Phil Robinson or Phil Alden Robinson? Why the difference? (1 Viewer)

[DaveBB]

All of his film credits (posters, print ads, on screen) use Phil Alden Robinson but the TV ads for "Sum of All Fears" say:

...directed by Phil Robinson.

Why is that? Is there a DGA rule about name usage?

 

[MickeS]

I'd like to know why they even mentioned his name so prominently at the end of the trailer. Who is this guy? I've never heard of him before.

/Mike

 

[Paul Richardson]

Robinson's most prominant film is probably Field of Dreams, although he's not really a household name. Still, I've noticed that they've been naming the director in all kinds of odd films lately.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Maybe it's a homage to a more famous director who vacillates between two names and three: Francis Coppola a/k/a Francis Ford Coppola.
M.

 

[Guy_K]

I've also been wondering why trailers and teasers these days name the directors, even the nobodies. The majority of people will not watch a film based on the director.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Well, P.A. Robinson is hardly a nobody, even though he hasn't directed a film in a while. Of course, part of the reason is that he was trying to mount a film in Sarajevo - I believe he invested a year in it - only to have it just completely fall apart at the last minute.

Anyway, I figure trailers name the directors, even if few have heard of them, because they give an impression of it being a brand-name product. You might know who Phil Alden Robinson is, but the very fact that he's named must mean he's well-respected or successful, right?

 

[David Rogers]

I don't know about most people, but personally the director is the single most important aspect of a film, followed closely by the writers (wish it was *writer*, singluar, but what can ya do?), and finally the actors cast in the project.

There are certain directors that are on the "NFW" (No Fricking Way) list after particularly abjectly horrid films they gave out. The most recent addition to this list is Andrew Davis (after Collateral Damage, there's absolutely no way I'll give him any sort of credit, especially since Fugitive wasn't all that well of a directed film anyway). Another prominent down-checked director is Joel Schumacher, after Batman & Robin, and after the issues I had with 8mm's direction (this despite favor I hold for some of his earlier work, like Lost Boys and to a lesser extent Flatliners). The worst writer on my list would definitely be Akiva Goldsman, primarily due to the pathetic writing on Lost in Space and Practical Magic.

The director has immense control over the project; (s)he gives the actors guidance and orders as to how to handle portrayals, what emotions to display, etc… (s)he also tends to have a lot of influence over the direction the script will take. And certainly directors have enormous control over the cinematography of the film. These are key aspects of a good movie for me, and bad decisions will ruin an otherwise enjoyable film experience with light-speed. That most audience members don't know this, don't know to look for who's in the chair … probably goes a long way to explain how so many bad directors keep getting work.

It works the other way though. Almost anything Steven Spielberg works on I'm extremely interested in, as I consider him arguably the most gifted director working today. Same goes for James Cameron, Robert Zemeckis and Barry Sonnenfeld (even as much as I didn't like Wild Wild West, he's still firmly on my good list).

 

[Michael Reuben]

Anyway, I figure trailers name the directors, even if few have heard of them, because they give an impression of it being a brand-name product.

Certainly that's one reason. Another may be that the director is trying to get his name known. Actors routinely negotiate the details of their billing; why shouldn't directors do the same thing?

M.

 

[Guy Martin]

Going back to the original question, I think the shortening to just Phil Robinson for the TV ads is probably just due to the short runtime of the ads. It's simply quicker to say, especially since they need most of the voiceover for Mr. Trailer Voice to give names of stars and the marketing slogans first
- Guy