Spec Commercials

DavidSloan · March 3, 2005

This is probably pretty basic, but I couldn't find any info on it. I wanted to know about spec commercials and the idea behind them? From what I understand it's when a company makes a non commisioned commercial for a certain product and then tries to sell it to the brand. Is this the idea? Are there certain avenues one should take when trying to make a spec commercial?

Thanks

March 3, 2005

This is probably pretty basic, but I couldn't find any info on it. I wanted to know about spec commercials and the idea behind them? From what I understand it's when a company makes a non commisioned commercial for a certain product and then tries to sell it to the brand. Is this the idea? Are there certain avenues one should take when trying to make a spec commercial?

Thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In my experience, they've mostly been made for the director's reel, but sometimes I've heard of them being sold afterwards. Just last weekend I gaffed 2 spec commercials that were directed by a man represented by RSA for Music Videos (Black Dog Films) and he wanted to get representation for their commercial division, so he put up the money himself (I believe) and made them pretty much solely for putting them on his reel. Some other guys who I went to college with have been doing a lot of spec commercials lately as well, mostly as self promotion. In most of my experience, it's been mostly for self-promotion, and if they commercial gets sold, then more power to you.

Ben Schwartz · March 9, 2005

David,

Spec spots are made by directors who want to get into the business. In general, you need to be signed to a production house to get hired as a commercial director. But to get signed, you need have shot some commercials. So you see the Catch 22 there. Spec commercials are self-financed and, ideally, look EXACTLY like a professional spot. There should be nothing that gives it away as spec. Which means it needs to be exactly 15, 30 or 60 seconds, it needs to have good production values (i.e. no miniDV), and -- most importantly -- it needs to work as a piece of advertising. The best spots, like the best music videos, are conceptually simple and direct.

That said, it's really, really, really hard to get signed as a director off a spec reel, and harder still to get any work from it. You're up against established pros, and you're all competing for the same work, which, going from what I've seen both from interning at a commercial house and reading Boards magazine, ebbs and flows like the tide. The New York industry in particular was decimated by 9/11, and is still working to come back. Many feature directors get signed as a commercial directors AFTER they are established -- to name a recent few, Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite), Sam Jones (Wilco documentary) and David Gordon Green.

Still, people make spec spots all the time. As a DP, it is of course very efficacious to have spots on your reel, so be on the lookout for spec work and offer your services for free. Check out the website www.directingcommercials.com if you are curious to learn more about building a spec reel -- it's a two-day seminar offered by a working director, and I think it's also available on DVD.

-Ben

DavidSloan · March 9, 2005

Thanks a lot, Ben. That was EXTREMELY informative. Seeing as we're both New Yorkers, I'll probably bump into you on some set, eventually. :)

Peace.

Eric Steelberg ASC · March 10, 2005

This is something right up my alley to answer. In 1999 I shot 3 spec commercials for a long-time friend who wanted to get hired as a commercial director. Prior to those specs the director had done 2 short films.

The director had come up with 3 ideas by himself, ideas he wanted to stand out and be completely different than the real commercials of the same companies. So we shot the 3 spots over the course of a year while the director was finishing his senior year at Brown.

Once completed, he and I talked about what commercial production company was best suited to his alternative style. Through a little research he found that director Tom Dey, of RSA-USA, was also a Brown alumnus. He sent the 3 spots to him, who freaked out how good they were, who showed them to the head of production and I believe Ridley Scott, and the rest is history. He is now one of their busiest directors 5 years later at 27 years old.

The specs were quite good and original. I got a commercial agent from them. One of the spots gained much press due to a cease and desist order sent by the company we "did" it for after it was posted on AdCritic.com.

If the work is good, it will get noticed. Work CAN be hard to come by because commercial directing is probably the most competitve of all directing. If you are interested in it there is a organization called Group101spots.com which helps wannabe directors get specs made and into the hands of agencies and companies.

Shooting specs happens all the time. I've also shot them at the tail end of a real job for agencies who had another idea and want to surprise the client with an alternate idea.

