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Hi fishes,
I’m a fresher and have recently completed my internship as an Operations manager at Amazon. I am currently looking for FT opportunities. I came across and opening at Maersk for the role of Business Analyst. Could anyone refer me for the role or maybe point me to a suitable opportunity?
thanks!
Maersk
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1. Help creatives write the best version of the script (I never stop at the version sold to the client, there’s usually plenty room for improvement). Make a simple animatic, too, but never show it to the client.
2. Try your best to get a better director than the brand / script deserves — I find that personal emails help a lot. That’s the last chance to take an idea from good to great.
3. Fight for your life with procurement to sell the said best director. Even if it’s a big hard no, there’s always a way. Beg, steal, manipulate, threaten. If you fail — start fighting for the best DOP and First AD, they’ll make it happen even if the director is not that good.
4. Watch out for bullshit from production. They all lie. Especially if there’s a decoupling. Ask to have a look at all reels, you need the names of the VFX and SFX supervisors, make sure you book your preferred colourist and sound designer, they might not be available later.
5. On a shoot - make sure all the scenes fit the timing (that secret animatic helps), rewrite the lines that don’t work, keep the client constantly hungover but don’t drink yourself. Have a checklist of racist/sexist/ableist/homophobic red flags - sometimes it’s not what you say it’s who says it and how. Be very careful with how you use POC extras. Most advertising directors are very white and very male, they are blind to social issues.
6. Edits. Never show the client anything you don’t want to end up in the final edit. That footage doesn’t exist.
7. Sell the edit
8. VFX
9. Grading
10. SFX + VO
11. Sell the final version
12. Make the client famous: all PR should mention the brand team, organise interviews with the Marketing Director, make them feel they did an amazing job.
13. Make your team feel good: celebrate, write thank you letters, don’t forget the director — it’s your chance to make friends.
14. Submit the film to all professional websites.
15. Go home and get some sleep.
creative directors shouldn’t be concepting the script or doing most of what was listed above, if you have a good team. they should be guiding the creatives towards the best solutions along the way.
a creative director should direct, not dictate.
Here lies the problem. If you don’t have teams under you, you are NOT a Creative Director. The title is being given out waaayyy to easily.
Sounds like CD1 is actually a creative.
Really depends on the agency. The CD role really shouldn’t be concepting. You should be helping the work along, making it better, but the systems creative teams work in now are all over the place and so are roles versus titles. Also, I’ve had CDs above me in my career who did little more than covet the briefs they wanted to make things for. Not sure if you’re asking because you are dealing with something and trying to understand if it’s normal or if you’re trying to prepare yourself for a role. Either way, the answers here are all correct in way or another. Hopefully they helped you figure out what you needed to know.
CDs in my office aren’t teams. we have an account and manage working teams under us. usually i’m there, but the day-to-day is on set doing most of the work, with me over their shoulders.
i’m an AD by trade though, but at the CD level, you should know art and copy enough to direct and solve either (though one will be more adept, of course).
Concept script
Write script
Present script
Help choose people to shoot the commercial (with producer)
Brief those shooting at pre-pro
If you’re on set with a CD/AD work together to make sure the spot it being shot like you want (but don’t speak to director directly-let her/him do their thing)
Focus on talent’s delivery of script
Get lines from talent after shoot
Sit in on edit and guide
At least that’s been my role. Interested in other’s thoughts at well.
By the time you get to CD the distinction of CW or AD shouldn’t matter. Me and my partner, at ACD level, both have ideas for lines in a script as well as ideas for set design, wardrobe, etc.
A creative director directs the creative. All of it. Words and images.
The distinction between writer CD and art CD is an outdated mentality that needs to die
Cd4 - all producers lie? Wow.
^here lies the issue. I’m a CD and also the only writer on my team. You’re right in your response. Curious, are you ever paired with a CD with an art background as a co-leadership team? If so, what is your role on set-who all from the creative team attends shoots?
It honestly depends on the size of your team. I have a bigger team now and am happy to let the take point on a shoot and just check in on stuff, but at my previous agency CDs are treated like just another team that presents work against other creatives.
Chiming in so I can be Creative Director 8 on a really informative and helpful thread 👍
@CD6, do you have a GCD or ECD above you? If so, what do they do?
If you have an editor worth they’re salt, you don’t need to sit and guide the edit. Send the editor notes if you think they will help. But let the editor work they’re magic.
O&M all productions lie. Individual producers might be great people, but a production company will do whatever it takes to win a big job, even if they have no idea how to approach it. Sorry to break it to you.
^Right, opposite of what ad agencies do.
Cd4 I’m curious to know what they are lying about?
Yeah CD4 - what are they lying about? I’ve never run into that problem, especially after all reel vetting, the pre-bid conference calls and treatments.