Antony Hoffman: The Tales of Hoffman

Antony Hoffman is no stranger to working in China. The director has taken on a string of jobs in the region over the last three years acquiring a real taste of its production scene. Here  he talks about his experiences of shooting in the country and what it takes to be a success there.

What was the first project you worked on there? 

It was a Mercedes campaign with two well-known movie stars – Lin Chi-Ling and Zhang Hanyu – and was the first web launch for a car in China, as well as a regular TV campaign. 

Were you actually attracted to working in China that first time or was it simply a job that happened to be based there? 

It was a creative board that I liked very much, and I had done some direct-to-client Mercedes work for Germany that I think spurred their interest in me. 

How many times have you worked there in total?  

Well, I’ve kind of lost count. I presume I have done more than 15 shoots that were either in China or incubated by Chinese agencies [which] we then shot all over the world.

What do you like most about working in China? 

There is this very apparent appetite to out-do each other’s creativity and make something big. They seem enthralled by scale, often spending huge amounts on celebrities or actors. I have probably worked with half a dozen big stars there. If they say they want Brad Pitt, for example, they get Brad Pitt, which they did for a Cadillac ad this year.

What were your first impressions of working in the ad industry in China? 

At first I was astounded by the amount of people that were part of the creative teams and client services. Gradually, as I worked more often and they felt more comfortable with me, it seems that the swarm diminished, and I have a very good dialogue with creative directors now. 

As a director, what are the main differences between working in China and in the West? 

Really, from a production and creativity aspect, it’s a universal language. It’s the same in China [but] they need a lot more of your time. They expect the director to be there right through to the post production process. That can be fine on a good job that you like, but purgatory on a bad one. 

How creative are the jobs that come through Chinese agencies?

It’s getting better I think, but I feel it is still in a nascent state. There is a real slugfest between car brands, for example, to out-do each other; the unbelievable growth rate of car sales is directly correlated to the boom in ad production.

In your time working there, have you noticed a change – either positively or negatively – in the creative thinking from agencies?  It feels to me that once they trust you and you have a history, they are much more open to working with you. In China it’s really a face-to-face interaction culture, and they value your word. Once you realise that, it’s much better.

Why do you think there are very few good Chinese commercials directors? 

I really don’t know, but for the high-end work and big campaigns the clients really desire international directors who have a lot of experience in handling some of these very demanding clients.

Do you see that changing anytime soon? 

Yes, they will nurture home-grown talent, it’s inevitable. I think Chinese advertising is such a big pond that most non-Chinese don’t realise how it works. My producer Lisa [Hollingshead] and I are constantly engaged with the market and know about jobs long before the bidding stage. 

What tips would you give a director who was looking to work in China? 

Have patience! And lots of it.

What do you see for the future of Chinese advertising?  

I feel that China is in an incredibly exciting moment. So much of the doom and gloom we hear and feel in Europe and the US, all the recession talk – “it’s the end of this… it’s the end of that…” – doesn’t exist in China. In fact it’s the opposite. It’s just like the advertising boom in London in the mid-70s and early 80s, and the heyday of American creativity in the late 60s. The big difference is that China will go through that creative process in only five years. That’s China-time!