Frank Budgen (director)
Encyclopedia
Frank Budgen is a British commercial director
and co-founder of Gorgeous Enterprises
, a London
-based film production company. He was voted as the Directors Guild of America
commercial director of the year in 2007. His notable works include Tag
and Mountain
.
, Budgen found a copywriting
job at BBDO
, a worldwide advertising agency
network. From there Budgen worked for M&C Saatchi
and then for Boase Massimi Pollitt
as a copywriter and a creative director. He wrote and directed his first advertisement for John Smith's Brewery
under Boase Massimi Pollitt. Budgen left his creative director post at Boase Massimi Pollitt in 1992 to join the Paul Weiland Film Company. Under Paul Weiland
's ownership, Budgen shot advertising campaigns for Orange U.K., 95.8 Capital FM, and Holsten Brewery. In 1997, Budgen co-founded Gorgeous Enterprises
, an award-winning film production company.
, a television advertisement launched by Nike, Inc.
to promote its sportswear
in the United States
. Tag won the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
Grand Prix in 2002, an award considered to be the most prestigious in the advertising industry. In 2003, Budgen directed Mountain
, a television advertisement launched by Sony Corporation
to promote the PlayStation 2
. The filming of Mountain involved the work of 50 stuntmen
and acrobats
, as well as 500 extras
per day. Mountain was the second most awarded commercial of 2004, winning the 2004 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival Grand Prix, multiple British Television Advertising Awards, British Television Craft Awards, and Advertising Creative Circle Awards.
Commercial director
A commercial director is a someone who specializes in creating visual advertising. These are called commercials and are then used as promotional tools for a client's product....
and co-founder of Gorgeous Enterprises
Gorgeous Enterprises
Gorgeous Enterprises is a London-based film production company co-founded by Chris Palmer, Frank Budgen, and Paul Rothwell. The company works largely in the production of television advertisements, feature films, and music videos. It was formed by Chris Palmer in 1996, but legally became a new...
, a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based film production company. He was voted as the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
commercial director of the year in 2007. His notable works include Tag
Tag (advertisement)
Tag is a television and cinema advertisement launched by Nike Inc. in 2001 to promote its line of sportswear in the United States. It was one of four pieces forming the television component of the $25m "Play" campaign, which had been running for several months. Tag was created by advertising agency...
and Mountain
Mountain (advertisement)
Mountain is a 2003 television and cinema advertisement launched by Sony Corporation to promote the PlayStation 2 video game console. The budget for production and advertising space purchases for the 60-second piece amounted to £5m across all markets...
.
Biography
After taking an art course at Manchester Metropolitan UniversityManchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
, Budgen found a copywriting
Copywriting
Copywriting is the use of words and ideas to promote a person, business, opinion or idea. Although the word copy may be applied to any content intended for printing , the term copywriter is generally limited to promotional situations, regardless of the medium...
job at BBDO
BBDO
BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency began in 1891 with George Batten's Batten Company, and later in 1928, through a merger of BDO and Batten Co. the agency became BBDO...
, a worldwide advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
network. From there Budgen worked for M&C Saatchi
M&C Saatchi
M&C Saatchi is an international advertising agency network formed in January 1995 by the brothers Maurice Saatchi and Charles Saatchi after they were ousted from the advertising agency group Saatchi & Saatchi which they had founded in 1970...
and then for Boase Massimi Pollitt
Boase Massimi Pollitt
Boase Massimi Pollitt is an advertising agency founded in October 1968 by Martin Boase, Gabe Massimi, and Stanley Pollitt.The three founders had previously worked at Pritchard Wood, but went their own way after failing to buy the company from its parent...
as a copywriter and a creative director. He wrote and directed his first advertisement for John Smith's Brewery
John Smith's Brewery
John Smith's is a brewery founded in 1758 by Backhouse & Hartley at Tadcaster in North Yorkshire, England. John Smith bought the brewery in 1847. John Smith's is the sixth highest selling beer brand in the United Kingdom, and the highest selling ale brand. The brewery is currently owned by...
under Boase Massimi Pollitt. Budgen left his creative director post at Boase Massimi Pollitt in 1992 to join the Paul Weiland Film Company. Under Paul Weiland
Paul Weiland
Paul Weiland is an English motion picture and television director, writer and producer. Weiland is one of Britain's most successful directors and producers of television commercials having made over 500 commercials, including a popular and long-running series for Walkers crisps...
's ownership, Budgen shot advertising campaigns for Orange U.K., 95.8 Capital FM, and Holsten Brewery. In 1997, Budgen co-founded Gorgeous Enterprises
Gorgeous Enterprises
Gorgeous Enterprises is a London-based film production company co-founded by Chris Palmer, Frank Budgen, and Paul Rothwell. The company works largely in the production of television advertisements, feature films, and music videos. It was formed by Chris Palmer in 1996, but legally became a new...
, an award-winning film production company.
Notable works
In 2001, Budgen directed TagTag (advertisement)
Tag is a television and cinema advertisement launched by Nike Inc. in 2001 to promote its line of sportswear in the United States. It was one of four pieces forming the television component of the $25m "Play" campaign, which had been running for several months. Tag was created by advertising agency...
, a television advertisement launched by Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
to promote its sportswear
Sportswear
Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Tag won the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in advertising and related fields. The seven-day festival, incorporating the awarding of the Lions awards, is held yearly at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France...
Grand Prix in 2002, an award considered to be the most prestigious in the advertising industry. In 2003, Budgen directed Mountain
Mountain (advertisement)
Mountain is a 2003 television and cinema advertisement launched by Sony Corporation to promote the PlayStation 2 video game console. The budget for production and advertising space purchases for the 60-second piece amounted to £5m across all markets...
, a television advertisement launched by Sony Corporation
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
to promote the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. The filming of Mountain involved the work of 50 stuntmen
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
and acrobats
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, as well as 500 extras
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
per day. Mountain was the second most awarded commercial of 2004, winning the 2004 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival Grand Prix, multiple British Television Advertising Awards, British Television Craft Awards, and Advertising Creative Circle Awards.