“说实话我非常喜欢这个片子。剧本很简单，讲的就是一个女孩发现自我的爱情故事，所见即所得。” 骆耀明导演这样描述他的这部最新作品。这部时长为12分钟的影片是专为乐事品牌打造的，取景于英格兰萨默塞特郡，由台湾女演员郭采洁出演完成。
“I love the film honestly speaking. The script is so simple. It’s a love story about a girl discovering herself. You take what you take from it,” says director Andrew Lok of his latest work, an ambitious 12-minute piece of cinema for Lays, starring Taiwanese movie star Amber Kuo, set in Somerset, England.
他向我们描述了这段迷人的拍摄经历。在得到允许之后，骆耀明一行来到萨默塞特郡大西部铁路线 –——这是英格兰仅存的蒸汽火车线路之一，而且恰好赶上了这条唯一的多塞特和萨默塞特联合铁路线的50周年庆。与此同时，对于摄影导演Alan Yap的参与，骆耀明深感幸运。“其实他一般不会接这样的活儿，他没有帮手，也没有大的灯去打光，有的只是一个助手加上两盏LED灯，但我跟他保证我们可以都用自然光。最后他接了这个活，其实原因就一个——他非常喜欢这个剧本。”
He describes a charmed shoot. The production secured permission to use the Western Somerset Railway, a steam train that happened to be running at the time, amid 50th Anniversary celebrations of the last ever Dorset and Somerset Joint Railway journey. He also feels fortunate to have secured the services of DoP Alan Yap. “It’s not his usual job, he had no helpers, no big lights, just an assistant and 2 LED lights. I promised him we’d go all natural light. He took on the job for one reason only, he loved the script.”
在预算很紧且人手又有限的情况下，骆耀明、Alan Yap、Alan的助手、还有制片人（同时兼任助理导演）就这样完成了他们精心策划的5天拍摄。而那一幕从窗口望去，火车缓慢朝着乡间前行的画面，是骆耀明用他的Iphone捕捉到的。
A tight budget necessitated a slim-line crew built around Lok, Yap, his assistant and a producer doubling as an assistant director, on a meticulously planned five-day shoot. He reveals the shot from the window as the train chugs across the countryside was captured with his iPhone.
乐事《香芝一刻》｜Lay’s Cheddar A Moment In Time
骆耀明表示，如果没有乐事的完全信任，即使他们运气再好，剧本再棒，都是枉然。“如果客户想做这种比较长的片子，就必须要给创作者足够的自由空间去发挥。”他说，“客户不想花太多钱，这就意味着他们必须得相信我们。我们没有太多精力放在开会沟通上，也无法支撑一个庞大的团队。所以既然客户想要做出这样的内容，就必须得接受我们的做法。”
Lok acknowledges that luck and a great script would have been irrelevant without Lays’ complete trust. “That’s the freedom clients have to give creators if they want to do long form now” he says. “They don’t want to spend a lot of money so they have to trust us. We cannot have a lot of meetings, we cannot have a big crew. If they want content like this, clients have to start accepting that’s the way things are done.”
乐事《香芝一刻》摄制组｜Lay’s Cheddar A Moment In Time crew
按部就班 还是大胆尝试
Be Safe or Get Famous
那天晚上，我们与骆耀明在他合伙创办的广告公司——CIVILIZATION（文明）的办公室见面。他上身穿着深紫色的棉质运动外套，反戴着棒球帽，偶尔喝几口兑着大量苏格兰威士忌的水，同我们回忆起他第一次见到麦伟坚（Clarence Mak）时的场景，还有后来见到箭牌糖果公司营销总监时的场景。
Lok is in boisterous spirits on the evening we meet in the Civilization offices, the independent Shanghai agency he co-founded in 2012. Dressed in a royal purple track top and a backwards baseball cap, he takes sporadic gulps of water generously infused with Scotch, as he recalls his first meeting with Clarence Mak, the then marketing director of Wrigley’s.
