December's issue of PDN has a feature in which they ask prominent Art Buyers, “What was the best creative risk you took in 2008?” Senior Art Producer, Liz Miller-Gershfeld at Energy BBDO spoke about two projects I shot for the Art Institute of Chicago promoting their Edward Hopper and Cartier Bresson exhibits.
Do Anything Creative This Year?
Interview by Rachel Hulin
Liz Miller-Gershfeld
Vice President, Senior Art Producer
Energy BBDO
"Two ads stand out this year, not for being particularly unusual or offbeat, but for being elegant solutions to creative problems. Both were ads for the Art Institute of Chicago; both were for upcoming shows. Rather than using an image from the show and simply running type, the creatives incorporated existing artwork into new photography in intelligent and conceptual ways.
The first ad, which was to promote an Edward Hopper exhibit, used the famous Hopper painting "Nighthawks," and incorporated the painted people into a photograph [of a] Chicago diner. The art director, Steve Denekas, wanted the ad to have a particular Chicago flavor that reflected (in a contemporary way) the vibe of the original in its time. We had less than a week to prep and shoot this ad. We selected Chicago photographer Saverio Truglia. This particular technical problem had not been solved in his portfolio; however, we knew from working with him previously that he has a strong ability to take each project on its own merit, and to solve the puzzle from a cohesive conceptual and technical perspective. Johnny's Diner in the Logan Square neighborhood was the location that really felt right. Saverio took hundreds of exposures to literally paint with light and to make everything fit in a way that felt entirely natural and artistic.
The second and more recent ad was to promote an exhibit that included works by Henri Cartier-Bresson. The assignment was to use (in less than one week) an existing Cartier-Bresson photograph and to find a distinctly Chicago location that the image could be composited into. Art directors Jessica Campbell and Mike McQuade wanted the two worlds to flow into one another. What a daunting creative task for a photographer to take a photograph that is intended to be composited with a Cartier-Bresson photograph! Art Producer Laura Ricardo assigned the job to Saverio Truglia knowing of his enthusiasm for the Art Institute of Chicago. The moment Saverio knew we were using "Hyeres, France, 1932"—a photograph of a cyclist on a cobblestone road from above a stairway—he began scouting so that the clients could see potential locations the next morning. In the end, the solution was in our own backyard: the grand staircase at the Art Institute of Chicago. The print producer, Heather Beck, had a strong sense of where both these ads needed to go in terms of all post-production and she was integral to their success. The lesson in all of this is to not overlook photographers because we don't see something very similar to our upcoming project in their portfolios: to be more flexible thinkers when we assess the appropriateness of a photographer to a particular assignment."
Jessie Adler, photo editor at Fast Company (the most interesting and well edited business magazine on news stands) asked me to fly to Wichita this week. I shot three young executives and chef in the test kitchen of a international food company. The story is about the business of food and those cuts of meat most Western diets pinch their noses to.
Seven beef tongues await their 15 minutes of fame.
Like tripe and menudo, beef tongue is one of those cow parts popularly sold in smaller Hispanic markets in cities like Dallas, Phoenix and Chicago. In addition to tasty tongue tacos, I sampled amazing Mexican horchata with lime and a specialty item the chef picked up on a research trip to L.A.. Though I don't think toasted grasshopper will make it into the local Safeway store soon.
Runner's World photo editor, Andrea Maurio has the most radio friendly voice I've ever heard out of a photo editor. She also has for me some of the most open ended assignments, and I love her for it.
One of the last times her voice called, it was to make an image that represents how little time you need to make a delicious and nutritious meal fit for a marathoner. We built a little kitchen set in the studio, found a "wall clock", bought a stove, etc. Thanks to Molly Topper for her help as the runner. She really can run though.
Me waiting for the treats Molly is serving up.
I was proud to be in the company of 125,000-250,000 (who's counting) fellow voters and our new President last night in Chicago to celebrate what hopes to be the beginning of a new era in American politics.
Big ups to my family in Florida for voting Democrat this year.The crowd goes wild when Obama took the stage.
