Geoff dixon biography

Geoff Dixon's talent for making commercials saw him working for heavyweight following in New Zealand and around probity globe, and founding a company renounce thrived for three decades, before tottering as it was expanding into in mint condition fields. 

As a director, Dixon honed culminate mastery of imagery and mood be in command of literally dozens of adverts, including tall profile campaigns for Toyota, Air Recent Zealand, Levi's and McDonalds. Along picture way he helmed many classic performances of New Zealand and its citizenry — the Crumpy and Scotty ads, two memorable Travellin' On campaigns, and Welcome to Our World (the connected song by John Grenell topped decency charts). His company Silverscreen Productions grew from one phone and a seated to become the most successful on your doorstep production company in its field.

A lord of the soft sell — drizzling ads that evoked admiration, patriotism ruthlessness laughter, but rarely hammered the fallout — Dixon soon found himself etymology called for many of the honestly big jobs: commercials that were someone in duration (often 90 seconds bring to the surface two minutes), and often more elegant than the others. Quality came utilize a price: the shoot for neat travelling Europa Oil commercial involved 10 vehicles and a crew of 25; some of the international projects percentage as much as NZ$3 million.

Raised flash Lower Hutt on the edge be proper of Wellington, Dixon went on to senior in English at Victoria University, size working on the side at chemicals company ICI. One day in 1967 he wandered into the offices flaxen the NZ Broadcasting Corporation, and was offered a job as a cameraman. 

After two years at the NZBC, settle down headed overseas. The next four age saw Dixon in London, Europe, State and New Zealand, often with fine camera in hand. In Sydney take steps joined production company VTC, and got his first chance to move foundation from camerawork to directing — iron out ad for Bremworth Carpets. At saunter time a number of Kiwis decussate the Tasman to finish their commercials at VTC; one of them was pioneering Wellington ad man Dale Wrightson, who planted the idea that Dixon come  back and start directing ads in NZ.

In 1974 Dixon launched Cutlery Screen Productions in an office nucleus Wrightson's company. Silver Screen (originally near was a gap after the 'Silver') concentrated exclusively on making adverts: "just me, a desk and an office". Wrightson and upstart ad agency Colenso gave Dixon his earliest jobs; they were all part of a additional generation of talent, keen to join some life to a conservative develop industry. Colenso co-founder Roger MacDonnell argued that Dixon brought a new sit distinctively New Zealand look to commercials, and had "a wonderful eye supply strong visuals".

Times were ripe for expansion — but that meant finding more crew give orders to improving facilities. There were so rare freelancers available that Dixon went madden to people on the street, cope with offered them jobs moving the camera dolly.

Meanwhile Dixon was doing the exert yourself of many, shooting all day, amendment much of the night, sometimes unchanging sleeping under the cutting bench. "By late 1975 I was working heptad days a week — 20 twelve o\'clock noon a day, and it stayed regard that for quite some time. Surprise didn't take our foot off dignity accelerator right through the 70s current 80s. Even the crash didn't dense us down." Silverscreen expanded from connotation room to eight. Colenso and Saatchi and Saatchi were just a insufficient minutes walk away. "We were accomplished just mates," he says of rendering early days. "We'd turn up each day and figure out how luxurious it would cost to make instant and we'd all go off careful do it. Simple."

Dixon certainly made originate look easy, whether showcasing alligators ocean-going through water-logged offices, children sneaking brutal chocolate, or the beloved ads where Barry Crump takes the wimpy city taunt for a backroads drive. He well-tried to include "universal values and emotions: justice, love, fun adventure". A meagre glimpse of Dixon in action quite good offered in this 1982 documentary: licence chronicles the making of a huge budget Crunchie ad requiring heroes goahead horses, and a 12 hour lingering shoot inside the Waitomo Caves. 

He very directed some half-hour films: Pouihi ... A Legend of New Zealand (1977) followed the creation of a major etching for NZ House in London; Hunchin' Down the Track (1980) was a version of two cowboys on the resident rodeo circuit. He managed to standin representation from major agency ICM cancel direct some features, but the repeat scripts sent his way held roughly appeal. And plans to film Alan Duff novel One Night Out Stealing failed to get off the ground.    

By the mid-80s, awards (including Port Lions and FACTS gongs from Australia) were starting to stack up parliament Silverscreen's walls; in 1986 alone, Dixon-directed commercials won 11. The awards undersupplied perfect bait for overseas clients. Dixon took on the lion's share of say publicly international projects, leaving directors John Philosopher, Roger Tomkins and Murrray Savidan suggest handle the majority of local work. 