文明创始人谢建文与骆耀明｜Civilization founders Alex Xie & Andrew Lok
在2011年的时候，中国的电影院开始不断涌现，以满足日益增长的国内需求。当时的骆耀明担任天联上海的执行创意总监，他向麦伟坚展示出他的剧本，这就是日后的益达“酸甜苦辣”系列。“我非常直截了当地告诉他，’我们都知道，水涨船高。你如果还是一成不变的话，每年也可以有10%或者15%的增长，这当然也是可以的，你也会每年照常晋升，但是别想着你会出名。”
It was 2011, just as theatres were beginning to spring up across China to satisfy a growing domestic hunger for cinema. Lok, as ECD of BBDO Shanghai, was pitching Mak the script that would lead to the “Flavours of Life” campaign, “I asked him very simply, ‘you know, a rising tide rises all boats. If you keep doing exactly what you’re doing, you’ll grow 10 or 15% every year, and that’s fine. You’ll get promoted every year, as per normal, but you won’t get famous.”
骆耀明提出做一系列电影式的广告，讲述一对年轻的情侣游历中国的浪漫故事，保证能让麦伟坚出名。麦伟坚接受了他的想法，骆耀明也兑现了自己的诺言。后来这一系列由Arthur Tsang（时任BBDO华南区执行创意总监）和Howard Mok（时任BBDO大中华区执行创意总监）创意，David Tsui执导的片子成为有史以来中国最受欢迎的品牌广告战役之一。
Lok offered to make Mak famous with a cinematic campaign charting a young couple’s romance as they road trip across China. Mak was sold and Lok delivered on his promise. The eventual series of films, created by Arthur Tsang (then ECD, BBDO South China) and Howard Mok (then ECD, BBDO Greater China) and directed by David Tsui, went on to become one of the most popular advertising campaigns of all time in China.
益达《酸甜苦辣》｜Wrigley’s Extra The Flavors of Life
一般来说，品牌营销经理的任期都只有两年，所以骆耀明不明白为什么有的人会那么谨慎，“如果这个职位无法让你被人熟知，那还有什么意义？反之，如果这个工作为你提供既可以推动宣传又可以让你成名的媒介经费，那为什么不去做呢？”他说，其实这并不是愿不愿意冒险的问题，而是要说服客户不要总是找那些中立的观点，反倒忽略了焦点人群和必要 投资。
With an average tenure of just two years, Lok cannot understand caution among brand-marketing managers, “If you’re not going to get famous why the hell are you doing this job? If this job gives you media money to push work that can get you famous, why don’t you do that?” It’s not about risk, he says, it’s about convincing a client not to go with the most neutral idea, to ignore the focus groups and make an investment.
骆耀明把自己比作是品牌医生，“别人来到你的诊所，因为你是专家，所以要给他们提出最好的建议。如果他们接受了你的建议，那你们就建立了联系，而这需要一定的时间，也取决于相互信任。相信我的人往往都做的更好，而不信任我的人业绩平平。如果最终没做好，我接受他们的责怪，但一般我都不会搞砸。”虽然这是他坚信的理念，但是他也知道有一些“病人”不听劝，“这是他自己的身体，自己的钱，自己做决定。如果他想抽烟喝酒，想毁灭自己的品牌，你有什么权利阻止他呢？你所能做的就是给他提出最好的建议，这是你的本职工作。”
He thinks of himself as a doctor for brands, “A guy comes into your clinic and, because you’re a professional, you give him the best advice. If he takes it, you build a relationship. That takes time and it depends on mutual trust. Those that trust me get better work, those that don’t get average work. If it fails and they blame me, fine, but I don’t fail very often.” Despite his convictions, he is philosophical about those ‘patients’ that don’t listen, “It’s his body, his money and his decision. If he wants to smoke, if he likes to drink liquor, if he wants to kill his own brand, what right do you have to stop him? All you can do is give him your best advice because it’s your job to do so.”
