Scriptwriting
SCRIPTWRITING
No matter how good an idea may be, it won't get very far if it isn't expressed in a way that works off the page (you can't always rely on brilliant presentation). The scripts for the following must have read reasonably well as they all got made (and some won awards).
No matter how good an idea may be, it won't get very far if it isn't expressed in a way that works off the page (you can't always rely on brilliant presentation). The scripts for the following must have read reasonably well as they all got made (and some won awards).
TV COMMERCIALS
The script, the script and the script are the three most important things, but you don't actually want to read them, do you?
The script, the script and the script are the three most important things, but you don't actually want to read them, do you?
MacDONALDS U.S.A.
The script helped DDB Chicago win the $240m US Account. The commercial, shot by Joe Pytka, broke in The Superbowl and was among Ad Age and US TV Guide's top ads of the year. It also picked up a bronze at Cannes.
WALKERS.
This was the second script made in the long-running campaign and cemented the campaign in the public mind. It won a gold arrow at BTAA and was voted 9th in the Channel 4 / Sunday Times 100 Greatest TV ads.
VOLKSWAGEN.
This commercial went from script to air in just over six weeks. The track, found just 48 hours before play-out, earned a D&AD nomination for use of music.The spot also won a BTAA bronze arrow.
PHILIPS GLOBAL.
Persuading such a traditionally conservative client to buy a script featuring a transvestite wasn't easy. Their bravery was rewarded when the commercial picked up a silver and two bronze in different categories at Cannes
CRAVENDALE. This was the first commercial for the "So good, the cows want it back" campaign, which boosted sales from £250K to £43m in just one year, making Cravendale a top 50 brand in the UK. It was a Cannes film finalist.
ESSO EUROPE.Intended for a pan-Europeanaudience, this simple story was written to be easily edited so that particular gifts (Driver Rewards) could be featured within the narrative. The spot ran all over Europe (but not in the UK) and was a film finalist at Cannes.
EXPEDIA EUROPE. A dialogue commercial for a pan-European audience that uses subtitles to reinforce the idea that Expedia is "Powered by people who travel". Everyone in the office speaks a different language, but they all understand each other.
SONY MINIDISC.The clients wouldn't buy the script as they held the view that anyone featured in their advertising should be in their target market of young early adopters. This was shot to convince them otherwise. While the commercial won their hearts it unfortunately didn't change their minds.
VW POLO.
For may years the brief for Polo remained the same: Small but tough.
The key-fobs commercial, with the line: "We all find strength in something", was one iteration of this idea. This script took the idea into hyperbole, made more credible the commercial's understated tone. It gained a BTAA diploma and was a film finalist at Cannes.
CRAVENDALE.
This script, for a flavoured Cravendale, built on the "The cows want it back" idea. The spooky mood needed leafless trees and cold grey skies, but the shoot was scheduled for July. Perhaps the first ad shoot ever to go to Australia to avoid sunny skies.
THOMSON (TUI)
The proposition was basically 'Trust Thomson to take care of your holiday". The script reminded people of just how precious time away is. It came from a calculation of how much time the average person spends at work to earn a day's holiday and an observation on the ritual of sun worship.
BARCLAYCARD.
The launch of the "Don't put it off, put it on" campaign. The line inspired many scripts, but the client insisted on beginning with one themed on DIY. The commercial was a film finalist at Cannes.
SPONSORSHIP IDENTS
Idents are tricky - and these were trickier than most, with many mandatory inclusions on the brief. To tie in with the TV show, they had to feature a strong female character (but the budget didn't stretch to actually paying for a featured actor). There had to be a medical connection and the car had to be seen as tough in each scenario. All in 5 seconds.
Idents are tricky - and these were trickier than most, with many mandatory inclusions on the brief. To tie in with the TV show, they had to feature a strong female character (but the budget didn't stretch to actually paying for a featured actor). There had to be a medical connection and the car had to be seen as tough in each scenario. All in 5 seconds.
