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Asean rediscovers unity
T
his time a year ago, Southeast Asian nations risked descending into squabbling over how to handle China’s assertiveness in their region. Now, as leaders of the 10-member Asean meet in Manila, the picture looks different. Asean’s famous unity has largely been restored, as more countries have either warmed to China or at least indicated a greater acceptance of its clout. That means discussion of the disputed South China Sea—China claims cross over with some Southeast Asian states—will probably be on the back burner. Instead, talks
will focus on trade and investment, and the long-running Asean economic integration process. A recent spike in global tensions over North Korea’s nuclear program may also be discussed. “Increasingly, the smaller Asean nations, such as Cambodia and Laos, are moving into China’s orbit, as well as Malaysia and the Philippines to some extent,” said David Skilling, founding director
of Landfall Strategy Group, a Singapore-based advisory company. “Countries are being peeled off with a mixture of sticks and carrots.” In 2016, when an international court ruled in favor of the Philippines against China’s reclamation in the South China Sea, in a case brought by then-President Benigno S. Aquino III, several Asean meetings were marked by unusual signs of public discord among members on how the bloc should respond. Still, President Donald Trump’s move to roll back some of Barack Obama’s US engagement in the region has created an opening for China to talk up its role supporting growth and investment. Beijing has recently improved ties with the Philippines via current President Duterte as well as with Malaysia, Continued on A2
Men who make TV commercials, movies and vice versa
C
By Roger Pe
an you tell a story in 30 or 45 seconds? What about in lesser time, 15 seconds, for example? In the advertising world, a 60-seconder is already an extended version, and it is different from a documentary or audiovideo presentation.
Television ads have become an art form, showing the latest technology, special effects and using many different kinds of emotions—all in a matter of seconds, to connect to the consumer target. The driver behind the steering wheel during the production stage of the approved concept is the director. He is responsible for bringing the creative team’s vision to life, in close partnership with the advertiser and advertising agency. They usually start young or evolve from their advertising profession (creative director, artdirector or producer). Some begin apprenticing as production assis-
tants or at the bottom of the food chain—utilitymen or assistant to the assistant of the cameraman. Some have burnt the midnight candle inside studios where they literally would not see the light of day, doing editing jobs, MTVs or inexpensive videos. Some were just driven to make it. Others had innate talent and just naturally gravitated to it until Lady Luck smiled at them and they hit big time. Behind the cutthroat competition is a common denominator: they are all storytellers, men or women who were not considered stars (movie stars were “stars”), but shadows operating in the background,
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New generation of Filipino Tv commercial directors: (from left) Jessel Monteverde, Mike Talampas, Paul Soriano, Yeyey Yatco, Nick Santiago and Torts Villacorta
doing what big brands hired them to deliver an assignment on a prescribed timetable.
A little backgrounder
During the 1970s, Young and Rubicam and Doyle Dane and Bernbach, two of many hyperactive ad agencies on New York’s Madison Avenue, were known as training grounds for directing
and had a number of art directors and producers who eventually became famous. Among them were Bob Giraldi, Stan Dragoti, Bert Steinhauser, Sid Myers and Dick Lowe. Joe Sedelmaier, a former art director for Y&R Chicago, revolutionized the use of comedy in tv ads, as shown in his memorable “Fast Talker” series for FedEx. He was also
among the first directors to cast real people instead of actors. Then European ad agencies invaded the US, and British adman Ridley Scott created Chanel’s “Share the Fantasy” campaign for DDB and eventually directed one of the most talked-about commercials of all time, Apple’s “1984” (No. 12 on Advertising Age’s top 100 ad campaigns of the 20th century). “It epitomized the British look, with his highly stylized images,” according to Advertising Age. In the 1980s big-name movie directors realized that making commercials was not only lucrative but also allowed them to hone their craft by telling a story in 30 seconds. Feature-film directors such as Penny Marshall, Robert Altman, John Schlesinger, John Frankenheimer, Spike Lee, Tony Bill, John Badham, Martin Scorsese and David Lynch began making themselves available for commercials. A number of successful British commercial directors then turned to making feature films. Adrian Lyne directed Flashdance (1983) and Fatal Attraction (1987). Ridley Scott’s movies included Blade Runner (1982), Thelma & Louise (1991) and Gladiator (2000).
Tony Scott made Top Gun (1986) and Crimson Tide (1995), among others. Hugh Hudson directed Chariots of Fire in 1981. All of them crossed over between films and commercials, contributing to the development of a new breed: the crossover director.
Film production in the Philippines
Even before the war, the country’s filmmaking industry was considered one of the most prolific and vibrant in Asia, and the country had many talented directors. Today, the number keeps rising and new generation of megmen, better trained and studied abroad, contribute to the growth of the industry. Some of them, too, have brought honors to the country and continue to blaze new trails. National Artists Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal, apart from their landmark films that lovers of great Filipino films know, also crossed over, making tv commercials for McCann-Erickson Philippines. Under his wing, Brocka trained a few Filipino talents, among them Jeric Soriano, son of the late matinee idol Nestor de Villa. Continued on A2
n japan 0.4474 n UK 63.8384 n HK 6.3881 n CHINA 7.2104 n singapore 35.6112 n australia 37.1450 n EU 54.2117 n SAUDI arabia 13.25340
Source: BSP (27 April 2017 )