动人的故事
Moving Story
骆耀明是新加坡人，最初在新加坡广告行业做了五年的文案，之后来到香港做自由职业者。2004年，他搬到了中国大陆，在奥美广州担任团队的执行创意总监。之后又有一段时间待在新加坡，后来又转战奥美北京。骆耀明于2008年来到了上海，担任天联中国的执行创意总监。接下来的四年里，他参与了天联中国所有大客户的项目，包括吉列、百事、箭牌等，做得非常成功。
A native Singaporean, Lok cut his teeth writing copy for five years in the local advertising industry, followed by a spell freelancing in Hong Kong. In 2004 he moved into the Chinese mainland, in a new role leading a team as ECD of Ogilvy Guangzhou. Following another stint in Singapore, he switched to Ogilvy Beijing before arriving finally in Shanghai in 2008, as ECD of BBDO. Across four successful years, Lok worked on all the agency’s major accounts including Gillette, Pepsi and Wrigley’s.
2012年，想到一个独立且灵活的广告机构能够更好地适应行业的风云变幻，骆耀明与艺术总监谢建文合伙成立了文明广告公司。他认为自己对品牌的热情，并不像是大的4A广告公司一样包罗万象，“当我提出一些东西，有的人会说‘合同里没写’。这到底是什么意思啊？我们签订合同是要帮助品牌成长。也许其他的广告公司的话就是为了赚钱，但是对我来说，只要对品牌成长有帮助，其余我不在乎”
In 2012, seeking to create an agile indie agency that could better navigate the digital sea change, he founded Civilization with Art Director partner Alex Xie. He explains that he was driven by a passion for brands that he didn’t feel was as all-encompassing in the big 4As as it used to be, “I would propose things and people would say ‘it’s not in our contract’. What does that even mean? My contract is helping this brand grow. If other agencies…make the money, as long as it helps the brand, I really don’t care.”
正是这样的热情帮助文明建立了一群忠实的客户，其中多数都在快消品领域，比如雪津啤酒、杰克丹尼、百事集团等。之前骆耀明在天联中国时已经和百事集团建立了联系，所以文明的第一个工作就是为百事做一个长达133页的PPT。这也标志着骆耀明所推崇的理念开始践行，“很多广告公司开始都会摇旗呐喊‘我们只做这些工作，这是我们的公司理念’。而我的想法是‘我有4个员工等着我付工资呢，要是没东西做的话，六个月我就得破产。’”
This passion has helped Civilization build a dedicated roster of clients, largely across FMCG, including Sedrin, Jack Daniels and PepsiCo. Having first laid roots with the latter while at BBDO, Civilization’s first job for the brand was a 133-page PowerPoint presentation. It marked the beginning of a pragmatic philosophy that Lok still applies, “A lot of agencies start with a flag saying ‘we only do this, and this is our mission statement’. I was more like ‘I have four people and I need to pay their salaries, and I’ll go broke in six months if I don’t get business.’
雪津啤酒《谢谢你兄弟》｜Serdin Thank You Bro
他进一步说道，“其实不管是‘数字媒体’或者‘社会化媒体’，关键是你做的东西能不能真的吸引消费者。说到底，关键就在于你自己，在于你的经历，以及如何把这些经历跟品牌联系起来，最终去说服客户。这些永远都不会变。我们还是以讲故事为宗旨，我们想要切实去感受。”
He elaborates, “It’s not about ‘digital’ or ‘social’, it’s about whether you can do the stuff that really gets traction with the consumers. Ultimately it boils down to you, your experiences and how you relate that to the brand and sell that to a client. That will never change. We’re still moved by the narrative, we still want to feel something.”
担纲导演
Shooting Stars
骆耀明所谓的“伟大的通才时代”在一定程度上指的是传统的界限变得模糊，现在客户也在充当创意者的角色，制作公司也在打造原创内容，创意人才也在担任导演的角色。他坦白说站在摄像机后面还真有些不知所措，“说实话，我根本不知道自己在干嘛。虽然我知道怎么把一个故事穿起来，而且这也是我的优势所在，但是我对摄像机、光线、镜头什么的一无所知。”他把自己所学到的导演知识归功于YouTube，看了“一大堆”的视频，当然在4A广告公司的时候跟业内的大牛导演也学习了很多。
Part of what Lok calls ‘the age of great generalists’ is a blurring of the traditional boundaries, whereby clients are acting as creatives, production companies are creating original content and creatives are directing. He admits stepping behind the camera presented a sharp learning curve, “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, honestly. I knew how to string a story together and that was my advantage, but I knew nothing about cameras, framing, blocking, light, shots.” He credits his directing education to YouTube, reading ‘a hell of a lot’ and learning from some of the best directors in the industry during his time at the 4As.
