 |
Seen and noted
Stylish new Lexus spot for Dentsu Canada via Bruce Dowad. Stylish spot for Dentsu Canada via Bruce Dowad. LOS ANGELES, October 7, 2005 With his latest spot, Lexus Moments via Dentsu Canada, director Bruce Dowad of Bruce Dowad Associates, Los Angeles endeavored to create a visceral experience both surprising and iconic. The ad presents a series of poignant captured moments both stock and shot that are projected on what appears to be a screen. Throughout the spot, a voice-over describes life as a series of such moments. As the camera pulls back, we see the images arent being projected on the screen rather its the solid line of the road, and the breaks in the film arent being caused by the projector, they are being caused by the roads dividing lines. The spot ends with the Lexus motoring down the road of life headlong into the future. Lexus (Canada) - Moments Production Company: Bruce Dowad Associates/ LA Circle Productions/ Toronto Director: Bruce Dowad DP: Bojan Bazelli EP: Jessica Carlson (BDA), Karen Tameanko (Circle) Producer: Merrie Wasson Agency: Dentsu/ Toronto Creative Catalyst: Glen Hunt Art Director: Deborah Prenger Agency Producer: Amanda Loughran Patts creatives out the door
PEOPLE
October 11, 2005 00:29 (Edited: February 17, 2023 04:19)
 Patts creatives out the door SYDNEY: The creative director of George Patterson Sydney, Mark Dove, and his partner, senior writer Andy Flemming, have left the merged agency of George Patterson Y&R, and it is believed only one Patts creative remains at the new entity. The agency confirmed Dove is gone but would not reveal what changes have been made to the creative department ahead of a planned announcement, possibly next week. Publicis Mojo creative director Mike Stanford will replace Dove. At the time of WPPs takeover of The Communications Group and the merger of the two agencies in August, CEO Hamish McLennan claimed there would not be many staff redundancies as a result. "Both organisations are quite lean," he said. Story supplied by Australian CREATIVE magazine. Saatchi & Saatchi blitzes Caxtons
AWARD NEWS
October 11, 2005 00:26 (Edited: February 17, 2023 04:19)
 Saatchi & Saatchi blitzes Caxtons HAYMAN ISLAND: Saatchi & Saatchi was the standout winner at the 31st annual Caxton Awards held on the weekend, snaring seven gongs, as well as the renamed Quinlivan Black Award, all for its work on Toyota. Arnold and Marketforce picked up three gongs each, Young & Rubicam won two, while JWT, BMF, Perth-based Gatecrasher Advertising and Clemenger BBDO Sydney scored one gong each. Story supplied by Australian CREATIVE magazine. Not the usual approach to pension funds There's a bit of a twist in this new work from US based Backyard for AMF pension funds (for Forsman & Bodenfors). TITLE: The planet ADVERTISER: AMF Pension PRODUCTION: COMPANYSocial Club PRODUCER: Magnus Theorin DIRECTOR: Jesper Ericstam PRODUCTION MANAGER: Henrik Lundqvist AGENCY: Forsman & Bodenfors PRODUCTION MANAGER: Anna Chantre COPY WRITER: Jacob Nelson ART DIRECTOR: Lotta Ågerup AGENCY PRODUCER: Magnus Kennhed Director Charlie Watson of Millennium Pictures shoots in Romania Director Charlie Watson of Millennium Pictures recently completed a spot project for Rompetrol via Odyssey Communication/ Romania. Shot entirely on location, Addio A Cheyenne uses a series of vignettes to illustrate how the Romanian oil and gas conglomerate draws together consumers from all walks of life. Production Company: Millennium Pictures Director: Charlie Watson DP: Sebastian Wladyslaw Milaszewski EP: Jeanne Mattiusi Managing Director: Caroline Von Weyher Producer: Gabi Antal Abis Studio Agency: Odyssey Communication/ Romania CD(s): Valentin Suciu, Silviu Padurariu AD: Ana Tautu Copy: Silviu Padurariu Editorial: Abis Studio/ Romania Editor: Theo Penciu Telecine: Abis Studio/ Romania Colorist: Simona Cristea Post/Effects: Abis Studio/ Romania VFX/Inferno Artist(s): Stefan Cios, Petruta Panait Inside the producer's head. Tom Keramidas, VP/ Senior Producer,
This week, we've put a series of questions to a few TV producers around the globe trying to get inside their heads.
