Stories from Behind the Lens Q&A with Wayne Craig and Eran Lobel

The pandemic really upended the production world. There was a lot of pivoting and a look to technology for remote capture, but all of our directors yearned to be on set. As the vaccines are rolling out and there is a glimmer of returning productions to the ways they once were, I sat down with Director Wayne Craig to review the past year and also to look forward (see Wayne’s bio below).

Eran: How has the pandemic changed filming for you?

Wayne: Film sets are workplaces. That means ‘safety first.’ We’ve always believed in that rule and the Pandemic has forced us to create new solutions. We’ve become pretty good at working remotely because we needed to. It's helped us help clients get their messages out to their audiences. It’s not perfect, but it’s worked for us. 

Eran: Have the changes been positive?

Wayne: Here’s the thing, for me great communication is about the humanity of the message. It’s not just about images or ideas, it's about the people who have something to say and the people they want to reach. Working remotely has made the process less personal to some extent. It’s not good or bad, it’s just different. Helping people, no matter how we do it, is positive but working over a Zoom link has limited the subtle, personal interactions that we use to connect with those we’re trying to help, whether that be actors, crew, or clients.

Eran: Can you give me an example?

Wayne: I did a Super Bowl ad a couple of years ago. One of the celebrities did not want to play the role he’d been asked to reprise from his golden years in Hollywood. Fair enough; it’s his life and his career but that character is what the client wanted. I sat down with the TV star and talked to him about how many people loved the character he’d created and how rare a love that big is. It wasn’t just about work, it was about the people who loved him, and you can’t do better than love. Thirty minutes later he was on set and fully committed to the project. That wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t have a chance to make a personal connection with our star.

Eran: Are there other ways that being present in person can be helpful?

Wayne: Just before the whole world went into lockdown, we had the chance to work on a really fun documentary ad for Dunkin Coffee. We found a company that could turn coffee grinds into biodiesel and a company that could build a luxury tiny home that ran on biodiesel. We connected the two businesses together and got them to make a house that literally ‘Ran on Dunkin.’ It was a fun idea and we wanted to tell the story with as much humanity as possible. It turns out, houses that run on coffee grinds don’t just appear magically out of nowhere. Like our client’s passion for coffee, we wanted to get at the passion that made biochemists and home builders do something that had never been done before. We had to unpack all of our own passion for production to get the message out there to America.

We usually do a pre-interview with our subjects over the phone or on a Zoom call, and because one of the companies was in Montana and the other in Tennessee, it made sense to be as informed as we could be. We had good conversations with both business owners. They were real visionaries and they could talk well about their companies. 

Eran: So, what happened when you worked with them in person

Wayne: A funny thing happened when we arrived at both of the businesses that I don’t think could have ever happened if we weren’t there in person. Both of the owners were very professional and spoke well. We decided to put off their interviews until later in the day. We looked around, found some great shots, and interviewed some of their employees. At every step of the shoot day, we continued to engage our business owners; we kept them informed, we had some laughs and we talked privately about their dreams for the future and other projects. By the time we got to their interviews, we knew them as people and it helped us create frames that were ‘them.’ When they spoke, they were casual and relaxed, like they were talking to a friend; because they were. 

Eran: So, there are benefits to being present ‘in person’ on set?

Wayne: For what it’s worth, I think we serve our clients best when we help them connect with the audience like someone they know and trust. That kind of unguarded openness doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t often happen over a zoom call. It takes a personal touch to deliver the human behind the voice. At least, that’s how it worked for Dunkin’. 

Wayne Craig bio: While spending his formative years in India and various cities in Canada, Wayne nurtured an appreciation for the human condition both tragic and funny. What he discovered was, that in spite of our differences, the truth about us can usually be found in our similarities.

Following a successful academic career at Ryerson University (winning awards for Music Videos and Radio Commercials, as well as, creating a much loved 20-minute radio documentary on The Three Stooges), Wayne was set loose with his Degree.

Never one to take the path of least resistance, Wayne began working in the commercial industry at the bottom. "He was one hell of a P.A. and he wasn’t too bad at Video Assist either!" It gave him a major advantage by allowing him to work with some of the best directors in the world.

Finally, after shooting two spec spots, Wayne got the chance to direct a ‘real’ commercial. Amazingly, that first ad won a Lion at Cannes. Since that time the awards have piled up; from ‘The London International’ to ‘Creative Arts,’ from Bessies to his latest campaign Clio, the awards now number over 70.

Wayne has directed several popular Super Bowl commercials. TaxAct’s ‘Free to Pee’ was featured on ‘The Today Show’ and the Huffington Post ranked it as their number one spot in the broadcast. His ad for Oikos reunited the cast of Full House and was so popular it gave rise to the Netflix show 'Fuller House.' You may have heard of it.  

All and all, it's been a fun ride and he can't wait to see where it goes next.

Check out some of Wayne Craig's work https://element.cc/team/wayne-craig/