*

"These days, everyone and their cousin directs in London so I keep my head down, plug hard at it and keep my nose clean," utters a modest but focused David Lodge.

Work for St. Ives through AMV.BBDO, and Ikea, "Billy," a final spot through St. Luke's [before the account went in-house at Ikea] are recent projects of note, both utilizing agency concepts Lodge jazzed up with humor in production.

"You're always looking for quirky ideas; those observational, ironic slices of life," says Lodge. "Then you have to grasp obscure concepts when they come through the fax then let them go off the rails. You fight fiercely for these scripts in the London market because it's the groundbreaking work I need to tackle. It's paramount to push the boundaries."

Lodge took McDonald's off the rails and onto the highway with "Recovery," a spot for Leo Burnett, London that shows a tow truck transporting a drained salaryman through a drive-through to be "filled up." Adopting a How Green Was My Valley tone, Ikea's "Billy" has a fence-post driving father tearfully send his son off to Ikea with a truckful of locals, bidding him, "Bring me back a lamp!"

Lodge has experienced an exponential rise in shoot days since January 2002, logging more than 20 days in just three months.

"It's brilliant to shoot so much," explains Lodge. "You have a quick turnaround, continue to learn your craft and the speed makes it very intense - you have to be quick on your feet."

His own entry into direction came through various promos, jumping between a number of production companies on the London market. Joining London's Outsider two years ago was a judicious choice, allowing Lodge better access to the elusive scripts he had sought.

"I'm not worried about big-budget work," says Lodge. "It's more finding ways to do progressive work far and away from the formulaic, slick shit with no concept to move you."

Webfiles:
Outsider> http://www.outsider.tv
Omaha> http://www.omahapictures.com