Reflections On China - Q & A

By Robert Goldrich

China has captured the imagination of assorted advertisers and marketers, fueled further by the 2008 Summer Olympics being in Beijing. Word is that NBC is charging around $800,000 for a primetime 30-second ad time slot airing during the Beijing Games. And China Central Television is also making some big buck deals, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that domestic milk brand Yili finalized a commitment to run four :15s during the Games' opening and closing ceremonies for $2.7 million. Meanwhile research regarding Chinese consumers is becoming increasingly prevalent--among the latest efforts being the "Young Digital Mavens" study on the use of the Internet, released by the JWT ad agency network and entertainment/media exec Barry Diller's IAC venture (SHOOT, 12/7).

Several American spotmakers have also made inroads into China, including director Marcos Zavitsanos, who made his first career splash stateside in the late 1990s with a self-financed spec spot reel that earned him a place on the roster of the then Nitro Films, part of the lineup of commercial production houses headed by Michael Romersa. Subsequent U.S. affiliations for Zavitsanos included Lot 47 and Boutique Film, which have both since shuttered operations. Among his notable U.S. credits are spots for such clients as Michelob Ultra (via DDB Chicago) and the Starlight Children's Foundation (davidandgoliath, Los Angeles).  At press time, Zavitsanos had no formal stateside representation but was in talks with an undisclosed U.S. production house about taking on a project as a trial run for a possible long-term commitment. Zavitsanos has been active in China's ad market since 2000. In fact, the very next year a Heineken spot he directed for Bates in Hong Kong was shortlisted at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. The director's work in China comes to him directly.

 SHOOT: Is more spot production gravitating to China?

Zavitsanos: With China experiencing double-digit growth (11.5 percent in the 3rd quarter alone) and now surpassing Germany as the world's third largest economy, I can't imagine it not growing. And the injection of American factories and companies opening up there dictates a rapid increase as well so this very well may lead to more advertising from within China. 

SHOOT: What about the impact of Beijing hosting the Olympics?

Zavitsanos: I think there will be a surge of spot production within China but that is to be expected wherever the Olympic Games are held. I'm sure old and new brands will be launching new products, and clients are holding media and time to release their onslaught when the Games begin. Does that mean that spot shooting will likely increase afterwards? It might but I think there's a bigger picture driving the machine. Plus it's tricky because the Olympics arrive with such a big bang but then the spotlight fades from that city or country when the Games end. Only time will tell.

SHOOT: What are the challenges of shooting in China?

Zavitsanos: My gut reaction is (mainland) China's inability to modernize their commercial film community. Hong Kong is by far the most advanced place to shoot in the East but it is also slightly more expensive to shoot there. Of course, films are shot all over China and sometimes that is exactly the point; going somewhere remote and specific...you still need support while doing so, sometimes even more. 
There are no unions or organizations and below-the-line crew treat their positions, as "workers," not as crew. To most of them it is like working construction or other blue-collar work. In the states, if someone is on a film set, then that usually means that their love of film guided them there. In China, a job is a job and it is treated as such. Not by all but by most and they are happy to get the work. They work extremely hard and everything is done in a hurry. If I want to lay track, 10 to 15 guys rush in and it's done in three minutes. 
For the three spots I am shooting now, we have about 50 people as crew. There are no stunts, no major location moves, etc. You don't see grips with expensive equipment and shiny 10-tons here. 
Director Ang Lee recently shot a huge film in Shanghai, where I am now. I presume that most of his equipment was shipped in while I am forced to use local vendors while shooting commercials. They still have dollies and cranes but the equipment is old and sometimes faulty. The cameras have been neglected so you will always see a scratch or two on the negative.
 I just shot my own film in Los Angeles, which I financed myself so money was an issue. I used a digital camera instead of film. I became so familiar with shooting digital that I wanted to use it on this campaign but they didn't have the post support to back it up. Everything, all sorts of products, are made in China but not much is geared to our industry in that regard. 
On the political side, if a director is signed by one company in either Beijing or Shanghai, then he is most likely to work less on a different variety of brands than if he comes in as a freelancer. While I was shooting, my executive producer did the rounds at the agencies and they continually tell him what companies they will be using to service future jobs.

SHOOT: What are some of the projects you've shot in China?

Zavitsanos: Heineken, Carlsberg, Nokia, Pabst. The Carlsberg and Pabst spots were in shot Shanghai. Nokia was shot in Beijing. I'm slated to do Nokia in Hong Kong if I'm available.

SHOOT: How did you get all of these opportunities to shoot projects in China? And is there loyalty on the part of clients to directors? It certainly looks like you do a fair share of repeat business.

Zavitsanos: In 2000, I was freelancing and trying to think of my next move. I was signed at a company that had just closed and I was a little cautious about signing somewhere else. 
 A DP that I was working with asked me to second unit a shoot for this company called Alta Vista. The executive producer at Alta Vista saw my reel and mentioned me to an acquaintance in Hong Kong. He sent my reel there and that was it. A few years later, one agency asked me to help them "mold" an idea for a spot but didn't have much money. The creative director called me in the middle of the night and asked for my help; he wanted a director's camera view-point while working the board. 
I made myself very available to them. He sold it to the client and I flew coach instead of first and didn't stay at a five star hotel. 
That was years ago but a major turning point in my dedication to doing good work for them. I think they respected me for that. Everything we know about people of the Asian culture, like in movies, books and TV—words like honor and respect are mentioned and portrayed. 
Those words are applied to their work ethic as well. I have experienced more loyalty from Chinese agencies than I have with U.S. agencies because of those values.
 If they ask me to cut my rate to do a job and I do, they will always come back with a campaign or other spots that will more than make up for it. They stick to their word. It's almost like it would be insulting or belittling to them and me if they didn't. Its a shame the US and other territories won’t follow suit.