End of agencies?
Out of context: Reply #29
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- DaveO1
This is a really interesting topic for me right now. I've just gone in house at a massive American fashion brand, and coming from agencies my whole career, I am, on the whole, loving it! Loads more making & creating and less pitching. Production savvy people who are always on set made a change from a lot of people who are amazing at photoshop comps but can't plan a shoot and run a set. The volume of work we are doing is immense but it's a great situation to get the shoot / production craft down (and thats the bit I like).
A lot about the agency model in fashion to me was flawed in the layers and steps to CREATING the work. I had a terrible experience freelancing in NYC at a couple of agencies that all funnel into a fairly fickle and / or detached CCO and everything runs in fear of the single figurehead, how the meeting went etc.
Add to that the constant battle of trying to assess the clients taste level, and desire to do something that agrees with your taste... and then getting frustrated that they want a different photographer / director / casting choice. This ended up taking so much time that could have been spent making the work better rather than having endless discussions...
However, I really miss the agency rigor of thinking, and back end strategic work. Half the time it feels like its just nonsense and going round in circles but thats what you have to do sometimes to get to something unique. In house I've noticed can just be "okay sounds good lets shoot it!" – and I'm often left wondering if I need to make a proper presentation or just turn up on set.
I don't think agencies are over, and I think they're vital because the exterior knowledge, influences, perspective are super helpful and I can now see the benefit of hiring partners to do some of the work I've been doing as a CD – not out of laziness but more out of a grown up strategic desire for a fresh take on things.
- Let the creatives do what they do and get out of the way :)Hayoth
- Yup. Whenever i film for the in-house people i know all i need is to give them some flares in the frame and they'll be excited...pr2
- ...while the agency people (yes, sometimes easily impressed by the flares too) have seen those flares on way too many shoots.pr2
- @pr2 I've seen enough flares not to be THAT impressed ; I just know there'll be more down the road (when i was at agencies, they were the ONLY flares)DaveO
- agency or inhouse, when in doubt - use flares. This still stands true!pr2