In Praise of Creative Directors

What do Creative Directors do and what makes a great one?

As a Director/DOP, I've had the privilege of collaborating with outstanding Creative Directors over the past 11+ years - with some memorable top-of-mind moments from Daryl Gardiner (dirt and rain), Jessica Luch (everything), Kevin Mak (balling in NYC), Pamela Rounis (is this funny?), Dean Ponto (snow in September), Gaby Basora (thunderstorms and stadiums), et al.

In the process, I've learned a thing or two about the value of a good CD.

There is a viral video of Rick Rubin in a CNN interview telling Anderson Cooper that he has no technical abilities and gets paid (a lot) for the confidence in his taste (which I can say firsthand is not an easy skill). There's wisdom in the simplicity of his answer, but let me humbly add 3 points of my own.

1. They push for bold ideas. By definition, putting out a creative idea is taking a risk. And often, it's more the case that you don't get bold clients; you make them. This has to happen at the very beginning because everything else ladders up to it. You don't get an inspiring Director's Treatment without an inspiring Creative Brief. You have to be willing to put yourself on the line with an idea that may get shot down dramatically in front of your peers (fun!)
2. They make hard choices. Moving on to creating something in the real world; in other words, dealing with constraints, compromises, surprises, and more surprises. It's rare for production to work with a blue-sky budget, and even if so, Parkinson's Law applies to money, not just time. There's a time to be authoritative or democratic, to fight for or compromise on something, and it takes a lot of experience to do this dance well. And here's the thing: experimentation (on set) costs money, so you need to be decisive, clear, and confident. Even when you have no idea what you're doing (which is a good sign if you have bold ideas).
3. Kill everyone's darlings. Here's a little fun fact: it's in the production team’s best interest to show off their FULL capabilities. Every. Time. Roger Deakins may want his cinematography to go unnoticed, but if you're not working with an Oscar-winning DOP, then your crew is only taking BTS when their rigs are on cranes (IYKYK). The CD's role is often to simplify and align everyone's incentives back to the original vision. Simplifying is "trying to do the most with the least" (Murch), and simplicity is a beauty that takes time to appreciate.

These are just some of the top reasons why I love collaborating with great Creative Directors. They all remind me of the quote from Matisse: "Creativity takes courage." I'll be sharing a lot more of my insights from 11+ years in the trenches of creative production, so follow along if it's your thing!