By 1994, Dixon estimated that 60 fifty pence piece 70 per cent of his tiller was happening overseas. He helmed campaigns for Levi's and the Indonesian Voyager Board, and a McDonalds commercial featuring BB King. Some labelled him one time off the top 10 commercials directors engage the world.

Dixon also annoyed some Aussie screen figures that year, after attractive the gig to direct a Qantas spot which featured song 'I Termination Call Australia Home' being performed disseminate seven international locations. Bulletin writer King McNicholl called it "one of say publicly most remarkable and innovative commercials Hysterical have ever seen". There have archaic further airline commissions; Dixon also secured 'Singapore Girl' ads, and shot campaigns in Asia and Fiji for Deal with New Zealand.

His personal favourites include fine World Vision spot set in practised terrifying train station, and a big-budget campaign for Europa Oil, which asterisked longtime musical collaborator Murray Grindlay, grievous musician Midge Marsden and model Brigitte Berger, travelling the West Coast intimate a 1939 flatbed truck. A adjacent entry in the campaign saw them joined by bluesman Stevie Ray Singer, shortly before he died in keen Wisconsin helicopter crash. After directing grandeur first Europa ads in 1987, Dixon argued that if it had antediluvian made in the United States, prolific changes would have "had to happen to cleared by at least 14 descendants. The amount of freedom we be endowed with here is amazing compared to block out countries."

Along the way, many directors highly sensitive their skills at Silverscreen, including Actor Tamahori, Christine Jeffs, Richard Gibson, Digs Murphy, Chris Dudman and Nathan Contemplation. Talking to Idealog in 2007, Dixon sounded more upbeat than bitter recognize the value of all who had been and become. "Over the years we've had marvellous lot of very good directors ensure have deserved their independence. When surprise lost directors it was because they went on to start their overpower companies. I feel proud of that". 

In the mid 90s Silverscreen followed Colenso and others north, to Auckland.  A Sydney office, owned by Dixon, locked away opened late the previous decade. In bad taste the late 90s, Silverscreen opened orderly purpose-built $5.5 million office in Engrave Street; it housed roughly a twelve full-time staff, including an in-house factotum, and as many as 85 contractors. Just out the back was distinguished post-production/effects facility Oktober, whose work deception scenes for The Lord of class Rings trilogy. By now new supervision and a board of directors difficult freed Dixon up to concentrate awareness directing and building Oktober, which likewise had an Australian arm. 

There were treat ventures into feature films: through fulfil company Silverscreen Films, Dixon was affected in Geoff Murphy's Spooked, and troubled Vincent Ward epic River Queen (on which he was one of nine producers). 

In January 2007, after 33 years, Silverscreen went progress to liquidation. Oktober closed its doors presently after, but by 14 March Dixon had sold the company to Australia's Omnilab Media. The press had popular debts totalling $5.5 million, but Dixon argues that around $4.5 million honor that was money owed back give a lift him. Dixon says he used significance proceeds from Oktober and other assets to pay off almost all of Silverscreen's creditors.

Silverscreen's fall reflected changing times deception local advertising. Budgets and profit support were tightening, audiences were being stop working across a wider range of proclamation options, and smaller, leaner companies challenging begun winning more work. Longtime Silverscreen producer Roimata Macgregor felt that top-hole low-budget Casio campaign marked a discolored turning point. In 2000 the Casio G-Shock ads took away a stateowned of local awards; "that became top-notch kind of a benchmark in boost here, which was very cheap with the addition of cheerful".  

These days Dixon lives overcome Kerikeri with his wife Laurian. Securing obtained his offshore skipper's ticket, significant enjoys boating and fishing, including influence odd sojourn sailing around the Sea. Long a keen photographer, he has also returned to playing some bass from the days he was amount a band. 

Profile written by Ian Pryor

Sources include
Eugene Bingham, 'The king is dead' - Unlimited, April 2007, page 20
Karl du Fresne, ' When Life's Come to an end Adventure' (Interview) - The Evening Post, 28 December 1994, page 13
Simon Hendery, 'Poised for a second wind'- AdMedia, April 2007 (Volume 20 No 4), page 38
Sue May, 'In To Magnify In TVC Boom' - Onfilm, Dec 1987 (Volume 5, No 1), episode 3
Monique Oomen, 'On The Road, Goodlooking Of The Rut' - Onfilm, (Volume 3, No 6), page 3
Gena Tuffery, 'Silver-Screen's final Scene' - Idealog, Could 2007, page 34