Matt of E+F, Laryssa and Gabe of Lil Dragon, and the author (behind camera) get their creative juices flowing.

At E+F, we work with an outfit out of Nashville called Lil Dragon Entertainment. Gabe and his cohorts help us translate our ideas onto video, mostly for television commercials. He’s been busy lately, and so have we, on a number of projects: WKU Football commercial, Web-only ad for WKU Alumni Association, new Bowling Green Athletic Club commercials, and a coming trip to Auburn to do Auburn’s men/women basketball commercials. The first and last are to be dramatic, the middle ones humorous.

That said, here are my memories of our meeting over Spencer’s fare yesterday:

“So let’s talk first about the Alumni Association.”

“Can I get bacon on that sandwich?”

“Yeah sure. So anyway, this thing looks like a disaster so far.”

“Um, well …”

“It’s too long –”

“– the coach is just awful –”

“– well he’s not as bad as the ‘grandma.’”

“Agreed. Grandma is just terrible.”

“They do know, right, that we’re aiming to make it look really bad?”

“Hmm. I don’t think they really get the whole concept.”

“I’m going to order my sandwich.”

“Okay… no wait. What’s with the squiggly lines on that first shot anyway?”

“It’s supposed to look like VHS.”

“But it doesn’t.”

“Well of course not. But it’s supposed to look like it.”

“Right… I’m just saying, it just looks all messed up.”

“Yeah, that’s what VHS looks like. Get it?”

“Not really…”

“Well it’s not done yet.”

“But we have to fix it before it’s ‘done’.”

“Right.”

“I don’t understand why the guy’s on a treadmill.”

“You mean BAC?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s riding a bicycle on a treadmill! It’s funny!”

“Why is that funny?”

“Well see, it’s like he could be at BAC, on their high-tech stationaries. But instead he’s at his house, on his bike, on a treadmill.”

“But who would do that?”

“Nobody! That’s why it’s funny.”

“No, it’s not funny. It’s just weird.”

“What if he was in a tae-bo class, but when the camera zooms out we see he’s really fighting a ninja?”

“For a workout?”

“I don’t know. It’s kinda funny.”

“But it doesn’t make sense.”

“Right.”

“Is that the new Macbook?”

“Yeah.”

“You like it?”

“I guess so…”

“What if the guy had set up an obstacle course in his house, and he’s riding his bike around it –”

“What’s with you and the bike?”

“I don’t know. I like bikes.”

“Too many actors. Do you know what the budget is on this?”

“No. Do you?”

“Oh great. We don’t know the budget either, huh?”

“Well, the girl getting the towel snapped on her arse is pretty funny.”

“We can’t do that!”

“Why?”

“I don’t know! It just doesn’t seem right.”

“It’s funny!”

(Everyone laughing, but not because the idea is funny)

“These ideas all suck. When are they supposed to be presented?”

“On Tuesday.”

(Collective groan)

“OK: What if the guy is in a workout class, and when we zoom out we see he’s working out with a bunch of senior citizens?”

“Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know. He’s in workout class with his mom at the nursing home?”

“No old people. They’re too hard to work with.”

“What if it was a mom, and we see she’s working out with her four kids?”

“No kids. They’re too hard to work with.”

“What if it was a fat guy –”

“No no no! I don’t like that angle; it makes fun of fat people.”

“But everybody makes fun of fat people.”

“So?”

“So you’re saying we can basically film 20-something people who are in good shape.”

“Yes.”

“But those people don’t need to go to the gym.”

“Right…”

“What if they were homeless –”

“–too many costumes.”

“Hippies?”

“No.”

“Thugs?”

“Too urban.”

“Sex addicts!”

“Dude. Don’t make fun of his mom!”

“Your mom.”

“That’s what she said!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“So?”

“So?”

“So… well, we have no ideas and four ads to finish and no budget.”

“Right.”

(Silence)

“Are the milkshakes good?”

“Of course. They’re delicious.”