Producer and Executive Producer BFCS. Head of Production.
BFCS was co-owned by Michael Seresin and Derek Coutts, and the company also represented Alan Parker plus many other features directors for commercials. The ethos of BFCS commercials was very much from a features 'bigger picture' approach and the standard of production was incredibly exacting, ambitious and professional on a large scale.
Often spending weeks travelling from one production to another, across many different countries and locations. The role as producers included budgeting, casting, treatments, shoot scheduling, assisting storyboarding and editing up to director's cut.
Campaigns produced included The Woolwich Building Society, shooting with 3,000 extras in Havana, Cuba, closing down the main city square, a McCann's coffee campaign in Mexico City and Durango desert, and a Building society spot which involved shooting a complete car crash with the LAPD in Hollywood.
Favourite moments: where my clapper loader whispered the film mag door had been inadvertently left open while shooting 3,000 extras in Havana, and with no hope of developing the film for two days (to find out if we needed a re-shoot).
I also convinced Madonna to star in an ad for Max Factor.
In one year I shot 100 days on set or on location