Amongst them ... Tom Keramidas, VP/ Senior Producer, Leo Burnett, Chicago. bestads: How do you choose directors? TK: I have a database with extensive notes on every director's reel I've screened. I input information about what they tend to shoot and how I feel about the work. When a new project comes up, my database gives me a good starting list of directors. bestads: Whats the usual process? Is there a better way? TK: I wish there was enough time for me to keep up with all the reels that keep coming in. I depend on sales reps to keep me updated. Most are a wonderful resource. bestads: Is there enough time in the day to watch all of the incoming reels? TK: No. But I've started watching them on long flights, especially when the movie sucks. bestads: Some producers call themselves creative wranglers. A bit harsh? TK: I prefer creative partners. bestads: The producer is always the last to leave the looooong post sessions. True or false? TK: True. I've been burned by assuming something will be handled too often. bestads: Caffeine management. Any tips? TK: grande 2 pump vanilla skim latte, twice a day. No more. bestads: Who are the main culprits for blowing out the budgets? TK: Cost controllers who need to get their pound of flesh out of an already tight bid. Budgets that are inadequate for the job right out of the gate. bestads: The secret of slashing a sizeable chunk of money off the budget ... TK: Music, animation and effects are often areas that have fewer "hard costs", and can be priced very aggressively if the supplier really wants the job. bestads: Does agency producing set you up for a career in the diplomatic corps? TK: Absolutely. Especially international productions. Inside the producer's head. Terry Slade-Baker, FCB NZ ... soon! This week, we've put a series of questions to a few TV producers around the globe trying to get inside their heads. Amongst them ... Terry Slade-Baker, soon-to-be Head of TV, FCB New Zealand. BTW that's a picture of Terry's Husky. bestads: How do you choose directors? Whats the usual process? Is there a better way? TSB: Knowledge word of mouth a good network and the constant renewal of reels from old and new Directors, bestads: Is there enough time in the day to watch all of the incoming reels? TSB: No, but I guess you learn to skip through them quickly. bestads: Some producers call themselves creative wranglers. A bit harsh? TSB: Yes, a good producer needs to know and understand the creatives, they all focus on the idea, but with different priorities. Its my job to know what their individual priorities are and accommodate them as much as possible. bestads: The producer is always the last to leave the looooong post sessions. True or false? TSB: Yes, a creative producer can be invaluable during the post process but he/she is still the person responsible for detail, and getting it right means seeing it through to the end. We do not always have the luxury of time or money to wait and see it in the morning bestads: Caffeine management. Any tips? TSB: What my Mother always said everything in moderation bestads: Who are the main culprits for blowing out the budgets? TSB: Budgets should not get blown, if overspend is required a good producer will always get approval for it from client or head of agency, and only for good reasons. If a job goes to plan the budget should to. I refer to point 3 above as understanding the idea and what the creatives want should allow a producer to budget properly. bestads: The secret of slashing a sizeable chunk of money off the budget ... TSB: The client has to lose something he wants. bestads: Does agency producing set you up for a career in the diplomatic corps? TSB: Highly likely.  New work for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation through DDB Sydney. A few words from Sean Ascroft, Head of TV, DDB Sydney: Driven by Paul Francis and his unstoppable team, the Humpty Dumpty Foundation has continued to tirelessly raise funds to purchase vital life-saving and pain-reducing equipment for the Children's ward at the Royal North Shore Hospital. If you wonder whether all the hard work is worth it, have a look at the children's ward at the Royal North Shore Hospital and all the smiling faces on the kids. To view the spot ( & credits) click .... HERE AMV BBDO (UK) ... Motivating people to read more New work for BBC RAW through AMV BBDO London To encourage people to read more by showing how books can let you escape. We see a scene play out as someone is reading. However when they shut the book the scene changes