David Lynch on "product placement"
- Thread starter Zak Forsman
- Start date
Dick Campbell
Veteran
you sell your soul for a few bucks. I read where the director wanted to cut McConaughey driving a jeep in "Sahara" but couldn't because Chrysler had paid for that placement. no wonder that movie was a bust,
TC
Resident Agitator
Jim Brennan
VHS Member Old Skool
I'll jump on the bandwagon here at my level of disgust with major corporations doing this. Or actually, my disgust with the studios for doing it. The corporations are just advertising the way they always have, they are just using a different venue.
But at the same time product placement can be a viable source of budget funds for people like us. I know a gal who made an award winning feature a couple of years ago. The product placement she got helped her feed the cast and crew. (not to mention getting some much needed props) And since the film was about wheelchair athletes, some of the product placement raised awareness about some of the products available to the special needs community.
So it isn't completely black and white, at least not for me.
But at the same time product placement can be a viable source of budget funds for people like us. I know a gal who made an award winning feature a couple of years ago. The product placement she got helped her feed the cast and crew. (not to mention getting some much needed props) And since the film was about wheelchair athletes, some of the product placement raised awareness about some of the products available to the special needs community.
So it isn't completely black and white, at least not for me.
stinkpot
Well-known member
Beer is the universal currency for zero-budget filmmaking! I place those products into the stomachs of cast and crew... can't see it on the screen, but it's there and the viewer knows it!
Hmmm... maybe I should wait until AFTER the shoot to crack out the beer.
:beer:
That aside, the current level of product placement in normal-to-big budget production is quite distracting. For me, it takes away from the flow and believability of the movie you are watching.
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stuckfootage
Well-known member
By the way, here's a thankless job for you: a friend of mine worked for 20th Century Fox. It seems that the companies often just provide a bunch of product to the film crew, who use it as it fits, and then some placements get edited out, so when the film is released, no one really knows exactly what has been placed. So my friend had to watch
the film and document it all....yet another incredibly boring film job.
the film and document it all....yet another incredibly boring film job.
This reminds me...
Mr. Lynch was interviewed on Danish TV earlier this year - an unusual interview with an extraordinary man.
Fans might want to check it out:
http://www.dr.dk/DR2/Den11time/artikler/videoklip/20070326120736.htm
Mr. Lynch was interviewed on Danish TV earlier this year - an unusual interview with an extraordinary man.
Fans might want to check it out:
http://www.dr.dk/DR2/Den11time/artikler/videoklip/20070326120736.htm
Zak Forsman
Major Contributor
MattinSTL
Sound Modulator
The only time product placement bugs me is when it's totally distracting... like if the Apple logo is at the dead center of the screen as the camera crabs around some guy sitting at a desk... and you can't decide if you should be watching the actor's face that's lit up by the monitor... or the Apple logo that's sharing equal prominance.
Just as bad is when a car parks and the company logo stops right in your face... come to think of it... look for that in something that I spoof in the future... it would be funny to see the Ford logo 50' wide in the theater... then have somebody off cam say, "boy I sure like this car" or whatever.
The comments earlier about Matrix Reloaded... pff... yeah that drove me nuts... all Cadillacs... perfectly washed, shiny Cadillacs... that was mega distracting for me... at least with the overall GM line you can make it a little less obvious!
In a recent zombie short I did Porsche and Ferarri backed out of the placement deal, stating that they didn't want their cars used in another american production featuring the undead... so we used all GM vehicles instead... one of which was a 1970 something Gremlin that told us his name was Optimus Primered.
Just as bad is when a car parks and the company logo stops right in your face... come to think of it... look for that in something that I spoof in the future... it would be funny to see the Ford logo 50' wide in the theater... then have somebody off cam say, "boy I sure like this car" or whatever.
The comments earlier about Matrix Reloaded... pff... yeah that drove me nuts... all Cadillacs... perfectly washed, shiny Cadillacs... that was mega distracting for me... at least with the overall GM line you can make it a little less obvious!
In a recent zombie short I did Porsche and Ferarri backed out of the placement deal, stating that they didn't want their cars used in another american production featuring the undead... so we used all GM vehicles instead... one of which was a 1970 something Gremlin that told us his name was Optimus Primered.
GaryinCalifornia
Veteran
Yes a person who gets it...
And Luis I love the Citzen Kane grab... lol... that was pretty good...
