HIT AND MYTH – ART OF THE TREATMENT WRITER

“I make ideas sexy”

Try that over drinks as see how far you get. Whilst that’s exactly what I do, it’s rarely how I explain it in person. As an ex-Mad Man working across Asia, I’ve always relished the international man of mystery aura. Being a ghostwriter to the advertising gentry does that reputation no harm whatsoever. Mostly when I asked what I do, I say I work in film. If pressed, I say short films…very short… like 30 seconds short. But at industry flesh fests in Cannes and LA, questions are usually more pointed. Directors ask me about my work process and how the actual treatment gets written. They’re really asking is how their vision will flow into the directors notes via the treatment writer’s mind and keyboard. Well… the first thing I do is to put them at ease. I ask if they want to work collaboratively. Or I’m perfectly happy to start and write the whole thing from start to finish. Then they can browse through the first draft and add or subtract as they see fit. This relaxes clients enormously. It takes the pressure off them. With three decades of experience of writing, pitching, producing and shooting commercials, I know what I’m doing. It’s my job to make life easy for my clients. A couple of pointed questions at the start give me a good indication of where the director’s head is at. This is the communication and information gathering phase: talking by phone, over video or via email. The best tool in this process is the concall, preferably with a transcription, between agency and director. That’s always gold but I can easily manage without. A fresh perspective is very useful. It helps me find my mojo and jettison myself into a trance of positivity about whatever I sit down to write. My job is to make shit cool. That’s the essence of virtually every brief every I’ve ever had – a heartrending pleas from the marketing director… “please, please, please Mr Adverting Man, PLEASE make me cool”. Then I kickstart my own internal process, summon the muses and unleash the creative kraken.

TVC TREATMENT WRITER

If the director wants image research and design, that’s when I’ll start sharing pix, mood boards, graphic styles, typography and vid ref. Their choices at this stage are always a strong indicator of what they’re after. If they have a preferred treatment format, I use that to create an outline. Usually the director leaves it to me. The first draft is ready within 24-48 hours – that’s when I get feedback. As an agency veteran and ex ECD at BBDO and JWT, directors trust me to know how to couch an idea. Mostly the revisions are generally a couple of design and image tweaks. Throughout the process I’m available 24/7 and happy to respond quickly to director calls and emails. The whole job rarely takes more than a couple of days after the first draft. The final stage is to deliver the full INDESIGN file. The question that directors ask most often is how I can match their voice. Ironically, I’m not sure I know the answer to that one… I just can. Decades of copywriting for thousands of different brands, individuals and organisations have meant I have stacked up 10,000 plus hours of ghostwriting mastery. Now that I think about it, starting at Leo Burnett in ’88, I have over 30,000 hours invested in the advertising   craft. That’s why it’s second nature. Nailing style comes from intuition plus a nuanced understanding of how agency people talk and think. Having worked across the Asia, Europe, US and the Middle East, I have an intuitive understanding of how creatives from different regions communicate and an ear for industry vernacular. After managing departments from Melbourne to Malaysia, I know how creative people articulate and can confidently hit the right tone for the treatment. Having delivered hundreds of treatments and pitches for clients in over 75 countries, I’ve learnt that creatives speak the same language… albeit with a few regional differences. Film jargon is another matter. I’ve been tripping over cables on shoots since the late eighties. Tech is always changing so it’s vital to stay current with trends in film and post production. I’m based in London with arguably has the finest production facilities on the planet. Aside from clients, I have lots of friends in the industry who keep me completely up to date. Regular travel to LA, NY, Europe and Asia means I also stay current on the best work being produced internationally. The original Mad Man Bill Bernbach said, “live in the current idiom and you will create it”. He was right. Mostly…