instantly and we realise it was all in the book as we hear the line live more lives. Agency Producer: Ella Littlewood Art Director: Mike Nicholson/Jonathan John Copywriter: Mike Nicholson/Jonathan John Director: Paul Gay Executive Creative Director: Paul Brazier Production Company BBC Broadcast New work for Burger King Canada through Reginald Pike New work for Burger King through Reginald Pike. A couple of very amusing spots have just been completed for BK Canada through Reginald Pike, for Communication Bleu Blanc Rouge. It looks like sitting down has become an imperative for eating BK burgers. Titles: Jackhammer, Lumberjack Client: Burger King Country: Canada Agency: Communication Bleu Blanc Rouge  Creative Director: Gaétan Namouric Art Director: Laura Kim Copywriter: Mélanie Delisle Agency Producer: Normand Vaillancourt Director: Brian Lee Hughes Production Company: Cinélande / Reginald Pike Producer: Sylvie Dubé Director Of Photography: Jean-François Lord Executive Producer: Sylvie Dubé Transfer: Technicolor On-Line: Buzz Editor & Company: Graham Chrisholm & Quatre Zéro Un Bob Giraldi, Director @ GIRALDI We've asked a few prominent directors a round of questions for our regular section "Inside Their Heads". Inside the head of ... Bob Giraldi, Director @ GIRALDI From writing and directing classic music videos Beat It, Love is a Battlefield, Hello, and Say, Say, Say, to helming landmark advertising campaigns for Pepsi-Cola (featuring Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie) and Miller Lite (featuring Rodney Dangerfield, Billy Martin, John Madden, and Bob Ueker), and the Broadway show spots for A Chorus Line, Dream Girls, Evita, and Phantom of the Opera, Bob Giraldi clearly has had a hand in shaping popular culture. bestads: SO WHAT DREW YOU TO THE DARK SIDE...DIRECTING? BG: It was so long ago, Ive almost forgotten as I remember, I was an art director in the early 70s at Jerry Della Feminas agency where the culture was far more relaxed, but cruder we all created amongst the drugs, war protests, card-playing, and tardiness I decided to direct. bestads: DOING THE GIG...NO PROBLEM. GETTING THE GIG...HMMMM. BG: Who says doing the gig is no problem? But youre right, getting the gig is far more complex phony phone calls, ghost-written treatments, executive producer hand-holding, insincere rep relationships undeliverable promises but, at the end of the day, the client is now the most underrated factor in who gets the gig. bestads: THE ONLY THING BETWEEN YOU AND A GOLD LION IS... BG: A very large ocean. bestads: SHOOT DAYS: THE LIFE BLOOD? THE DRUG? OR ACCELERATED AGING? BG: The shoot day is still the high. Sometimes I feel like Eli Manning getting ready to go to work and learn it all for the first time. Other times I come home feeling like Mike Tyson. bestads: THE PACK SHOT THE DEVIL INCARNATE? BG: I would have an opinion if I ever stayed on set to shoot one. bestads: WHATS YOUR PERSONAL SECRET TO MANAGING ALL THE PERSONALITIES INVOLVED IN ANY ONE SHOOT? BG: I cant really say if Im successful at it, but I know one attempt that didnt work. Years ago, when asked the same question by a national newspaper about working with Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney on the same set, I said; theres only room for one star on my set and thats the director. Needless to say what happened after that. bestads: SHOOT WITH YOUR MOBILE/CELL PHONE, EDIT & POST FX ON YOUR LAP TOP, OUTPUT AS QUICKTIME, UPLOAD TO NET. BINGO. NOW IF WE JUST DISPENSE WITH THE CLIENT! WHERES IT ALL HEADING? AT THE END OF THE DAY... BG: ...Im high as a kite on the new technology and challenges but to me, itll always remain a business where if you do quality, youll do quantity...but will never work the other way around. RUSHES CREATE A CINEMATIC 3D CITY FOR ACTION MAN RUSHES CREATE A CINEMATIC 3D CITY FOR ACTION MAN Rushes have recently completed a fast paced, colourful commercial for Action Man, made exclusively for the cinema. The commercial is seen from the perspective of our dare devil hero as he drives and flies through the exciting fictional streets of Landmark city. On his journey, Action Man is almost thwarted by his arch enemy and accompanying evil henchmen. Title: Debrief Agency: DDB London Agency Producer: Lucy Westmore Director Kent Shively Post Facility: Rushes 3D: Angela Noble, Craig Travis, Nathan Walster, Stafford Lawrence, Charles Beglan Graphic Design: Matt Lawrenc Fire: Paul Wratten Rushes Producer: Danny Jones  The new Mitsubishi "King of the Hill" spot from BBDO NY shows just how intimidating a 4x4 can be. I can't help wondering if you're allowed to mention "the police" when you're working with composer/ drummer Stewart Copeland? And what's the meaning of these dust patterns at the end of the spot .... ?  