Tim Godsall

Having stumbled into advertising in the first place, Canadian director Tim Godsall made the most of every break that came his way. Danny Edwards gets a lesson in making luck work for you.

If you're going to learn from people, learn from the best. It's a good rule - a simple rule - and one that Canadian director Tim Godsall managed to adhere to. True, at the time he didn't really know that he was learning anything - it would be fair to say these tutors were more catalysts than coaches. But every article needs a pithy opening paragraph and, damn it, this is mine.

You see, directing wasn't something that Godsall had ever really looked into that closely. He had somehow found himself working in an advertising agency. Then, as much by luck as design, the directing bug kicked in. "Directing certainly wasn't always the goal," explains a jet-lagged Godsall from his home in Los Angeles (he has only recently returned from London after working on a job with Fallon). "But I was on set a few times when I was still a creative and it just sort of happened. There were a few directors we were working with on different projects - Spike Jonze, the Coen brothers, Lasse Hallström - and while I was watching them I just kind of thought, 'OK, I want to do that.' It was exciting and just felt right, and it became a bit of an obsession. I became obsessed with the idea of directing anything I could get my hands on." "The thing is, you're going after projects that are more and more interesting, but then the competition is more and more intense. In the end there aren't that many great things going around, and there's usually a small feeding frenzy over anything that is."That Road to Damascus moment came about nine years ago and the intervening period has seen Godsall earn his stripes and become a highly sought after commercials director. His reel includes notable efforts for ESPN News, the Canadian Hockey Association, Southwest Airlines and Altoids, and demand for his
services is high.

Success, it seems, has already been attained, but Godsall is not convinced. "It still feels like I'm pushing a boulder up a hill and I spend more time being jealous of other jobs than pleased with the ones I did," he says. "But I guess that's my nature." So there's still a way to go? "Definitely. The thing is, you're going after projects that are more and more interesting, but then the competition is more and more intense. In the end there aren't that many great things going around, and there's usually a small feeding frenzy over anything that is."

Godsall's journey to directing was an unusual one. Advertising wasn't even a planned career trajectory. In fact, until a friend in the business explained it to him, Godsall wasn't really sure what being in advertising meant. Initially he painted houses in order to earn money to go travelling. Then he "bluffed [his] way into working at Spy magazine in New York". It was while in New York that he and his friend who worked for an agency had dinner. "He'd just come back from a shoot in LA," Godsall explains, "and I said, 'What is it you actually do on a shoot?' And that was the first time I poked at it a little bit."

His friend explained what he did and said that if Godsall wanted to get into the industry he should create a portfolio of ideas for some of his own ads. Marker pens, scissors and scrapbook in hand, Godsall did just that - he created some print ads, wrote some TV scripts and called it a portfolio.

"It was incredibly crude," he laughs. "I just cobbled it together, showed it to a few people in Canada and ended up getting a few job offers. I don't think anyone would even look at it now. That was about 12 to 13 years ago and I suppose it was just youthful ignorance that helped me."Once the decision to move from creative to director had been made Godsall jumped into the role with relish. His first project was a small short film. But his second was an actual paying job to direct a campaign for a Canadian agency. "The agency initially wanted me to freelance creative-direct it," explains Godsall. "They had very little money, they didd't have a director and only half the scripts were ready. But the guy there was going on holiday and he said I could rewrite them, creative-direct them, direct them and that he'd be back in three weeks." "There's something about Canada and comedy. Maybe it's by virtue of growing up outside of the US. You've got the world's biggest three-ringed circus going on just next door and you've got your nose pressed up against the glass."That job, highly charged as it was, enabled Godsall to have a reel, which led him to direct a low-budget job for Wieden + Kennedy New York, which in turn enabled him to have a better reel. "It started as a little burning ember," he says, "and I was just throwing twigs on it. I think it'd be harder now because those little no-money jobs are going in at a higher level and being given to someone who has been directing for a while, so the smaller, trial projects are not available so much."

Breaking into the directing scene is something that Godsall believes is harder than ever. Even he, as a recognised and not inconsiderable talent, often has a scrap on his hands. There are so many directors now - and seemingly so many very good directors - that younger and more inexperienced people find it hard to get into the club at all. Then, once they are in, getting into what you could call the Premier League of directors is another thing entirely.

But Godsall's not critical of the fact that the same few directors seem to get all the juicy scripts. "A client maybe gets to make one or two things a year," he says. "And an agency makes a handful of things, so the idea of blowing it horrifies them. Understandably. I guess there's a pool of people they think are going to be more consistent. At least there's a body of work and some kind of track record to go on, even though they might eventually get on the phone with them and come to the conclusion, 'Holy shit! What was I thinking?' And there are so many commercial directors and so many dabblers - feature film directors who're willing to do a commercial between movies, or music video directors. There are so many choices that it's probably an amazing time to be a creative if you're looking for a director."

Godsall however has an ace up his sleeve. Or should that be a joker? Most of his reel has a comedic bent to it, and while he's not purposely trying to be 'the comedy guy', funny just seems to be something he's good at.

"You know, I'd be very sad if I didn't get the comedy boards," he admits. "But there are other things it's nice to be considered for and take a shot at. It's fun to try different things but, again, because there are so many directors you don't always get in on things that are outside what's seen as your category."

Comedy seems to be a Canadian thing though, something they excel at. Does he agree? "Yeah, I don't know why that is but there's something about Canada and comedy," he replies. "Maybe it's by virtue of growing up outside of the US. You've got the world's biggest three-ringed circus going on just next door and you've got your nose pressed up against the glass. It might be that weird kind of outsider-looking-in thing that makes Canadians more commentators than participators."

Participation isn't something that need worry Godsall though. Signed to Biscuit Filmworks in the US, OPC in Canada and Independent in the UK, his schedule is full and jet lag is something he might just have to get used to for the foreseeable future. Even though it's fair to say his star is firmly in the ascendant, that Premier League promotion is, he thinks, yet to arrive. "I feel the big break moment for me is still to come. That signature project is still around the corner."