The 30-Second Storyteller: The Art and Business of Directing Commercials (Aspiring Filmmaker's Library) [Paperback]

Thomas Richter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1598632264 | ISBN-13: 978-1598632262 | Publication Date: June 8, 2006 | Edition: 1

Imagine a job where you need to work only 10 days a year to make $100,000. A job that allows you to be a respected artist, a savvy craftsman, and a hip partygoer who hangs out with celebrities, superstars, and top models. No need to wear a tie and suit. No corporate office hours, and no supervising department heads checking your time card. At your command explosions occur, cars crash, helicopters swoop, and you are expected to spend a million dollars in a week or two. This job exists. It's called a commercial director, the creative mind behind the production of a TV spot. While being a commercial director may be one of the coolest jobs in the world, it's also one of the toughest jobs to get (and keep). The 30-Second Storyteller: The Art and Business of Directing Commercials teaches any filmmaker how to get work as a commercial director, how to navigate the pitfalls of production, and how to get clients to keep coming back to you for more. The book is not a textbook on directing -- plenty of other books cover that. Rather, The 30-Second Storyteller focuses on directorial challenges specifically related to creating a TV spot -- the techniques involved, the technologies of choice, and the obstacles that come between you and a successful career. It begins by teaching you how to get your foot in the door -- creating a spec reel, picking a specialty, getting signed with a production company, and successfully bidding for projects. It then covers the production of a commercial from preproduction through the shoot, all the way to finishing in post-production. Examples from a real-world commercial are utilized throughout to illustrate concepts. The book concludes with advice on obtaining work abroad, and making the jump from commercials to features, as TV ads are a training ground for Hollywood's next blockbuster director. Filmmakers like Ridley Scott, Michael Bay, David Fincher, Jonathan Glazer, Tarsem and Zack Snyder have all gotten their start in commercials.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (June 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598632264
• ISBN-13: 978-1598632262
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors in Film from the prestigious Art Center College of Design, Thomas Richter has won dozens of awards for both commercials and short films, including the John Sayles Award for Best Narrative Short, the Silver Hugo Award for Best Campaign, and the ITVA Platinum Award for Media Excellence. Thomas has directed commercials for clients as diverse as Ford, Toyota, Infiniti, The San Francisco Giants, IKEA, and Coolboarders the videogame, among many others. Check out his work at http://www.thomasrichter.net/.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done job for general audience by accomplished working commercial director, August 10, 2006

By 

Alan Smithee (West Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 30-Second Storyteller: The Art and Business of Directing Commercials (Aspiring Filmmaker's Library) (Paperback)

I'll say up front that certain film books are a bit dubious. I have been working on sets since a teenager so I am biased a bit in "hands on" training. Reading about making film is sometimes just a very small part of a big education.

Having said that, Thomas Richter impressed me. Mostly by the fact that he is a very pragmatic, level headed director who is actually working, signed and talented who had the nuts to put this down on paper. I've found most advice in specialized arenas like this is unfortunately not given by people who are quite qualified enough.

Mr. Richter is signed at Boxer, an LA production company that I am familiar with. I am also signed at a similar level bicostal shop so when I bought this book I was curious how true the read would be. I have to say that pretty much every thing he speaks about I find quite true and his experiences resonated with mine. To me that is again impressive - this is the real thing.

For my tastes there was a bit too much focus on practical filmmaking. He spells out this book is not a guide to filmmaking but rather about the business world of actually working as a commerical director. Saying that I think there are times he strays a bit and focuses a bit on some very fundamental stuff. This is probably necessary to make the book more accessable but perhaps Mr. Richter missed an interesting opportunity to take this from general interest to a true reference material. I'd love to personally hear more about the values of a great Executive Producer and Producer. Those relationships. Releationships with the sales reps. Knowing how and when to navigate moving to a different production company. I'd love to see the book slanted a bit more for the guide to keep using if you can really get past assembling a spec reel and getting signed.

That being said I enthusiastically recommend this book for getting a chance to see the landscape that is very difficult to navigate from the outside. If only this were written five years ago when I was poking my head in from the outside it might have helped me tremendously. From a working director now I can only say I admire the guts for Thomas Richter to lay it out there and put his name on it. It's a nice work that should be read - especially considering the complete drout of similar quality (real) information either in print or online.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXACTLY what I was looking for, July 18, 2008

By 

Travis Austin Chamberlain "rockstarhoudini" (new york, new york) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 30-Second Storyteller: The Art and Business of Directing Commercials (Aspiring Filmmaker's Library) (Paperback)

As a producer/artist who is considering a move into the commercial production world, I wanted a book that explained, in a step-by-step fashion, the mundane work routines of a commercial director without glamorizing the business or condescending like an Idiot's guide. This book is exactly that. No frills, just the facts. It is so well-organized, informative, and concise--with tons of great advice that I know I will continue to reference for years to come. It will probably be some time before I can apply all the tools in this book to my professional career, but in the meantime, I feel so much more confident about my decision to move in this new direction. Thanks for writing this, Thomas. I would have been wondering for years if I should take the plunge or not.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars finally!, June 24, 2008

By 

Xavier (Amsterdam) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 30-Second Storyteller: The Art and Business of Directing Commercials (Aspiring Filmmaker's Library) (Paperback)

Finally, a book about the process of making commercials! It's an easy, up to date read and has lots of funny examples. Really all aspects are there, even the politics of commercial business, how true. Enjoyable read on your flight to Cannes!