Chief Creative Officer: David Lubars Exec. Creative Director: Bill Bruce Creative Director: Mark Wegwerth, Christopher Cole Copywriter: Mark Wegwerth Art Director: Christopher Cole Producer: Jeff Beverly Exec. Music Producer: Loren Parkins Production Company: HSI Director: Gerard de Thame Cinematographer: Dennis Crossan Producer: Fabian Daws Editing House: Nomad Editing Company, Inc Santa Monica Editor: John Murray VFX: Sight Effects VFX Artists: Gavin Malkovich, Jason Mortimor Sound Design: Francois Blaignon Music Company: Groove Addicts, Los Angeles Composer: Stewart Copeland  O2 & VCCP Change Direction with Vaughn Arnell & Absolute O2s latest, Treats and I-Mode, continue to be beautifully art-directed but this time around they take a subtle turn. The usual production team has been shaken-up in order to add a new, more approachable feel to the brand. Pagans Vaughn Arnell and Absolutes David Smith (who cut the job as well as leading the VFX) form two significant elements of the shake-up. Agency: VCCP Creatives: Kieran & Veryan Agency Producer: Maggie Campbell PA: Sue Cook Production Company: Pagan Director: Vaughn Arnell Prod Co Producer: Adam Saward Oliver Maisey - Fastest in THE WORLD! Oliver Maisey (ECD of FCB New Zealand) was THE FIRST to use our on-line submissions page ... minutes after it went live. He went on to say ..... "canteen is a charity that helps and supports young people living with cancer. each year they sell bandanas to raise money. we remade this classic muppet skit, replacing 'manamanah' with 'bandanana' " Client: Canteen Agency: FCB New Zealand Executive Creative Director: Oliver Maisey Art Director: Dave Brady Copywriter: Hayley Brunt Agency Producer: Michelle Delaney Director/ DOP: Daryl Ward Producer: Matt Noonan Prod Co: Curious Film CURIOUS Producers Note: Thank you to the agency for making the impossible happen and also to TK & Mark at Bob Industries. Without TK's help we could not have done the spot to the level we were able to, and Mark made it happen by giving us an awesome team! Guest comments from Mother London (for Orange "Rio") Some background from the creatives, Gustavo and Augusto, Mother London We had to come up with a story that could represent all the great things that can happen when technology is switched on. I was still living in Brazil in 97 when that happened and I saw Renato dancing for the first time in my TV at home. It was amazing to see how such a small gesture completely changed a guy's life for better. In a way his story managed to raise all the street cleaners' self esteem in Brazil. It made their profession more respected. I told Renato's story to my partner Augusto and we thought it would be great to make a film about that. The nicest thing about this film is that we managed to use the REAL Renato to do it. It was very important to have the real guy in the ad. First because it made all the scenes a bit more believable, especially the Carnival one. And second because it kind of makes the film the next step on Renato's story. He became very famous in Brazil, and now is becoming famous in England as well. So in a way technology and the means of communication are still helping to spread his story.  A nice idea in combination with tasty SFX in this recent spot from Saatchis UK Product : Mares Rates from T.mobile Title : knickers Agency : Saatchi&Saatchi london Creatives : Cassandra Yap (Copywriter) Marion Cohen (art director) Chris Moore (Agency producer) Director: Jason Smith Prod. Co: Home films Country: UK  More impressive SFX. This time from motion theory  Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Executive Producer: Ben Grylewicz Producer: Jennifer Fiske Creative Director: Steve Luker Art Director/Copy Writer: Chris Hutchinson Art Director/Copywriter: Driscoll Reid Account Executive: Alberto Escobedo/Jesse Long 
