Agencies & post production: a lower-cost of entry is now allowing agencies to set up facilities that cost big bucks just a few years ago

Post, Jan, 2005 by Christine Bunish

with the barriers to entry in post production falling rapidly over the past few years, it has become more realistic for advertising agencies to bring some manner of commercial post in-house.

"The hundreds of thousands of dollars it used to take to equip a post facility is now just tens of thousands of dollars," says Mike Aaron, supervising editorial producer at Fallon's in-house studio, The Assembly Line, in Minneapolis. "Agencies didn't focus on post production before because it was not their core competency. But now it offers a number of advantages and a very real opportunity as an alternate revenue source."

BBDO

New York-based BBDO (www.bbdo.com) has Avid systems in its AV department for cutting presentations, pitches and reels.

"There are two sides to in-house editorial," says senior VP/executive producer Bob Emerson. "First-tier commercial editing is a creative process. When you have a commercial right out of the box, you really want to get the input of an outside editor from a creative standpoint. Other editorial, for test commercials and animatics, revisions, cut-downs and versioning isn't so talent driven. It might make sense for us to do the latter in-house. It would be a convenience and a profit center for us."

Emerson believes that agencies would find it hard to staff and maintain in-house creative editorial divisions. "The very best editors don't want to be on staff at an agency," he says. "They want to be able to pass on editorial if they're not interested in it. They want their independence. If they were an employee, they might not necessarily give you the same independent thinking they give you in the outside world."

In presenting post production options to agency creative teams, Emerson tries "to keep the talent pool as large as possible." They prefer the proximity of transfer facilities and creative editorial shops, but location doesn't play a very big role in choosing visual effects studios and finishing facilities.

"The agency and client want to be face-to-face with the editor; solving problems in the suite and getting the best cut," he explains. Among BBDO's favored creative editorial companies are The Whitehouse, the New York office of 89, Crew Cuts and PS 260. Working side-by-side with a colorist is also important. Colorists of choice make their homes at Nice Shoes and Company 3 in New York. Technology links also make it possible for BBDO creatives to conduct real-time sessions with Company 3 in LA from the facility's New York address. Face time with audio mixers is also important, and the agency often teams with the talent roster at Sound Lounge in New York.

Thanks to the Web, the location of visual effects studios isn't much of a factor: "The process can be like watching paint dry." Emerson says. "There's no need to be there as long as you can see the results via telestreaming or by posting files to the Web." A recent package of three Cingular spots featured VFX vendors in London, Paris and Los Angeles.

72ANDSUNNY

Nine months ago, former Wieden & Kennedy creatives John Boiler, Glenn Cole and Robert Nakata, and ex-Publicis creative Greg Perlot, partnered to open 72andSunny (www.72sunny.com) in EI Segundo, CA, and Amsterdam. Among its initial efforts are front-end strategic development for Microsoft's X-Box, a TV campaign for the Portland Trail Blazers, and everything from retail launches to ad campaigns for the Bugaboo baby-stroller sensation.

Creative director Boiler says the new agency's mid-term goal is to add some editorial capabilities. "An augmented AV department is our immediate aspiration. We'd like to be able to work on Final Cut Pro on a laptop and output video for a sales meeting or ripomatics." Anything beyond that is on the long-term horizon.

"The issue is always talent," Boiler muses. "If you only have a few clients' work to cut, it would become tedious for an editor after a while. Could you build a reel on the back of two clients, or would you have a brighter future at an editorial company with a full spectrum of clients? The best talent will want the most diverse and interesting jobs, and that means being at a specialized editing facility."

When they were at Wieden & Kennedy the partners enjoyed working at the agency's in-house creative shop, Joint, which serves as a distinct exception to the is-it-possible-to-attract-and-keep-top-talent rule. Now 72andSunny is continuing its editorial relationship with Joint, which also cuts for outside clients, teaming with "really great editor" Peter Wiedensmith for their Portland Trail Blazers work.

In forming new ties with vendors Boiler says, "We're looking for companies willing to invest in working with us as we build the agency. We tend to be loyal [to] the people we work with. It would be great if we could find a one-stop shop that offered the highest level of everything, but that doesn't seem to happen, does it?"

In the LA area 72andSunny favors Company 3 for telecine and Spot Welders and Rock Paper Scissors for creative editorial. The agency has done audio post at Margarita Mix and sound design and music with new company Lime. It is still looking for a motion graphics partner.