future of advertising, Stein is intrigued by building content on the web. With the industry only beginning to scratch the surface of the medium, the director points to new opportunities during the shoot itself. “I’ve been proposing to agency creatives that while we have a location, crew, and equipment, let’s expand our effort across more media platforms by creating simple ideas that can be used for the web,” says Stein. “This approach gives the agency something more in their creative arsenal to offer their client.” As it becomes trickier to keep audiences tied into a product, Stein feels that in order for advertisers to remain relevant, that they must figure out new means to keep eyes drawn to their brands.
So what’s next for the director? Currently Stein is busy on a myriad of projects. One of the most interesting to-date is his recent pitch to do a Web TV show for GM. “A friend of mine, who is an ex-creative director and I pitched an idea that we didn’t completely expect to come to fruition,” says Stein. “We’re writing eight episodes now, approximately 7-8 minutes long.” The parameters, according to the sponsor GM, was ‘anything goes’ as long as the cars were integral to the show. “What an outstanding opportunity,” enthuses the director. “It’s a chance to do so much more. The growth for me as a director and writer on this project is simply invaluable.”
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