Impressive SFX in the lastest from Comcast Ad Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Creative Director/Copywriter: Jamie Barrett Partner Creative Director/Art Director: Mark Wenneker Senior Agency Producer: Tanya LeSieur Production Company: MJZ Director: Fredrik Bond Executive Producer: David Zander, Lisa Rich Director of Photography: Stephen Blackman Production Designer: Dominic Watkins Editorial: Peepshow / Cosmos Street Editor: Andrea MacArthur Visual Effects: Method Original Music and Sound Design: Stimmüng Featured spot - Escape (one of this week's bestads) A bit of background to "Escape", one of this week's featured spots ... Escape from Carphone Warehouse was written by Charlies Inge, creative director of Clemmow Horby Inge, London. With a budget of £500,000, it was shot over four days in Budapest by Stink Films and was directed by Zak and Dan, produced by Olivia Hirschberg, and photographed by Jan Velicky. The Budapest crew was put together through Strawberry Films, who sourced some amazing locations, including a communist iron foundry and a deserted Mig air base. It was a very challenging shoot, since only one shot in the entire 60s spot was free of post production. This meant every scene had to be visualized without the plates, 3D and 2D that would end up in the final picture. Also, the hero of the piece, our plucky little phone was obviously missing in every shot. Post production was obviously key to this production, and all CGI, matte paintings, 2D and TK were courtesy of the Moving Picture Company, London, overseen by producer Andy Bell. Inferno operator Dan Sanders was ever-present on the set to supervise all post-heavy shots, some of which include over sixty different layers in the final reckoning. Passion Pictures provided the 3D animation for the main character of the film, Mowbli. The film was cut by Kate Owen at Marshall Street Editors, Soho. The stirring soundtrack was a piece especially composed by Gordan Halaykievich back in London. The Sweet Shop has just signed two new directors. The Sweet Shop is delighted to announce the addition of award-winning directors Andy Lambert and Michael Wong to The Sweet Shops ranks. The Sweet Shop will represent English director Andy Lambert in the States, Australasia and Europe, excluding London. The Sweet Shop will represent Michael Wong globally. Andy Lambert will continue to be represented by Blink in London and Michael Wong by Bistro Films in Prague. WIEDEN+KENNEDY/AMSTERDAM MAKES DESIGNS ON TOP NIKE CREATIVE Design and brand visionary Andy Walker leaves central role at Nike Portland to join W+K/Amsterdam Wieden+Kennedy/Amsterdam announced the hiring of Nikes Andy Walker to the creative team. Walker leaves his leadership position of Art Director, Advanced Concepts Group, Global Brand Design at Nike HQ in Portland to become Creative Director at W+K/Amsterdam, working across all clients under the leadership of Executive Creative Directors Al Moseley and John Norman. This is a major coup for Wieden+Kennedy/Amsterdam and were delighted to welcome Andy on board, said John Norman. Andys creative reputation at Nike is already legendary. Hes been central to developing a present and future vision for the global Nike brand. Were stoked that hes joining us. Al Moseley continued, With a background in design rather than advertising, hes got a fresh perspective on where the ad industry is going, both creatively and conceptually. Hes going to have a major impact on the work we produce. Not just for Nike but all our clients are going to benefit from his appointment. Design award-winning Andy Walker, originally from the UK, has spent the last five years at Nike Portland where he set visual direction of Nike brand communications to consumers worldwide. Projects have included design strategy and execution on high profile global initiatives such as World Cup 06, 2004 Olympics, designing the Nike corporate jet, and conception of the Nike iD retail Space in New York, a first of its kind customization studio for footwear. I started out in fashion, moved into sport, then brand design, said Andy Walker, so moving into advertising seemed like the logical next step for me. Ive shied away from it for a while but the bug caught up with me. Once I seriously thought about it, Wieden+Kennedy was a natural fit, in terms of creative excellence, ambition, and caliber of clients. My background is design not advertising, so Im bringing a fresh approach to the Amsterdam team, extending the offering. Self-Serve News - from bestads Got some news? or gossip? ... or a viewpoint? Shifting agencies? Done some good work? Feel like boasting? Log in & post it! It'll sure save us some time! Interesting way to seed a viral .... This is probably interesting to any ad region, except that they'd be saying "who the hell is Jason Donovan", so here it is. (beamo). Jason Donovan Makes Ad Debut In Virgin Mobiles Enjoy Our Rates Responsibly Campaign Virgin Mobile Australia last week unveiled its new ad campaign, featuring