To get a sense of the state of the market, we contacted four of Atlanta's top talents. Each has made a mark in the commercial arena and is well versed in how to succeed in a very tough business.

Director/cinematographer Steve Colby is usually one of the first names mentioned when creatives list the market's top guns. The Atlanta native heads up the four-year-old Pogo Pictures, a production company now in its fourth year. Colby's reel contains work shot all over the globe for leading local and national ad shops and includes a number of state tourism spots and ads for Breyer's Ice Cream, Slazenger Golf, the U.S. Marine Corps and Verizon Wireless.

When GE Power Systems, one of his biggest clients, moved its corporate headquarters south, Tom Gliserman opened an Atlanta branch of Mountain View Group. Like its other operations in New York City and Schenectady, NY, the Georgia office produces commercials and corporate communications. The growing office has added such clients as BellSouth, Home Depot and Web MD. As a director, Gliserman has helmed special effects and humor spots, but feels a special affinity for work highlighting "real" people.

Jon Hill began his career in visual communications as a still photographer. One day he was offered an opportunity to shoot a commercial, and since then he has created both still and moving imagery for top Atlanta agencies for such clients as the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Film and Video Festival, the Real Yellow Pages, Stone Mountain Park and SunTrust Banks. Hill prefers to handle the roles of director and cinematographer because of the advantage he derives from seeing for himself what the camera is capturing.

Originally from south Florida, cinematographer Mitchell Lipsiner jokes that he and his wife moved to Atlanta because they wanted to live in a place where the seasons changed and that was not too far from family. While working on the feature film "The Long Riders" in southwest Georgia, Lipsiner came to appreciate the quality of life here, and he relocated 12 years ago. He cites the convenience of Hartsfield Airport as a major plus. In addition to shooting commercials for a number of local advertisers like Dixie Homecrafters, Gutter Guard, and Kauffman Tire, Lipsiner shot a 60-second black-and-white spot for the U.K.'s BBC 4 high definition television channel which garnered numerous honors in ad shows.

What follows are excerpts from conversations held with the commercial wizards on the art and science of crafting a winning spot.

Q People are complaining of sluggish business all over the country. What is your take on how the Atlanta ad market is doing?

COLBY: "Although we're coming off our best year, I've been seeing a major downshift in board flow. Over the past few years, I feel we've gotten a lot more support from the agency community here. I think some of their budgets have decreased, which has made it more difficult to go to L.A. or New York. So they want to do the best they can with the money they have."

GLISERMAN: "It's doing pretty darn well compared to the New York market, which is decimated. There are a lot of people moving here."

HILL: "It's been pretty busy for us. I think it's on the upswing."

LIPSINER: "It's behind a number of major markets. I started out in south Florida where there were always high-end commercials with substantial budgets. I find in [Atlanta], however, that if there's a large budget, agencies will go to New York, L.A., other markets or even Canada.

Q Many have complained that Atlanta advertising tends to follow a conservative, non-risky approach. Do you feel this trend is continuing, or are you seeing more daring creative?

GLISERMAN: "Unfortunately, that remains the case. When I show people work I've done elsewhere, they usually reply, 'I wish we had that kind of creative here.' When you come to town and see local work, it's a very different feel."

HILL: "Atlanta creative has gotten more risky. To compete in this economy, everybody's been forced to, so creative all around from the agencies to the production companies has gotten better."

LIPSINER: "The feedback I've gotten from creative directors who have come from larger markets like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles is that their supervisors don't seem to want to take risks. They're very conservative. The result is that I sometimes get very lame creative."

Q When an ad agency sends you a board, what things say this is an assignment you want to take?

COLBY: "I look for boards that will help me grow and maybe show me in a different light. I especially look for a good story that provides an opportunity to create dynamic visuals. I want to do work that broadens my reel and makes it stronger.

GLISERMAN: "I love to see stuff that's new and adventurous, and concepts that are not run of the mill. I love it when there's truth behind what you're doing and it feels real. I want to be able to look at the finished spot and say, 'I'll buy it.'"

HILL: "My strongest work is humor, so I'm always looking for edgy, funny and creative concepts where [creative] people want to push their clients and the client lets them go there. When ad people come to me, they've been working on the spot for weeks or months and they've got the creative where they want it. They're coming to me to take their concept one step higher."

LIPSINER: "First of all if it's to be shot on film. Then, finding out which artists are involved and if the creative is good. In this market, if a good board comes through, you jump on it because it doesn't happen that often anymore. If the creative is good, and there's a decent budget so that you can accomplish that creative, that adds on to it."

Q Are the creatives you work with open to your input? Do you welcome input from them in the course of a shoot?

