118 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding Media

Kevin Goff

Close-Up

Q

What were some useful lessons you learned through your first

experiences?

A

Th ere’s no right answer. But there are countless wrong answers. And

you’ll eventually fi nd countless examples where that’s true. For example,

a joke on a script that we’ve been laughing about for weeks, even

through auditions, comes out fl at when the camera starts rolling. Th e

belly laughs are suddenly replaced by crickets. Th ere’s no explanation

for it, but it doesn’t really matter why it’s happening. Because it’s not

working. And you better start writing. Fast. I highly recommend going

into a shoot with a good list of prepared alternatives. (Th ey’re easier to

write when you don’t have the client, director, producers, and entire

fi lm crew waiting on you to be funny.) You never know–an alternative

may be better than what was originally scripted. But you won’t know

until the shoot, or even until you start editing.

Q

Can you cite an instance when you were able to fi nd a visual solution

to a storytelling issue?

A

I was working on an assignment involving a movie promotion for a

major restaurant chain. I needed to fi nd a way to tell a story that linked

together the restaurant chain with the motion picture, and do it in a way

that would get people excited to go buy the food and go buy a movie

ticket. Additionally, the spot would be running globally so I had to fi nd

a solution that didn’t rely on dialogue. Not surprisingly, months went

by where no one was able to sell a script. If one side liked a script, the

other side didn’t. It’s how these promotions usually go. Eventually I sold

a script that satisfi ed everyone. It was a purely visual comparison of

the similar sensory experiences people would enjoy while watching the

fi lm and while eating the food. For example, I compared how someone

watching an intense action scene in a theater might grip the arm rest

of the seat their sitting in, the same way someone might grip their bag

of food if they were worried someone was going to steal it.

Behind the Scenes with Copywriter

Associate Creative

Director Kevin Goff,

whose credits include

internationally recognized

work for clients such as

McDonald’s, Capital

One, and State Farm.

(Courtesy of Kevin Goff )

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