Can shrinking budgets still do justice to creative ideas in the new economy? Are agency ideas fully realized in the post process? Boards investigates the effect of cutbacks in the post world and discovers that delivery, efficiency and creativity remain key to keeping a post house in the game.

The ad industry's maverick nature of old has been replaced by a new business model where agencies seek cost consultants to outline budgetary bottom-lines. Because of this constrained climate, client expectations are even higher and post-production continues to be a big part of the process.

"There's a general awareness of budgets and their restrictions in the minds of every creative team," explains Peter Friedman, EVP and director of broadcast production at New York-based McCann-Erickson. "It's more prevalent now than ever before. Creative teams have to understand the realities of budgets."

In short, you still get what you pay for.

On the post side of the fence, "working within a smaller pool of money means we're forced to find creative solutions," says Vito DeSario, editor/owner of Version 2 Editing in New York. He says passion for the job and a strong end-product has kept customers coming back. Version 2 operates with design studio Liquid Light under the same roof - the oft quipped one-stop-shop scenario. Compared to boutiques, this can have less elite connotations, but Frank Devlin, exec producer of New York-based Liquid Light, prefers not to characterize the unit that way. Rather, "placing our resources together means we're [functioning as] a design and editing collective, so there's more depth than the term suggests."

Devlin says merging post businesses can boost speed and efficiency - attractive to agencies on the hunt for affordable post. The approval process gets streamlined and timelines shrink as ideas bounce between the same walls.

"What we offer as a collective is peace of mind," explains Devlin. "Creatives see dailies as they come in and bounce ideas off colleagues and editors because we're all in the same space. Sharing resources allows us to be competitive because we're moving money around within the company, as opposed to having fixed costs outside. We negotiate with each other."

Agencies agree the one-stop shop is a valid option. "The times I've found them to be attractive is when I'm doing things in a rush," says Bret Ridgeway, creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, LA. "We've had our share of spots due in 48 hours, and it's a blessing not to run all over town."

However, Ridgeway says you can't always get what you want under the same roof. "I'm still a fan of finding a particular editor, a specific music shop or a post house whenever possible."

One advantage of running a one-stop shop is that it eliminates finger-pointing between parties. The Orphanage, an LA-based cradle-to-grave outfit, handles production, editorial and post on each job. That way, "we don't have lingering questions about how to pull it all off," says Stu Maschwitz, chief technology officer and senior visual effects supervisor. In addition, an integrated team means affordable in-house talent. "We don't have to source externally at an hourly rate," he says. "I don't know how other people survive."

The talent aspect is key. As savvy as the collective post house becomes, its success still hinges on the creativity of its staff.

"Initial discussions [with post houses] revolve around personnel and talent, then monetary considerations come into play," says Friedman. "Once we seek a specific person it then becomes a case of figuring out the numbers with their producers. If the talent's available we always come to some kind of an agreement."

And that's the tough part. "Agencies want more for less, they don't want less for more," quips Richard Cormier, managing director at special effects house R!OT in Santa Monica. "We've all been forced to become more efficient overall. Approval layers are becoming more and more streamlined - for example, more work is seen on-line and there's less need to travel as a result."

Devlin says sometimes a post house has to get creative with its solutions to attract budget-conscious clients. "You may have to use a lower-cost platform like After Effects versus a higher-end suite like inferno, but at least the job's secured and you get to work your magic."

Friedman offers that quantity is sacrificed over quality. "It's sometimes advantageous to have a three-spot rather than a four-spot campaign," he explains. "Plus, the media buy will be less. But no agency will ever cut back on the quality. Agencies may produce fewer new commercials and recycle old ones, but once you go cheap for big advertisers you just spiral down."

Money doesn't necessarily equate with making the best spots. "The bottom line is that a good idea is a good idea, fromconcept through post," says Ridgeway. "The lower the budget, the more fun you have. Less people are involved in the process and you're more hands on with the work. That's how I always envisioned this business to be, not sitting back behind a bank of monitors eating donuts."

Post-production trends will hinge on the bigger picture of advertising - needs, platforms and budgets - but the push toward the next big thing is inevitable. "We're all victims of pop culture," says Ridgeway. "We'll always see effects from films such as Lord of the Rings, Terminator and The Matrix cross over to advertising. There will always be a demand for the latest special effects."

WEBFILES:
McCann-Erickson> http://www.mccann.com
Saatchi & Saatchi, LA> http://www.saatchila.com
Version 2> http://www.Version2.net
Liquid Light> http://www.liquidlight.cc
The Orphanage> http://www.theorphanage.com
R!OT> http://www.rioting.com