The Advertising Experience

The Advertising Experience

In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, ‘soma’ is the popular dream-inducing drug employed by the government as a method of control through pleasure and immediate availability. Could you imagine a production company employing the same methodology?  Okay, so even though there is no pleasure drug involved, Soma Films director and co-founder Sean Meehan, is making sure his clients have the opportunity to enjoy the full, satisfying advertising experience.

Graduating from University in 1994, Meehan immediately began working in the camera department.  After several years as a clapper loader and focus puller on commercials, TV series, and feature films, he worked his way up to cinematographer before making the switch to director.  In 2004 the intrepid lensman aligned with executive producer Sam McGarry and formed Soma Films.  Based in Sydney, Australia, Soma now represents (in addition to Meehan), such directors as Stephan Elliott, Stuart Douglas, and Jon Hollis as well as Moxie Pictures in the Australasian region.

Flourishing both here and abroad, collectively and individually, the Soma team consistently manages to let their passion shine through.  It is no surprise then that Meehan’s provocative reel continues to grow, sporting PSAs for Multiple Sclerosis and Napcan, and spots for Riva Coffee, Volkswagen, San Diego Zoo, McDonald’s, Johnnie Walker, Cascade Draught, and ANZ, to name but a few.  Clever, astute, and intelligent in his approach to life, Meehan’s body of work is infused with the same ideology.

Recently SourceEcreative caught up with Meehan to pose a few queries his way.  Here’s how the director weighed in:

Q: Your reel is visually commanding -- successfully delivering the desired message, whether of a humorous or serious tone.  What directorial approach best describes Sean Meehan?  How would you define your work?

A: I try not to define my work as having a particular style although I guess my history in camera has had a reasonably strong influence on my career as a director.  When a script comes in, I like to let it inform me about what's best for the storytelling rather than trying to impose some kind of pre-imagined style upon it.  I do like to ground everything in reality but if the script calls for a polished look then I'll do that, if it would work better shot on a domestic video camera with amateur sound, then I'm all for that too. 

One thing I donullt like about the way the world in general is heading at the moment is that the global population is gradually being dumbed down.  Advertising shouldnullt always cater to the lowest common denominator.  I try to respect the intelligence of the audience.  People are smart.  They get it.  I wish more clients would keep this in mind.  It is possible to be subtle and clever and still sell lots of stuff.

Q: What do you personally think of your skills?  

A: I'm always trying to improve them and that's one of the things I like about making commercials.  Because the turnover is fairly frequent, I can constantly work at ways to tell a story more effectively.  Some scripts require more performance based storytelling, some are more visually biased.  I try never to neglect one area at the expense of another.  There's no reason a comedy spot needs to look ordinary and there's no excuse for a visual spot having bad performances.

Q: Why do advertisers come to you?   What makes your talents - over other directors, work?

A: I'd like to think that passion has something to do with it, although as a fairly laconic Australian this might not always come over as strongly as it might in the initial stages of a job.  I try not to bid scripts that I donullt have a high level of creative interest in.  I donullt really work just for the sake of it.  For me, the budget is always secondary to the idea, though of course, it's nice to have enough of a budget to do the script justice.  If I'm not fully engaged by a piece of communication I canullt reasonably expect the audience to be either.

Q: How do you go about uniting all of the factions needed for a commercial?

A: I try to find the most passionate people I can in each field of production and I solicit their advice (whether I heed it or not), from the location scout to the casting person to the grip, and so on.  I believe in encouraging people to play to their strengths, they only make me look better.  Filmmaking is a collaborative endeavor, my ego is never more important than the end result.  I also think it's critical to understand exactly what it is that the creatives want throughout the process, after all, it's their idea and they've usually lived with it and shaped it (or fought to prevent it being bent out of shape) for a long time.  There's nothing more painful than working at cross-purposes.  Also, it helps enormously to be nice to people.     

Q: How limiting -- how limitless, is this art form?

A: Creatively and technically it's absolutely limitless.  Of course, that's in the abstract.  There are always constraints like budget, time, conflicting opinions, and so on that it can become very limiting.  Compromise is an annoying reality.  The trick is minimizing these limitations as much as possible or even turning them to your advantage.

Q: Address the short form narrative:  What are the biggest challenges for a :30-second commercial?  What's the most fun? 

A: The most gratifying thing is when a 30 second spot works - when it's simple and memorable.  All too often a script comes in that should really be 40 or 45 or 60 seconds long.  Just because it has 30 seconds written at the top of the page it doesnullt make it so.  Everyone looks to you to make it work as a 30 even though they know (or at least suspect) it's overwritten.  Of course, no one ever wants to lose anything from a longer edit, me included.  

The hardest part of the process for me is when new ideas and mandatory elements are shoehorned into the script after the job has been awarded.  Every one of these that need to be accommodated just lets the whole thing down.  No one sets out to make a crap ad and yet it's so easy to do so if everyone doesnullt stick to their creative guns right the way through.
 
Q: What else would you like to do - incorporate into the process - that you're not doing now?

A: I'd love to work on some alternate forms of advertising.  Branded content, sponsored short films, viral stuff.  I'd love to have my pick of great creative scripts.  Mostly though, I just donullt want to be pigeonholed or to repeat myself.

Q: What’s next?

A: I'd like to more firmly establish myself as someone who can deliver great work in any market.  I've already shot jobs for New Zealand, the US, Europe and Asia and I'd love to do a lot more of it.