The 4As sent two young creatives from JWT to represent Singapore at the recent AdFest Young Lotus competition. From the word “go”, the pair had only 48-hours to execute a TVC to promote Pattaya. Armed with little resources and a video phone, they survived the bumpy tuk-tuks, mosquito gestation and scorching rays. Meet the pair who survived the grueling 48-hours, Clarence Chiew, Copywriter and Elisa Tan, Junior Art Director.
1. You were assigned a real brief: develop and execute a 60 second commercial within 48 hours. The message: “You can do good things in Pattaya.” Describe your experience.
Clarence: It was the most challenging 48 hours I've ever experienced. I think Elisa and I only got about 1 hour of sleep in between. The brief itself was quite challenging, how do you get people to appreciate and visit Pattaya for reasons other than its shady reputation? On top of that there was a reality show element in the competition, which meant that we had to deal with a 2-man camera crew shadowing our every move. Now I know how Amazing Race contestants feel!
Elisa: It's really tough because you have to crack the brief in 24 hours, and the harder bit is to convince yourself about the creative proposition!
2. What have you learnt from the Young Creative workshop?
Clarence: I've learnt never to trust your judgement if you haven't slept for 40 hours straight. When sleep deprived, your mind has a way of playing tricks on you!
Elisa: I have learnt not to compromise on the idea just because of the level of difficulty of the execution.
3. How would you describe your work produced for the Young Lotus competition?
Clarence: I think we did our best within the parameters. However, after seeing Japan's winning work, I was left floundering for excuses. Not only did they have a brilliant, simple idea, they executed it superbly.
Elisa: Hmmmm......
4. If you could relive those 48 hours, what would you change?
Clarence: I would definitely have paced ourselves better, and tried as much as possible to sleep more. Since the results also hinged on how good your final product looked, I would also probably have concentrated less on trying address Pattaya's ills, and focus on a more generic message.
Elisa: I would have been more relentless on the ideas and the crafting.
5. What advice would you give to future Young Lotus participants?
Clarence: Don't try to be too clever. Keep your idea simple. And if execution is involved, try to be as surprising as you can. Oh and remember to have fun!
Elisa: You have only one chance in your lifetime to be at the Young Lotus. Kill yourself over the idea.
Wish you were there? Catch a glimpse of AdFest 2007 at the 4As Photo Gallery and more from Andy Maluche.
