[Leica] Bull

[philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent)]

What is it that makes you guys so pissed off when talking about art
directors? As in anything there are good ones, and bad ones. The times where
they were snobbish wrong tie and black linen wrinkled Yamamoto suits wearing
assholes like in The Bonfire of Vanities are/should be long gone. And if
there are any left, they are definitely at the bad side of the scale.

The good ones are (amongst many other things, like creating advertising
concepts, which is in fact the very core of their job since content goes
before form) pretty much specialised in directing photographers,
illustrators, TV producers and directors, ... to get convincing results.
Convincing as in: if the consumer sees it, he sees him/herself or it touches
him/her in such a way (emotionally) that he starts bearing a
product/service/brand in his/her heart. This can be done in different ways,
depending of the brand personality: by sublimination, mirroring,
simplification, ...

The art is to choose the right "tone of voice" at the right moment. This is
not rocket science. It is a matter of observation and an unlimited interest
in the human race. Of asking the "is this the best way I could tell this
story" question over and over again. Of being playful like a child, and at
the same time being able to (post)rationalise what you just invented. Of
being curious about, well, everything. And above all of humbleness and the
very understanding that the world is not turning around your own belly
button.

As in anything, there are also excellent art directors. These few create new
worlds that open the eyes of their peers and of their consumers.

The bad ones just copy what they see in specialised or consumer press,
without knowing why.

Or is this just this way in Europe?
---
> From: Feli di Giorgio <feli@creocollective.com>
> Organization: Creo
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
> Date: 25 May 2004 11:41:49 -0700
> To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Bull
> 
> On Tue, 2004-05-25 at 11:26, buzz.hausner@verizon.net wrote:
>> I'm sorry, Tim, but to say that, "...there are [sic] many an advertising
>>  photographer who could do just that," meaning take "...even one image as
> captivating as the published H.C.-B. shot..." is unadulterated crap.
>> 
>> Buzz Hausner
> 
> I'm going to have to agree with Buzz here. No offense, but I do a lot of work
> with agency "art directors" etc for commercials and the vast majority of them
> can barely write their name in the dirt with a stick, much less produce
> anything
> but commercial, cookie cutter crap. I have worked with some genuinely talented
> people in that field, but they are far and few in between and mostly members
> of
> what would be considered "the old guard".
> 
> Feli
> 
> 
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