骆耀明轻松进入了他的新角色，他所导演的短片入围亚太广告节Fabulous Four，之后还做了一系列小的商业广告。他最喜欢的三个作品：由香港演员余文乐主演的李维斯全球性品牌活动《Live In Levi’s》，乐事广告《香芝一刻》，还有最成功的百事广告《把乐带回家之猴王世家》。
Lok eased into his new role, directing a short for Adfest’s Fabulous Four, followed by a series of small commercial jobs. He names three of his films as favourites: the Live In Levi’s spot with Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue, Lays Cheddar Moment and his most accomplished piece yet, Monkey King Family for Pepsi.
对于百事这则广告，骆耀明还是归功于运气，这次他们请到了86版电视剧《西游记》中孙悟空的扮演者章金莱，他是中国文化的象征，是国宝级的人物。仅凭简单的PPT草案，还有最核心的剧本，百事就很快接受了这个想法，“没什么改动，几乎也没有拍摄前的沟通会议”。而拍摄的过程中，汇聚了大家的爱和心血，“每个人都倾注心血。那8天真是做的天昏地暗，”但是他也解释说，“我们全情投入，最后做出了成品。”《猴王世家》广告在春节期间总共有8.3亿以上的点击量，在拍金章莱老师的过程中，骆耀明也实现了自己儿时的梦想。
For the Pepsi film, he again cites luck, this time in securing the participation of Zhang Jinlai, the Chinese cultural icon and national treasure best known for playing the Monkey King in the 1986 television series Journey to the West. Pepsi bought the idea ‘immediately with no changes and almost no PPMs’ on the basis of a PowerPoint with some sketches and the all-important script. The production was an intense labour of love, “Everyone poured their heart into it. It was eight days of hell,” but, he explains, “We went all in, and it worked out.” Monkey King Family garnered over 830million views over the Chinese New Year period and, in shooting Zhang, Lok realized a boyhood dream.
百事可乐《猴王世家》｜Pepsi Monkey King Family
魔鬼交易
Deal With The Devil
骆耀明沉思着自己的作品，时而露出温柔的表情，“有的人会告诉我他们看了我的作品之后自己的感受，这令我倍受感动。”他会埋怨那些不理解他热情所在的人，“如果你的作品不会让任何人受到感动，有什么意义呢？这是在浪费自己的生命。”有关企业社会责任的宣传他通常无感，一般文明广告公司都会拒绝参与，“我不喜欢，也不想去做。我的任务就是让品牌健康发展。”如果有的公司想要投身做善事，那他希望他们能够保持低调。
Lok’s manner fluctuates between gentle musing on his own work, “People come up to me and tell me how things I did make them feel, and I’m very touched by it”, and fierce condemnation of those that don’t share his passion, “What’s the point if it doesn’t move anybody? You’re wasting your life.” He is unmoved by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaigns, which Civilization frequently refuses, “I don’t like it, I don’t want to do it. My job is getting brands healthy.” If those brands want to invest in good causes, he says, he would prefer they do it and keep quiet.
骆耀明不像大多数广告公司一样，对那些奖项感兴趣，他更喜欢把参赛费用拿来给员工当福利，休假或者涨工资，他解释说，“因为作品都是这些人做的。”他进一步说道，“我们是要创造客户群体。这不是通过做广告来实现，而是通过那些有钱买得起汽车、冰箱、房子的人！”虽然在这方面他比较保守，但是他还是比较认可诸如D&AD还有The One Show的价值，而且表示也会考虑《猴王世家》参选今年的戛纳广告节。
Lok isn’t interested in the awards that motivate most agencies, preferring to spend the submission fees on holidays, bonuses and pay rises for his staff “because those are the people that give you the work.” He adds, “We are here to create consumers. You don’t do that by creating advertising, you do that by creating people who are rich enough to buy a car, a refrigerator and a house!” Despite his reservations, he believes there is value to the likes of D&AD and The One Show and hints he is considering submitting Monkey King Family to Cannes this year.
