A Former Rep, Now Producer, Chimes in with her Two Cents on Treatments

Literally, right after I finished writing and scheduling the blog post on treatments, Jennifer Lamping, a senior art producer at Saatchi LA and former artist’s agent reached out to me with her input.  It was so articulate and helpful, I wanted to make sure to share it as well.  Thank you Jennifer!

“Having been on both sides, I know how much work a treatment can be for photographers (or reps who do it for their photographers) and how much it can actually sway indecision for a Creative team on the receiving end. Creative calls go a long way but a treatment is often a nice follow up to expand on the discussion or offer further thoughts. It can either seal the deal (from the creative call) or cause some serious question if Creatives are on the fence from the call and the treatment looks sloppy and generic.

I think it’s important for a treatment to:
1) Be tailored for the specific project at hand, not generic. It’s ok to recycle some pieces from treatment to treatment, but it should really feel personalized and specific.

2) Include relevant work/examples that pertain to the particular project – not just an overview of their portfolio that may or may not relate.

3) Include a quick write-up on the photographer’s style, how they like to run a set, how they like to collaborate, and how they would specifically approach this particular shoot – from pre-production through shoot through post.

4)  Stories from prior shoots and how they problem solved or tackled difficult situations is good to include. And if the project lends itself to striking a personal cord, personal stories of what something might mean to the photographer can mean a lot.

5) Anything unique that they might bring to the table that could set them apart – be it a novel approach, an interesting shooting style, unique casting methods, special post team, etc.

6) This is above and beyond – but a quick easy test shoot or something to show or explain something (if necessary) is super helpful and can go a long way.

7) And an expression of gratitude and enthusiasm to work together and shoot the project is always a nice touch too. •  It’s also a great touch when a photographer submits a treatment even when it’s not requested. It really shows they’re passion and willingness to go above and beyond which can go a long way. ”