VW Polo: Grey's Anatomy
WRITING TO TIGHT BUDGETs
Scripts shot on shoestrings...
Scripts shot on shoestrings...
TEA AND BINGO.COM (Under £10K)
This direct-to-client project involved creating the brand identity and designing a website as well as writing and producing 4 stop-frame animation TV commercials. Finding a young animator fresh out of film school to bring the ideas to life and using a street-cast voice-over helped keep the budget low.
This direct-to-client project involved creating the brand identity and designing a website as well as writing and producing 4 stop-frame animation TV commercials. Finding a young animator fresh out of film school to bring the ideas to life and using a street-cast voice-over helped keep the budget low.
MATTESSONS' SANDWICH SPREADS (Under £20K)
The premise here is that an eccentric old guy has made his own DIY protest campaign against Mattessons' "unusual" sandwich fillings. Shot on toilet paper and edited with sticky tape, the extremely low production values are actually part of the idea. The campaign ran as a regional test in the Tyne Tees region, where a local radio DJ adopted the character's inability to bring himself to 'Mattessons" as a catchphrase. It caught on - and may have done so nationally had the brand not been sold on the eve of the shoot. Though successful, the campaign was seen a 'not-invented-here' by the new owners.
The premise here is that an eccentric old guy has made his own DIY protest campaign against Mattessons' "unusual" sandwich fillings. Shot on toilet paper and edited with sticky tape, the extremely low production values are actually part of the idea. The campaign ran as a regional test in the Tyne Tees region, where a local radio DJ adopted the character's inability to bring himself to 'Mattessons" as a catchphrase. It caught on - and may have done so nationally had the brand not been sold on the eve of the shoot. Though successful, the campaign was seen a 'not-invented-here' by the new owners.
NIKON (Under £60K)
To launch their first digital camera aimed at amateur photographers, Nikon wanted a TV commercial with scale and gravitas - but could not afford to shoot live action. As the ad was for a stills camera, it made sense to use stills. Several top professional photographers were commissioned to take the featured shots using the camera being advertised. This generated good PR, with 'making of' articles appearing in Amateur Photographer and similar mags.
To launch their first digital camera aimed at amateur photographers, Nikon wanted a TV commercial with scale and gravitas - but could not afford to shoot live action. As the ad was for a stills camera, it made sense to use stills. Several top professional photographers were commissioned to take the featured shots using the camera being advertised. This generated good PR, with 'making of' articles appearing in Amateur Photographer and similar mags.
PROPAGANDA: PARTY POLITICAL BROADCAST
Presenting to Tony Blair and working with Peter Mandelson was quite an experience.
Presenting to Tony Blair and working with Peter Mandelson was quite an experience.
Labour: Party Election Broadcast
'Hope & Glory' (4 minutes)
This ran two days before the election and New Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 election.
Everybody was too busy celebrating to find out if influenced the outcome - but at least Mark Lawson of The Guardian liked it.
'Hope & Glory' (4 minutes)
This ran two days before the election and New Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 election.
Everybody was too busy celebrating to find out if influenced the outcome - but at least Mark Lawson of The Guardian liked it.
RADIO
Calling radio The Theatre of The Mind may be theatrical, but it's true: there's no limit to the pictures you can paint in people's heads. A sadly underrated medium.
Calling radio The Theatre of The Mind may be theatrical, but it's true: there's no limit to the pictures you can paint in people's heads. A sadly underrated medium.
Useless
- Joanna Lumley in full flow.
Promo
- Ts&Cs took so much time it was best to make them part of the idea.
Mr Dancy -
A rare opportunity: a whole 90 seconds to tell a story for VW.
LONDON'S BUSES: Anti-congestion campaign
Two different ways of targeting drivers who obstruct buses by blocking bus lanes.
Two different ways of targeting drivers who obstruct buses by blocking bus lanes.
Maybe
- An appeal to the heart that ran exclusively in drive-time breaks.
Problem
- A confrontational approach, featuring late agony aunt Claire Rayner
Routes- Lenny Henry takes a pun all the way to the last stop.