骆耀明很享受中国给文明带来的巨大商业机会，“三年半之前，我们只有4个人，但是现在已经有了80人。这样的发展绝无仅有。”他也承认，在世界不可避免的污浊与嘈杂中，他们也是经历了“与魔鬼的交易”才达到了今天这样的成绩。他很怀念2000年初的时候新加坡那种社区概念，但现在似乎对于市场上整体水平相对较低的作品，他也是听之任之。
Lok relishes the enormous commercial opportunities China has brought to his agency, “we were four people three-and-a-half years ago and now we’re 80. Nowhere else in the world does that happen,” but admits he has made a “deal with the devil” to be there amongst the pollution and chaos. He misses the sense of community in Singapore in the early 2000s and seems resigned to the relatively low overall standard of work in the market.
李维斯501CT余文乐篇｜Levi’s 501CT Shawn Yue
他认为，中国广告行业需要找到自己的声音。他乐于身先士卒，“必须要融入中国的市场中，了解他们的风格、文化、幽默。去接纳、去了解、去讲述”。正因如此，对于那些不懂得入乡随俗的外国创意总监，他也不愿意跟他们费时间，“我觉得如果他们能够走出自己的象牙塔，那他们确实可以创造价值，但是就比如说，如果我在莫斯科工作，但是一句俄语也不会说，你会尊重我吗？所以如果你一点也不懂中国话，你究竟为什么还要来这工作？”
For him, the Chinese industry needs to find its own voice. That process begins with himself, “You have be part of their world. That style, culture and humour. Embrace it, know it, speak it”. As such, he has little time for foreign creative directors who don’t try to integrate, “I think they [bring value] if they get off their ivory tower. Would you respect me if I worked in Moscow and I didn’t speak a word of Russian? I’m sorry but if you don’t speak a word of Chinese, why the hell are you here?”
文明广告公司的未来
Future Civilization
去年有人提出要收购文明，但是被骆耀明拒绝了。他还是希望自己能够对创意方面有所控制，“一旦把公司卖给别人，就不得不听从于别人。我和我的合伙人以前都给别人打过工，现在自己当了两年的老板，我们真不知道我们还能不能适应给别人打工。”更重要的是，他也担心一旦把公司卖给别人，公司的创意文化将会受到侵蚀，而现在他们的团队觉得自己有能力做出与众不同的作品，掌控公司的命运。
Lok was approached last year about selling Civilization but declined in favour of maintaining creative control, “After buying, you have to meet the numbers. My partner and I, we’ve had so many bosses, we’re not sure after two years whether we could go back to that.” Moreover, he feared selling would erode the agency’s creative culture, the feeling among his team that they have the power to make a difference to the work and the company’s destiny.
骆耀明更愿意一直去做打动人心的作品，他现在既有经验，又有雄心还有客户的信任，所以现在相比以往可以放心大展身手。现在骆耀明也经常会面对一些不听话的“病人”，这对他来说已经不成问题，“现在的我，年纪比所有的客户都大，工作年限比所有的营销人员都久，如果他们听从我的建议的话，会发现其实我还没那么老，也没那么疲惫，我还可以做出好的作品。现在的我正处在一个非常美好的阶段，我希望自己能尽情享受这个阶段。”
Lok prefers to keep making work that moves people and, as his experience, ambition and trusting client relationships converge, he is in a better position than ever to do that. Disobedient ‘patients’ is not a problem he often faces these days, “I’ve come to a stage where I’m older than all my clients, where I’ve been there longer than all the marketing people, where they listen and I’m not too old or too tired to do good work. I’m at a nice little phase right now and I’m hoping to enjoy it for as long as I can.”
BAM Music Library Brings Edgy, Indie Sounds to Chinese Creatives
