This one’s been around awhile, but it hasn’t had much press and we felt it was worth sharing, especially if you’re a recent graduate or young creative with around 40 minutes or so to kill.
Not knowing what to do following graduation, two young creatives (William Novak and Francis Carter) embarked on a road trip and made a no-budget documentary called “The Ad-Venture,” exploring the current state of the ever-evolving world of advertising.
The creative pair interviewed industry professionals across the country, and begin the documentary by sharing inspiring messages from these individuals about the advantages and pitfalls of working advertising. Although at times it can feel overwhelmingly like a series of talking heads, these industry professionals touch on some interesting points about the current state of advertising and where it’s headed in the future. Mixed in with the interviews are intriguing relics from advertising’s golden age, which act as a welcome change of pace, and an intriguing look backwards to balance out the mostly forward-looking nature of the film.
As the documentary was dreamed up by young creatives, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they spend a significant amount of time delving into the creative process, getting differing opinions about how best to tackle a project, and the different processes interviewees utilize in their work. This part of the film tends to drag a little bit, as, even if this is an area of interest, it gets a bit repetitive hearing people talk about the creative process (especially when different people inevitably repeat the same basic ideas).
The pair also tackle the creative differences agencies in different parts of the country tend to have in an attempt to answer for the viewer where it is in the advertising world that they might belong. Although this section can feel like a bunch of creatives pitching for their own agencies, they quickly move on to how to stand out from the pack and land a job, ending the video on something of an inspiring note. Although it’s something of a mixed bag, and you may end up utilizing the fast-forward option quite a bit, there are enough clever insights and pieces of good advice to recommend “The Ad-Venture” to interested parties. Stick around for credits after the jump. Credits:
Written, Edited and Directed by: William Novak
Narration: Will Obering
Music by:
Blitzvixen
The Menzingers
Captain, We’re Sinking
Danosongs.com
Production: Ideaocracy
Assistant Production: Lisa Matthew
Motion Graphics: Rob Adams
Audio Post Engineer: Will Whatley
Additional Design Work: Francis Carter, William Novak