CRAFT: PORTFOLIO - Marc Over

Marc Over’s career didn’t have the most glamorous of beginnings;

three years at Falmouth School of Art and two Chas & Dave pop

videos.

But he describes his time at Jon Roseman Television in the early 80s as

his ’baptism of fire’ and he’s never looked back since.

By the late 80s, Over was bored with this scene and found himself

wanting to do more random things ’like making pop videos in churches on

knolls in Yorkshire’. He then decided to take a break, travel and amass

vital contacts, all of which he later exploited when he returned to the

UK to set up Academy Broadcasting Productions. The venue was the Brixton

Academy where he was commissioned by Channel 4 to produce a new music

series called Dancedaze. This went on to attract names such as the Brand

New Heavies, the Stereo MC’s and Seal.

In January he succumbed to the lure of advertising when he joined forces

with BFCS. There he has worked on campaigns including Spear & Jackson,

Fish hairdressing and Save the Children, but the largest part of his

portfolio is for British Airways with M&C Saatchi. He’s enjoyed working

with the agency in ’difficult circumstances’, including the BA strike

and the general election. Over is looking forward to completing more of

the campaign early next year. ’When I was young I was probably too

expressive for the industry; now I can develop projects without my

creative side getting out of control.’

He is also pragmatic about the way he approaches a shoot. ’I don’t play

the bolshy, angry, bullshitty guy, people are bored of egomaniac

freaks.’ He believes he has his background in production to thank for

his understanding of exactly how to behave on set. ’I play the role of

co-ordinator and bring everything to a focal point.’

Over wants to stay in advertising although he has several projects in

the pipeline. These include a West End production with Andy Ward

(producer of the Brits) and he also hopes to re-open the Electric Cinema

on Portobello Road (’with screens on the inside of loo doors’) so that

when he starts making movies he’ll have somewhere to show them.