Luis Caffesse
Admin
There are plenty of things I would do that I wouldn't be proud of.
I just think its inspiring to see someone willing to stick to his guns with no compromise whatsoever.
No one grows up hoping GM will sponsor their movie - but yes, just about all of us would take it.
GaryinCalifornia
Veteran
How would you comproimse yourself by getting money to do your film? Isn't that what you're suppose to do...
So you show a shot of an Apple computer... I'm not always a fan of it either... but hey if that gets you $100k (not really for us... but on a big summer release)
But if that $100k can afford you the actor who you really wanted which in return gave you greater returns on your film... which means you repaid your investors quicker and they want to do another movie... how to you see that as a compromise...
I see it as doing business... not saying you... but that's what it is... its not art... its a business...
Luis Caffesse
Admin
Gary - I completely agree with you.
All i was saying is that while we would do (or at least I would do it) - it's not something I would be really happy about.
I might not necessarily be UNhappy about it - but its not really my idea of 'living the dream' if you know what i mean.
I understand it's a business - but that's not why I do it...but to be successful, I have little choice. So i completely agree - it's sort of the nature of the beast. Hell, I'm making my living right now off stuff that is soon to be advertising supported - and there has already been talk of product placement as a form of advertising - so we'll see... I may have to deal with this first hand very shortly.
My only point was that most of us, when we decided we wanted to get into filmmaking, didn't do it thinking we'd get money by selling ad space in our projects - we got into it for the pure love of the art - and its nice to see someone who has the ability to still do that (meaning David Lynch).
Again - nothing really 'wrong' with it - just not the ideal situation.
But like I said, I'd take it if it was offerred.
As far as how you would compromise yourself - you might not...you're right.
It might be luckily enough something that actually fits into the scene, for the duration and in the framing that you had originally envisioned. And hopefully it's not a scene you decide to cut later on in post.
There are many ways product placement becomes a compromise.
Essentially - I feel that a director is making a compromise the moment you let someone else dictate what goes in the frame, and for how long.
All i was saying is that while we would do (or at least I would do it) - it's not something I would be really happy about.
I might not necessarily be UNhappy about it - but its not really my idea of 'living the dream' if you know what i mean.
I understand it's a business - but that's not why I do it...but to be successful, I have little choice. So i completely agree - it's sort of the nature of the beast. Hell, I'm making my living right now off stuff that is soon to be advertising supported - and there has already been talk of product placement as a form of advertising - so we'll see... I may have to deal with this first hand very shortly.
My only point was that most of us, when we decided we wanted to get into filmmaking, didn't do it thinking we'd get money by selling ad space in our projects - we got into it for the pure love of the art - and its nice to see someone who has the ability to still do that (meaning David Lynch).
Again - nothing really 'wrong' with it - just not the ideal situation.
But like I said, I'd take it if it was offerred.
As far as how you would compromise yourself - you might not...you're right.
It might be luckily enough something that actually fits into the scene, for the duration and in the framing that you had originally envisioned. And hopefully it's not a scene you decide to cut later on in post.
There are many ways product placement becomes a compromise.
Essentially - I feel that a director is making a compromise the moment you let someone else dictate what goes in the frame, and for how long.
GaryinCalifornia
Veteran
All good points... but its the same as showing a naked woman from only the top up... half the time it never moves the story along... but hey you got to sell your film somewhere and they won't buy it unless their is a naked girl in it...
Actually have had this told to me... but of course in a more refine professional way....
Actually have had this told to me... but of course in a more refine professional way....
Tom Marshall
Actor!!!!!!
He's talking about a company sponsoring a film, basically, which is bullshit, like Lynch says. A few placements is fine, but when a company says 'Oh, well make every car a GM', then that's kinda screwed up... especially when not all cars in the original transformers series WERE GM's.
And I think you need to add a couple of zeros on the end of your 100,000. Try around 10 million. That's what Audi is paying to have their car featured as Ironman's new ride...
Luis Caffesse
Admin
No, you're absolutely right - I see no difference between those two.
Essentially - any decision that is made for anything other than a creative reason is some form of 'compromise.' But then again - life is made up of compromises...for most of us anyhow.
:thumbsup:
GaryinCalifornia
Veteran
Alright now maybe I can get that $100k...
Tommyinla... are you still going to those hvx meetings... met you at one... the time Redrock was there... did you get your HVX?