If you're curious, the 3 specs I did for that director are online .

Anyone with more questions about the process is welcome to email me about it here.

Edited March 10, 2005 by Eric Steelberg

Eric Steelberg ASC · March 10, 2005

Sorry.

This is the link to the 3 spots:

LINK

March 10, 2005

Why would any one want to direct or shoot commercials, you won't get your name in any credits that way :D

Those are three damn fine looking spots to be sure, very very nice. I have to confess the Tampax spot made me cringe at the end, but the production values are still excellent of course.

Richard

Jeremy Russell · March 10, 2005

Unfortunately.. in film/video/tv.. if you have yet to be exposed to the professional level.. you have to do a lot of things that you dont want to do (weddings, seminars, commercials, corporate, direct response) to pay the bills. You don't start off shooting and directing features, just like you dont start off with skim milk from a cow. The cream rises to the top.

Ed Nyankori · March 10, 2005

Why would any one want to direct or shoot commercials, you won't get your name in any credits that way :D

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are joking right?

March 10, 2005

Yes I am joking. That is the purpose of the :D at the end of my statement.

Richard

Rolfe Klement · March 11, 2005

Here is an example of a spec ad from Chris Milk (of RSA?)

Chris Milk website

thanks

Rolfe

Dan Goulder · April 2, 2005

Unfortunately.. in film/video/tv.. if you have yet to be exposed to the professional level.. you have to do a lot of things that you dont want to do (weddings, seminars, commercials, corporate, direct response) to pay the bills. You don't start off shooting and directing features, just like you dont start off with skim milk from a cow. The cream rises to the top.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just putting in your 2% worth, huh?

April 4, 2005

David here is s few things to consider about spec spots. For one thing there is a lot of politics involved, and nobody ever talks about it. I think in the spec world your best friend is actauly an Agency Producer not the production company. Here is why: many times a production company will use an up and coming director by having them do a spec spot on their own (director's) money so they(prod company) can show something to the add agency. In other words you the director will pay for the Prod company's image. Now if you get in with a freelance agency producer you are closer to the ad world, and belive me agency producers know what's going on. For one thing he/she will know if there are story boards or suggestions on how the boards should look like. The fact is people can make as many spec spots as they want, but if the account of a client is not up for grabs it'll be hard to get your work seen or even if seen, get to do the campaign. Why? becasue an established prod company with a director that does a particular account will not want to give him up and put up a new guy just beacause of a cool spec spot.

There are times when an agency loses a client or if there is a new campaign coming out, there'll be several Ad agencies that pair with prod companies to do one or few spec spots. In that situation an AP can be the guide in the dark. Another thing is Prod companies who bid on a job(spot) might put forward the reels of several directors and usually their A-list guy is the one pushed forward not the up and coming. Unless if the guy has internal connections( ie uncle, father, wife).

It does look grim but that's because commercials are the most lucrative for directors and even below the lines so competition is fierce. Having a pair of eyes in the ad world would set you ahead of many others and inform you about the type of spot that the agnecy is looking for. An example is: there is a campaigne coming up for a type of Jean. Director X finds out about it and makes a very cool funny spec spot, not knowing that the whole series of concepts shown to the client by the ad agency is actually glamour, not humour. There the director has spent a lot of money for nothing (well almost). It is good to have spec spots on a reel, but too many poeople have those on their reels and those reels end up at the bottom of the stack. It is better to find one client and schmooz 2 spots to them through your producer friend than 5 cool spec spots taht went nowhere.

One last thing, it is the agency producer who is given the responsibility to make out calls for director's reels and contact prod companies, he IS the Middle Man.

Hope this helps

Yousef

BTW, I remember when Chris Milk was in SpoonFed films in San Francisco, before moving to LA( he made a Sprite spec in SF). There is an interesting thing: he had a teaser for a film called the Weatherman that he was hoping to make. If I am not mistaken the film is being released by a studio and his name is not attached, I wonder if he sold a script?