A voicemail on my phone: “Hey Jacek, I’ve got a big ice cream client from the US. They’re asking about a director. Can I send your reel? I dropped the agency brief in your email. Let me know if it works for you.” I open my computer. It’s there. It looks quite good. Actually, it even seems kind of simple. Just another project. I check my calendar. It fits perfectly. I reply that “we’re in”.
I go through my ice cream reel again, what’s there and what’s missing. I adjust the order a bit, add a few things connected to the brief so it feels even more “yummy.” I’ve always wondered what’s the best way to present your reel when pitching against other directors. Everyone has their own way, but usually, when you have an agent, they compile your best spots in one of the programs and send it to the client. Agents don’t really have time for a “WOW!” presentation. And I keep thinking it would be great to present my work with that kind of flair. We, directors, should be a bit like car salesmen from Texas. You come in ready to buy a used Volkswagen, and you walk out with a loan on a new car. I plan to learn that kind of selling, so the client not only buys me for the commercial, but also orders two more projects from me.
That was my plan for the reel. I sent it to my agent. A moment later I made my morning coffee and analyzed whether I did everything right. So: I arranged the films in what felt like the only correct order. I trimmed some of them. I took a moment to enjoy the shots I like. I remembered building a huge mockup resembling a planet, which my food stylist and I filled with artificial ice cream. From a castle to flying forms, a lot of work. Fortunately, her expertise allowed us to recreate the real product’s texture and structure with complete accuracy. Brilliant. On top of that, there were beautiful ice cream mockups that we coated with chocolate, or actually glucose. I like this world of mockups, when we enlarge cookies, ice cream, and reconstruct reality from scratch. Someone might say it’s a bit like using AI. In a way, that’s true. It’s no different. We also deceive the viewer with something that is not real. We work in advertising, right?
The days kept moving. More emails, more presentations. Smiles, disappointments. I admit that I used to worry when I didn’t win a project. It seemed to me that I had done something wrong. I blamed the agent for handling conversations poorly or presenting me the wrong way. I thought maybe I didn’t understand the nuances during the call with the agency. But after years, I know that’s not what it’s about. Each of us has their own project. These puzzle pieces have to fit together. There has to be flow with the agency and full understanding of the subject. It’s about that moment and timing. Maybe the same project a month later wouldn’t resonate with you anymore and someone else would win it. That’s why sometimes I feel that a project comes to me with momentum.
And that was the case now. The reel was very well received at the agency. They were impressed with most of the shots. I thought, “Did I just create a WOW effect?” The creative director wanted to jump on a quick call and talk about how I made those amazing shots. “Now I’ve got you,” I thought. “You won’t escape. I’ll pull you in with all those flavors and approaches I use on set. I’ll eat you like a Magnum.“
