It's no surprise that Stella Artois' "Doctor" nabbed Best Television Commercial of the Year at the BTAA ceremony in London earlier this year. Shot in a soft grainy style by cinematographer Jan Velicky, its visual pallet conveys the essence of a rural French community ravaged by cholera.

Velicky studied cinematography at the Prague Film School for five years, moving into Czech TV and episodic work before venturing into the commercial world. Velicky then met London-based Stink director Ivan Zacharias and has been by his production side since. It's a collaboration that has pushed visual experimentation on many jobs - especially with "Doctor" - but also on other campaigns such as the recent Levi's work with Zacharias through Stink's stateside entity, bicoastal Smuggler. Both "French Dictionary" and "Atlas Bakery" through BBH, NY were lensed and lit in exquisite fashion.

Shot in the south of France over six days, "Doctor" was the answer to the client's request for an original look that stood alone from other commercials in its class. "It's kind of a tradition for Stella jobs. They want to do all their commercials in France to capture the authenticity and spirit of the land," says Velicky. "It became an interesting challenge to find an unique look. Stella work is so beautifully done that it was difficult to follow on, to be good and original."

"Doctor", the latest spot in Stella's "Reassuringly Expensive" campaign through Lowe, London was primarily shot on 5245 (Eastman EXR 50D) and 5246 (Kodak Vision 250D). The film, however, was degraded to such a point that speed and type became irrelevant. "We shot an original master print exposed normally at the beginning, then completed a couple of under-exposed prints to layer on top," explains Velicky about the job. "Those prints were consequently put together to see more details in the shadows. But it didn't matter what type of film we used, as it was degraded to create a completely different look in post."

Stink exec producer Daniel Bergmann has followed Zacharias and Velicky on many jobs for prodco Stink, seeing firsthand how the duo operate together. In many ways, Bergmann associates Zacharias' success to the visual expertise of Velicky. "They always come up with different and new looks to keep it fresh and interesting," explains Bergmann. "I think part of Ivan's success comes from his collaboration with Jan. Ivan will have the idea for a certain look, and Jan will find a technique to shoot and capture that idea. Jan's passionate about the image, using new equipment and lenses to create original looks in post, the lab and in telecine."

Velicky counts himself lucky to be with Zacharias (who was just awarded best direction over Budgen and Glazer for "Doctor" at the 2002 BTA Craft Awards in London, November 2002), working with the director on at least 50% of his commercial work. With Zacharias, he has the opportunity to follow jobs beyond the actual shoot, as he was during "Doctor". Post consisted of one week in the lab, two days of telecine and an additional ten days for composite work.

"We've been working together for 10 years and I basically do all of his commercials," explains Velicky. "We understand each other and have a similar eye, plus my influence and participation in the post process is as important as during the shoot. It's a little frustrating working with other directors; as cameraman I'm only required during the shoot."

"It's good to have a director who can focus on the job," adds Velicky. "This is crucial - the support from a director is needed on set. It makes me happy to be with Ivan on challenging commercials. I'm deeply involved in commercials since it's a fun business for me."

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