American Cinematographer - January 1993 - 26

Small, dark and handy

ducer actually

experiencing the stress, and
actually experiencing the relief
from the medicine. By providing 30 seconds
without any hokum, this was a commercial
people could identify with - the pain, the
remedy, the relief - and one which legiti¬
mized the product's name. The real thing
was so simple it didn't have to strain the
viewer's imagination or credibility for the
message to come across effectively.
Right now, co-director Henry
Corra and I are traveling around the coun¬
try making commercials for a large retail
company. Compare our commercials with
other companies' commercials, which are
as unreal as they are perfectly executed and
impeccably choreographed, featuring actors
doing their very best to move and talk like
real customers. Without missing a beat,
these "spokespersons" cross aisles, mak¬
ing the selling points, delivering perfectly

Introducing the original film changing tent. The

then later

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The Harrison Film Changing Tent

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enunciated lines.

We,
We do. No translator needed.

you need an Aaton
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Pas de probleme.

on

the other hand,

are

do¬

ing what we as documentarians know how
to do. The stores in which we are filming
have thousands of customers who love to

shop there. It is the unique experience of
shopping in these stores that draws the
customers and makes the stores so suc-

!

cessful. How do you pass that experience
on to the viewer? Easy-by filming it. We
our own casting people,
Martha Wollner and Janice Isaac, the job

assigned two of
of finding

ordinary, regular customers who
in the company's stores. Then

love shopping
we

followed these customers and filmed

them

making their rounds. As we captured
incredibly distinguishing attributes, emerg¬
ing spontaneously from what the custom¬
ers said or did, Henry and I would wink at
the ad agency's group creative director and
he would give us a big thumbs up. As ex¬
pected, the magic of reality was taking a
bow.

*

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Obviously, commercials-even
documentary-style spots-will never soar
to the heights of Bacon, Tolstoy or Gide's
expectations because of the format's defini¬
tive and narrow purpose. But, however it is
used
and the more purely it is practiced
documentary pays homage to life and
respects reality. It puts one person in touch

*

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a

most

it

is
▲

seems to me,

worthy enterprise.
American Cinematographer - January 1993

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