Coca-Cola Spot: Commentary (1 min. 1997) Director: Lenard Dorfman, editor: Julie Drazen, assistant editor: Lester Alfonso for @radicalmedia New York late 90s.
Day 26 of 360 videos from my archive. This one dates back to the 20th century and you may notice that this was digitized from worn-out VHS. Once upon a time in New York City, I worked at one of the top advertising agencies as an assistant to editor Julie Drazen. The client was Coca-cola. We got to work with legendary director Lenny Dorfman and he gave me a piece of advice about filmmaking that I took to heart and never forgot.
Over the six-month job, we waded through sixty hours of black and white documentary footage and sixteen TV spots were made. The one we lovingly called “Blind Matt” won the hearts of many when the commercial finally aired on British TV.
This ad about a blind football spectator who relied on his brothers to provide a play-by-play commentary to him personally at each match went on to win the top prize in the 1998 British Television Advertising Awards for the Soft Drinks category.
During a free moment during our edit, I asked Lenny if he’d like to watch a movie that I had made and give me feedback. I showed him The Best Waitress in the World from film school and he said he really liked it and he appreciated all the special touches.
I asked Lenny if he had any advice on how I could become a filmmaker and he said: “a filmmaker makes films. That is all. You just have to beg, borrow, or steal because you’re driven to make them.”
“A filmmaker makes films,” he said. I never forgot that. You’d be proud of me, Mr. Dorfman. No matter what, no budget or less-than-no-budget, I still make films because I’m a born filmmaker through and through.
More soon. — LA
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