"You need to have the ability to make a person feel comfortable and safe but you also have to maintain a way of getting them to do what you want," says Ducovny. "I think that somehow, when people see you with the camera on your shoulder and a little bit of sweat...there's a safety net involved; like somehow you're more of a physical entity compared to the director who sits at the monitor all closed up."

In his 12 years as a cameraman, Ducovny, a principal at Venice-based Cucoloris Films, has twice been awarded the Eastman Kodak Award, while building a reel that defies classification other than for its emotional and humanistic appeal.

Take for example a recent campaign shot for Sprint through Grey Advertising, New York. "Search," "Tell Her," and "Stockholders" capture moments of honest human interaction amid rapid technological advancement. Narrated by brother David, the "Point of Contact" commercials won the director a Silver Hugo.

"What I like about Danny is that he's not limited to any one style," says long-time friend and Grey creative Dave Tutin. "He can do something that's filled with emotion like the Sprint campaign or something like autotel.com that is effects-driven." Tutin is referring to a recent spot for an online service dramatizing the idea of car delivery straight to your door.

"We took the most ubiquitous sign of delivery which is the newspaper in the morning," laughs Tutin. "We have a kid delivering papers and the papers are flying through the air and landing on doorsteps. Then you see a car being thrown into the driveway."

Ducovny explains that his commercials, which span cars (Volkswagen, Saturn, Honda and Chevrolet), Healthcare (Harvard Health, Foundation Health), and a number of blue chip accounts including Adidas, Budweiser, Miller and Coca-Cola, are indicative of cinematic stages in which he executes specific ideas.

He confides that he has a renewed interest in shooting cars after observing new light. "I have this theory that you can keep the shutter open for a long time and maybe paint the car with different light and have it look as though it's moving but it's not. If an idea like that flashes through my head then I look for a way to use it. That's sort of how I work."

A testament to his affinity for spontaneity, the director's reel is largely composed of real people. "I do cast people for expression because in two seconds an expression put in the right place will tell your story," states Ducovny. "They smile and that's your shot."

Enter "Scott" the young asthmatic profiled in an ad for Harvard Health. The director stumbled upon the spot's namesake while contemplating the commercial in a Boston park. Adjusting his camera, Ducovny was shooting a nearby fountain when the little boys accidentally danced into the frame.

The spot reminds Ducovny that it is just as important to walk onto the set having already done your homework, as it is knowing when to throw it out.

"I kind of like chaos," admits Ducovny. "You know a lot of directors do because we like to come in and solve things. There's nothing scarier to me than a really calm organized room -- where do I fit in? I need a problem so I can rise to the surface and be a hero."

Creative problem solving was paramount to the Lycos "Bagpipes" spot in which the Lycos dog retrieves a pair of boxer shorts for a bagpiper struggling to keep his kilt from blowing upwards. Plans to shoot on location in England were scrapped due to quarantine laws and the production relocated to France.

Short one black lab, the crew then resorted to dying a golden lab for the spot. "Black dogs have black gums," says Ducovny with a smile. "Our boy has got a pink nose and pink lips, so he's got a little bit more expression."

Relishing such subtleties, the director reveals that a little air in the lab's ear is responsible for the canine's reaction to the sight of the Scotsman's "unit" as the kilt flies recklessly in the breeze.

The key to creating such successful campaigns, according to Ducovny, is to learn how to get out of your own way. "That's when you do your best work. If you sit there thinking about yourself and holding yourself back and restrained, you're not free."

WEB.FILES

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