Going Beyond the Silver Screen
Saville Productions made a name for itself working with feature talents. Now it's expanding with a fresh crop of commercial and non-fiction directors.
Having made a name for itself working with feature
talents, Saville is now it's expanding its roster with
a fresh crop of commercial and non-fiction directors.
Saville Productions, the L.A. and New York-based production company, is one of the original pioneers in aligning leading feature film directors with some of the most recognizable brands in the world. It's worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as Bryan Singer, Wim Wenders, Roger Michell, Barry Levinson, Oliver Stone and Spike Lee. Working under the Saville banner, these directors have helmed impressive commercial campaigns that have made the shop a go-to brand for feature film directors. In recent years, Saville Productions has expanded and diversified, and now boasts a roster that includes both commercial and non-fiction directors as well.
Since its founding 15 years ago by former University of London classmates Rupert Maconick and Johnny Doran, Saville's reputation has grown with the company's ability to establish international talent, manage worldwide productions and evolve into other forms of media such as films, TV and videogames. SourceEcreative recently sat down with Maconick, Saville's Founding Partner and Executive Producer, and Doran, it's New York-based EP, to talk about how the company is doing and what they see as the outlook for feature talent in TV commercials.
SourceEcreative: Saville made its mark by collaborating with high caliber movie directors on commercial projects.How has talent expansion lent a hand in the creative dynamics of Saville's roster?
Rupert Maconick: First off, we'd like to make people aware that working with movie directors is not all we do. While we've had a great track record in this area of the business, we've also been actively expanding our roster of commercial directors and now represent some of most exciting directorial talent from around the world.
Johnny Doran: Some of our newly acquired talent is really quite exceptional. We just signed on leading Italian directors Ago Panini and four time Cannes Gold winner Dario Piana, top South African director Greg Gray, who was selected as Director of the Year 2008 by Adreview, and Swedish directing star Robert Nylund, who just completed a major campaign for a top New York agency. When you consider the range of our roster, which includes commercial, feature and non-fiction, our directors have created and produced work that fits the directorial ideal--it's a mix of watchable, visually stunning and pop culture-relevant films that not only inform and entertain, but has captured media attention. We also have filmmakers like Wim Wenders, who won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and is renowned for his masterful emotional storytelling work; yet on the other end of the spectrum we have funny and humorous directors like Jeff Tremaine, the director behind the Jackass franchise and the recent box office hit "Jackass 3D."
Saville Productions recently launched a Non-fiction Directors division. What's behind this new side of your business?
Rupert: Two and half years ago, at the start of the economic downturn, we realized there would be a move towards more socially responsible advertising. Consumers felt alienated by big business, and their trust needed to be rebuilt. We think that campaigns which speak to consumers in a more open and honest way resonate more strongly, and campaigns that focus on the good work corporations are doing in environmental and social responsibility helps rebuild trust.
Johnny: We also felt that there was nobody better to do this than highly credible environmental filmmakers who already have a track record in documentaries, such as Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me"), Josh Tickell ("Fuel"), Marina Zenovich ("Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired") and Matt Tyrnauer ("Valentino: The Last Emperor"). These filmmakers offer corporations an opportunity to build brand equity by showing their commitment to sustainability, accountability and corporate responsibility. Our non-fiction filmmakers are also ideally suited for branded content type work. They're experts at directing compelling films that hold an audience's attention for an extended period of time. One of the main challenges of branded content is to keep the viewer entertained and captivated, so they continue watching and not move to another web site. It sounds obvious, but it's amazing how much branded content ends up looking like a dull infomercial or corporate video, something that might make the client feel good about their brand but offers no emotional connection with the viewer.
What makes documentary or non-fiction directors attractive as contemporary storytellers for agencies and brands?
Rupert: They have to shoot in an interesting way, visually and stylistically. If you look, for example, at Morgan's Academy Award-nominated film, "Super Size Me," he did it as sobering commentary with dark humor. You have to come up with a technique that makes the story interesting, so that it's not just a bunch of talking heads. Otherwise, it's hard to maintain interest.
Johnny: For instance, Marina's "Roman Polanski" was poignantly shot, interspersing archival footage and interview segments with clips from his films, to show how Roman's work had in a way become a metaphor of his life. You have to do visually interesting work in this category, which is not unlike commercials in many respects. People still have to want to have to watch it, even if the message is important.
Rupert: That's true. Advertising is going through a transitional period, just like the rest of the media world. As a result, people are trying to figure new ways to tell their stories, and new ways to distribute them.
Johnny: As with all documentary directors, it's important that the projects they handle are closely aligned with the filmmakers' values, too. They don't have to be exactly the same, but we don't want to undercut their values as directors. For example, there's a reinvention in culture and society taking place now in terms of the way we use energy, what we're driving and how we consume things-as a result, there are plenty of places for commercial values and social values to merge. And that's the spot we're looking for.
Saville has taken a keen interest in establishing international talent and introducing them to the US market. What sets your commercial roster apart?
Rupert: We pursue genuinely unique, exceptional talent, and we pride ourselves on having a diverse group. A great example is our Italian director Dario Piana, a Cannes Lion and Grand Clio winner. Dario created an Ariston Aqualtis commercial, "Underwater World," for Leo Burnett, Milan. This spot is now on permanent display at the Louvre in Paris as an example of modern art in advertising. Another archetype is Greg Gray, whose commercial for Virgin Atlantic, "Love Story," was featured in the Gunn Report's top 50 Commercials worldwide, owing to its triumphs at all the major shows, including a Clio and a win at Cannes. Greg is currently included in the Best Ads On TV's 20 Director's worldwide.
Johnny: We believe we have an incredibly strong, world-class group of talent. With 45 directors on our roster, comprised of some of the most innovative and prolific minds in the business, we're confident and excited in our possibilities and in new areas of the film business. For example, Alessandro Pacciani and features director James McTeigue have continued to do astounding projects in the rapidly emerging 3D format. Our strength as a production company lays in the ability to encompass a wide range of directorial genres and to build the most savvy and skilled inventory of talent.
How have you responded to the reality of tightening budgets?
Rupert: Being acutely aware of smaller budgets, yet conscious of clients continuing keenness to work with the most talented directors, has led us to be more flexible in our approach and to produce more projects in cost effective locations. We try to film where the director is located whenever possible.
Johnny: Since we're very experienced at producing films all over the world, we go wherever it makes financial and logistical sense. I believe above all, it is about working with the most talented people and making the production process as straightforward and as uncomplicated as possible.
What can we expect to see from Saville in the near future?
Rupert: Lots of things, actually. We're working with a number of brands to develop, produce and create unique integrated productions-things like 3D projects, branded content and integrated productions. All are relatively straightforward, if you work with the right filmmakers and have good support. We have a huge roster of directors who have worked in all media across multiple platforms from all over the world. Saville is also expanding into films, TV programming and the videogame arena, and we're currently working on one international and two domestic transmedia projects. Overall it's all positive. We are successful by providing solutions and really working hard to put the money on the screen.
Published 18 November, 2010
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