Known for their erratic mood swings and flights of temper, creative directors are a much-feared bunch. Those of you who have been on the receiving end of their frantic phone calls to speed-up a job or redo an entire storyboard because “it lacks something” will agree with my hypothesis. That is why I was pleasantly surprised to meet James Chung, at his BDA office, near Chinatown in Singapore. Armed with a warm smile and an easy demeanor, the 38-year-old creative director seemed completely at ease with himself. I nearly allowed his long-brownhair-and a ripped-jeans look to lead me into thinking him to be a streetwise type. But before I could do that, he sprang another surprise on me. He happens to hold a Master’s of Fine Arts in Mass Communications from Pratt University of New York. I have sworn never to judge people from their appearances again.

It was after finishing his Masters from USA that the Taiwanese director returned to his home country. He was lucky to find a job in an industry he loved. His homecoming coincided with the launch of Taiwan’s TVBS, which offered him a position in their graphics department. Set up in 1993, the broadcasting outfit started out with a single channel and its graphics department employed only three people, including James. It was here that James received his ‘real’ education.

He recounts, “it was tough work and the system being very new, was chaotic, but I am the sort who thrives under pressure, so I managed to learn fast and build up a strong foundation which helped in subsequent careers.”

Providing in-house support through channel branding ads and ID spots, among other graphics-related work, for a fast growing broadcaster also meant long hours and impossibly tight deadlines. “When TVBS launched its 24-hour news channel, the few of us in graphics were racing against time to provide round-the-clock graphics updates for the channel. We really learned the hard way the back-end work and pace that was required for this industry,” he says.

All the hard work and training paid off when James got his big break with MTV Mandarin. The channel that originally operated out of Singapore shifted its operations to Taiwan in 1998 and hired James as a promo producer.

“Working for MTV exposed me to an International company that operated its business markedly different from an Asian company like TVBS, which, like most terrestrial broadcasters in the Mandarin-speaking regions, imported

its systems and know-how mainly from Hong Kong.” says James.

James settled in quickly at his new job and enjoyed the opportunities that came with it. “To this day, as compared with all the in-house work I have done, MTV offered me the most creative freedom to pursue my own original ideas and concepts,” he says. And exercise the freedom he did.

An eyebrow-raising affair

Jame’s first project with MTV, one of his most eye-catching, was a string of spots that launched the channels localization campaign. This campaign raised more than a few eyebrows when it hit the Taiwanese television in the early nineties.

Using a local slang which alludes to the size of a certain male anatomy, the tagline used in the promo spots for MTV Taiwan was irreverent, to say the least. With tongues firmly tucked in cheeks, James and company went on the offensive and launched a series of ads that parlayed the shock element to new heights. In one of the “obsession” spots, the MTV logo was seen dangling precariously from a male model’s privates.

“We had grabbed everyone’s attention which was the goal from the word ‘go,” James says. After these promos were shown, Taiwan’s local television authorities advised MTV against using the questionable visuals. The channel then pulled a plug on the ‘suggestive’ portions of the promos. To this day, James affectionately calls the early period at MTV “the happy hour” because of the creative freedom he was given.

“In our line of work, we are constantly developing new ways of attracting attention. It does help when you are allowed to be as varied and diverse as your imagination can stretch, even going off tangent at times,” he says.

“As soon as you fall into a certain pattern or mould of doing something, you have to break it and start afresh,” he adds.

Perhaps it is this philosophy of “beginning on a fresh note” that has helped him with his career decisions. When he joined BDA in May 2004, he had already worked for five different employers. These included brief stints with the Disney and Discovery channels, as well as directorial roles in a string of TVCs and music videos.

“Personally, I need to know that I am given enough creative space in order to function properly. And to basically feel at ease with the working environment is very important to me,” says James.

Drop the hype!

Life for James seems to have come a full-circle with his current position at BDA. He is back to directing branding and promotional ads for an impressive list of international clients. These include Nickleodeon, HBO, Disney, CNBC, Turner, and ESPN Sports. His more recent works include channel re-branding for China’s SETV network in Fuzhou, brand and ID spots for Indian movie channel Filmy, and the repositioning image campaign and overall on-air presentation of Singapore’s Channel U, following the merger of SPH Mediaworks and Mediacorp.

James believes that unlike others in entertainment business broadcast designers are hired to sell the product and not themselves. To this end, he has a mantra for survival, in a trade where trumpet blowers flourish. James says pointedly, “Cut all the hype and agency crap! Just get on with the job, deliver what was promised and always ensure that you’re doing your best.”

Ask him about his strengths as a creative director and he admits to concealing, what he calls “cheap tricks” up his sleeve. Years of fiddling with effects and motion tracking software have honed the post-production skills of this graphic strained director.

“During principal photography, I can better advise the DP from the perspective of someone who knows what can be accomplished at post. I can wrap a shoot faster than other directors who have no idea what can be tweaked during the post process,” he says.

James also takes pride in being able to work within tight budgets. His ability to visualize the post-production work at the conceptual stage and his knowledge of using special effects translate into substantial savings for the client.

“Sometimes the use of special effects involving a lot of compositing, camera work and speed cranks can make a small budgeted advertisement look expensive,” he says.

No wonder then that he was nominated for Apollo Awards in the “Best Direction for a TVC under US$15,000” category for Channel U’s branding spots.

Cutting edge work

Ask him where he draws his inspiration from and the Wong Kar Wai fan attributes his creativity to his design background and the popular media.

“My graphics background has ingrained in me the desire to always be hip to the latest and most revolutionary, particularly in the design and fashion fields. I pick up design-based magazines wherever I go, especially during my travels, and they help me to stay in touch with the prevalent trends of the day and new design concepts on the market,” he admits.

James lets us in to another secret that helps make his work cutting edge.

“I always try to work with a younger DP,” the bachelor shares, “because from my experience, they are more experimental and have a certain edginess to their style and approach.”

Being the easy-going person that he is, James explains that he has no qualms working with a “more experienced” DP, except that they tended to be less receptive to new ideas. He is diplomatic when he says, “In the end, I think that it boils down to whatever creative chemistry that you have with the person you work with. When you find it, it’s a true blessing and it shows in the quality of your work.”

Philip Kitcher, Business Director, BDA, gives us an insight into the talented director’s personality. “James is extremely mild mannered, even in the midst of client tantrums and mini crises that inevitably occur in the course of our business. James always manages to keep his focus on the job at hand, and always treats people with the greatest of respect.….He (James) has an enviably solid reputation for talent handling, whether it’s major Bollywood stars, irritable children or snarling animals, ” he says.

After meeting James it’s not hard to understand how he got this reputation!

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