Wednesday March 15, 2006

Errol Morris on Miller

Creativity, where I used to be on staff, celebrates its 20th anniversary this month with a redesign by Pentagram and a foldout cover featuring fourteen titans of the ad industry. Inside, I contributed to a roundup of the 20 best advertising campaigns of the last two decades.

I talked to some of the people behind the top campaigns, including documentary auteur Errol Morris. In addition to making brilliant films like The Thin Blue Line, Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control, and Oscar winner The Fog of War, Morris has had a very successful career directing commercials for clients like Apple, United, and Miller High Life. His work for Miller—a long-running campaign featuring Morris’ trademark camera work and crusty, no-nonsense voiceovers—earned a place among the top campaigns. Here’s what he had to say about how the two sides of his career will figure into posterity:

It was March in L.A. I had just won an Oscar for The Fog of War. Someone came up to me and said, “Mr. Morris, I really, really admire your work.” I said, “Thank you. Thank you, so much.” And then they went on to say, “Those Miller High Life commercials are fantastic.”

Let’s face it. My film work is destined for obscurity. If I’m remembered for anything, I will be remembered for High Life.