Commercial Directing Voodoo: Filmmaking Spells & Production Potions

This very short book was something of a disappointment - it’s far from the Bible or Everything You Need to Know. It has some useful and actionable advice but It more feels like a distillation of advice from a long talk and Q&A to young directors. The layout, formatting and illustrations are shockingly rudimentary which gives it a cheap feeling. Further, the author admits to creating blank filler pages with more rough drawings in the back for binding purposes and then throws in a tabaco sauce ad at the end in a complete non-sequiter. This was a quick and dirty book when it could have been something of greater production quality given the Incredible experience of the author. Brand quality comes to mind as something that wasn’t considered. This takes nothing away from the advice. There are some gold nuggets in there. I almost returned it but then I was like, well, it’s only ten bucks. I consider it a tip to his advice rather than payment for the book if that makes sense.

This book by Jordan Brady while disguised as a last minute book report by a teenager with wide-margin, a short word count and lots of illustrations is in fact the book I would most recommend to anyone wanting to up their game in commercial directing. It’s the mother lode of valuable tips, hacks and wise nudges in the right direction. He shares insights and elements from the professional driver's seat. He explains the how and the why. This is one of those teach a man to fish books in an industry where no one is even willing to bait your hook for fear that you will take their job if they learn the secrets. It is short enough to devour in one sitting or you can eat it a few pages at a time. Either way, I advise that you get it inside you so that you can apply it on your next shoot. Kudos to Jordan for his generosity!

Jordan Brady has directed countless commercials and graciously teaches seminars to help the next generation of directors (and you know someone is a menschy sweetheart when he keeps mentoring new crops of his own competition). COMMERCIAL DIRECTING VOODOO provides smart & practical advice (i.e. actionable intelligence) for directors of commercials and branded entertainment; though there's useful advice for other kinds of media/formats, too. While some of the tips are tailored to the novice director (perhaps one who's just beginning to focus on commercials), other techniques may be novel even to the seasoned veteran. Do you fully know why you should do a "silent take"? What do you know about the term "50-50 and tail slate"? Which is the funniest lens vs. the sexy lens? Why "go dark between shots"? Don't let your competition know more than you. Buy Jordan's book; it's like getting a wise mentor in Hollywood / on Madison Avenue without having to kiss anyone's butt.

Jordan's book blew me and my team away. His chapters on mindset were just as important as the "voodoo" though I must admit it's his tips and tricks that we find ourselves going back to again and again. His writing style is fun to read and makes you feel like he's in the room helping to guide you. Please do yourself a favor and buy this book. I guarantee you'll take away at least one insight that will make you think "why didn't I do this last time?!?!" and excited to have the chance to put it to work the next time you're on set.

A very short but useful read.I read this mini book in under an hour. I love the personable style in which it's written. I am a young director looking to break into commercial directing. For the short time that I read this, I felt like I had a mentor in Jordan. He primarily makes good points on how to treat you crew and conduct yourself on set. I do wish it was longer and more detailed as I am left with many many questions on how to get started, develop a career, working with actors etc. Perhaps he will share more secrets at some point!!! Thank you for sharing your insight Jordan, your attitude on set is how I strive to behave with everyone. Passing down knowledge is so important.Cheers.Diego

Its been said above by many reviews, this book is fantastic. I will though focus on the event that grabbed me the most. The book looks deceivingly simple. While it is short with airy paragraphs and hilarious illustrations, it is not to be underestimated. The depth packed in each page, even when written very simply, is tremendous. You can feel the years of Jordan's experience informing the words and syntax. IMHO, to fully benefit from this book, I suggest not reading it very quickly. Read it as if its some kind of wisdom book of monks - reads a page, mediate on the illustration, laugh, reflect, jot down take aways on the page, repeat ;)

If it were only one of those things (wise or funny), I'm not sure I would've enjoyed it as much. But thank our random small galaxy, Jordan Brady is both. This pithy volume is filled with practical tips and unique observations into the art of commercial direction. And did I mention it's hilarious? Highly recommended to anyone in the advertising business or anyone interested in commercial production. Or anyone with a pulse or sense of humor. I tried to think of a book to compare this to, but couldn't. And in a creative business, that's about the highest compliment I can give. Go get you some.

I found this book to be educational, jaunty and beguiling.Jordan Brady kicks it real in a conversational, self-effacing fashion and shares what he's learned from his successes and mistakes.Rather than engaging in varied piffle or waxing philosophically to fill pages, Jordan hits the ground running to give you his best suggestions of how to achieve your goals in the industry.After reading it, I thought to myself: "I didn't buy the book. The book bought me!" So, I'm sold on the opinion that you should buy this book.

Il libro è carino, versione inglese, contiene dei consigli molto “basic” per chi desidera avvicinarsi al mondo del videomaking. Quello che non mi è piaciuto sono le illustrazioni, a bassa risoluzione da vicino sulla carta appaiono tutte pixelate e poi l’ho trovato poco utile nel caso di adulti, forse può andar bene per un ragazzino ma nemmeno più di tanto. Le ultime pagine sono volutamente lasciate in bianco, dice l’autore che “servono per dare una lunghezza consona al libro” e possono risultare utili per prendere appunti. Mah, decisamente no.

Feels like this book and comments around it are complete joke. Content can be squeezed to 10 pages and advices are very obvious, more suitable for absolute beginners. Expected more.