COLBY: "I believe directors aren't being paid just to shoot the board, you need to have a vision. And that vision needs to be in sync with what the agency sold the client. The creatives want input and ideas on how to make that board better. So every time I get a job, I break the board down and explore ways to make it better. It's a collaborative process and when the team is working together and able to see the same way, the end result is a better job."

GLISERMAN: "I welcome as much input as will make the clients comfortable. It's important in this business to be a team player and there's so little room for egos. Finding that line with each new client is a trick. I've done a lot of work directly with [advertisers'] in house creative [departments]. Because you're working with people who are so in tune with what they're doing, there's more freedom to expand ideas without going through too many layers [of bureaucracy]. I want them to have strong opinions, but also to be open to others and willing to work collaboratively to make the best possible spot."

HILL: My job is to take the client's concept to the next level. A lot of times, they want feedback and feelthere's something edgier they can get out of it. Right off the bat it's a collaboration. I have to be open to what they're talking about. The more open I am to their ideas, the more they're willing to hear my suggestions. I try to have casual discussions where we may go out for a beer, sit down and hammer things out."

LIPSINER: "As a director of photography, I need the input from the directors. The [ad agency] creative directors are more ego-driven, so if you do come up with an idea, you have to whisper so that it seems like it's coming from them. When I get a C.D. who won't give me any leeway, I still do the job, knowing it's an ego-driven thing, and work closely with that C.D. to give them what they want. They know their clients, know what the agency wants so you give them what they want."

Q What are some of the changes you have witnessed over the years in how commercials are made?

COLBY: "Looks and techniques are always changing. The main thing we've seen is a shift in lighting, which is now flatter and more natural. The film stocks are so good and the transfer machines are so strong you can shoot in lighting conditions that may not have been so desirable in the past. Rather than wait for that perfect 30 minutes of light during the morning or afternoon, you now have the ability to shoot all day. By doing that, you change the look of commercials into a 'real' look."

GLISERMAN: "People are working smarter, faster and cheaper every day because of the effect technology has had on this business. I did a spot that was shot in [high definition] using a green screen, created hi def resolution backgrounds in Adobe Photoshop and edited it on my Mac laptop. I sent that to someone with an Avid who conformed it, while at the same time I e-mailed a QuickTime file of the rough edit to a music house that created a score. It's amazing how much production time you save and what you can achieve working within the boundaries of today's technology."

LIPSINER: "Technology has helped in areas like special effects. Areas that used to be time consuming like blue or green screen are so much easier now. Today's filmmaking technology allows you to move so much faster and because the equipment and film stocks are much more forgiving, I can attempt shots with visuals that dazzle and capture the viewer's eye."

Q Does Atlanta provide the necessary production infrastructure and support services?

COLBY: "Being from Atlanta, I'm biased, but I think the crews here are incredible. I hear the same thing from people who come in from outside the market. Atlanta crews are very experienced, know the latest techniques, and work with up to date equipment supplied by equipment houses which have everything we want."

GLISERMAN: "It's different working in the Southeast than the Northeast, but you find quality people here and they're all good. We haven't had to bring people in but have used local crew, and happily so. The facilities here are really good. I've done work at many of them and found a good degree of talent. The personnel are technologically savvy and the equipment up to date. More so than other places, Atlanta is a technology driven town. People keep up with and invest in the forefront of new technology, and it shows."

HILL: "Atlanta is an awesome, often overlooked market. The talent has always been here. We may not have as much in terms of support as L.A. or New York, but anyone I've worked with in Atlanta has been as talented as people in any other market."

LIPSINER: "The local crews and equipment are fantastic. One of the best labs in the country, Cinefilm, is here."

Q What do you feel is the key to creating a successful spot?

COLBY: "I think the director should be the leader. If you have too many leaders, there's a lack of direction and vision, and the set becomes a confusing place. You need to command an army of people trying to achieve the same goal. If the agency is confident you understand what they want, you're able to go out and make that board work. I want to make commercials that cause the client to get emotional in the screening room because they love them so much. When the client and agency walk away happy, it makes me feel good."

GLISERMAN: "You go through so much prep work to get to the shoot day, but once you're there it has to be fun. Once you're on the set, it has to be a pleasant experience with the right vibe or else it will show. Not everyone does that, but for me it works. I want people to go home at the end of a shoot feeling it was a positive experience where they learned something and had fun. We really believe in doing the prep work up front so that on shoot day, you can vary from convention because you're so well planned and have a handle on what you're doing."

HILL: "I believe in having fun. If you're not having fun, you shouldn't be doing this."

LIPSINER: "To me, it's the ability to go beyond what's expected. Because I work in film, I'm able to take chances. During the shoot, I know what I can and cannot get away with, knowing that magic can be done in telecine and post production."

© 2003, Allen Rabinowitz - All Rights Reserved.