infamous Australian Actor / Singer / Musician Jason Donovan, providing the reveal to a viral tease that kicked-off covertly on the internet in August. The new campaign, a first for Jason Donovan, seeks to continue the well-established Virgin to Virgin theme which highlights the low text and call rates available to Virgin Mobile customers. The new campaign was initially leaked online to an unsuspecting public on August 22nd with a carefully seeded faux photo. The photo appeared to be a paparazzi shot of Jason getting into his blue Range Rover with a for sale sign in the rear window & his mobile number 0403 527 663 (0403 JASOND) clearly visible. The Range Rover also appeared For Sale on various websites.  Interest in the photo escalated quickly, fuelled by various web forums, blogs and fansites. The story was rapidly picked up by the mainstream media with coverage in the Sydney Morning Herald, on NOVA radio, The Sun Herald, The Sunday Telegraph and various regional radio stations. In w/c September 12th, Virgin Mobile placed announcement style press and radio ads (featuring Mr Branson himself) confirming that Jason Donovan was indeed a Virgin Mobile customer. The ads urged other customers to refrain from contacting Donovan and to use the rates responsibly. By Sunday 18th September over 5000 calls and texts had been made to 0403 JASOND and a number of prank videos of people filming Jason being subjected to these nuisance calls were circulating the internet. The core campaign was unveiled on Sunday 18th September in a series of voyeuristic TV commercials where viewers see Jason Donovan in a variety of compromising situations, being bombarded with calls and texts of adoration (& abuse) from his so called fans. The official style announcement ads and corporate voice-over explain that this footage has been sourced by Virgin Mobile from the internet and is an example of the terrible harassment that Jason is being put through. It urges the public to please not call or text the number published on the screen, 0403 JASOND, and to please use the low Virgin to Virgin 5¢ Text and 5¢/min* call rates responsibly. After only one week of television advertising 0403JASOND has received over 70,000 texts and calls. The campaign continues until early December. The campaign, again developed by ad agency HOST and creative partners The Glue Society, has spun the traditional TV ad to viral approach on its head. By leading with a non-branded, celebrity viral element, the campaign achieved early media and customer recognition, spurring on the campaigns talkability. Viral and web activity was engineered by digital agency NetX. Click here to view the spot: VIEW Inside the head of Director Theodore Melfi As part of our regular section "inside their heads", we put a few questions to Theodore Melfi Director @ Area 51 Films (and take a look at his spec spot "the attempt" below) 1. So what drew you to the dark side ... directing? My father always said, If you want to be something then you better be good fucking at it. Cause life dont treat failures kindly. And since I was not a good plumber, I chose the next most logical career. 2. Doing the gig ... no problem. Getting the gig ... hmmm. Shooting is icing I shoot literally all the time anything I can get my hands on that is not porn whether it be a music video, short or feature Getting the job is the job. Its all about the treatment for me. Any monkey can show up with a camera and shoot a board but can you conceptualize and strategize on paper Like all creatives must do. Can you present? Can you create on paper? We all know the job is damn near over before one frame of film runs through the gate. 3. The only thing between you and a gold lion is ... (most scripts? The client? The process ...?) Nothing. Send the boards See you in France. 4. Shoot days: The lifeblood? The drug? Or accelerated aging? Shoot days are like Prom night So much preparation So much effort Then the drinking and the afterparty then poof Its all over and youve got a few phone numbers, several best friends and a tough case of gonorrhea. 5. The Pack Shot ... The devil incarnate? Whats a pack shot? Is that a porn term? 6. Whats your personal secret to managing all of the personalities involved in any one project? Calm. Peace. Patience. Every leader needs to create an atmosphere of safety. We are going to get the job done. It is going to turn out famously. Every problem is its own solution. Every unforeseen circumstance brings us one step closer to discovering genius. 7. Shoot with your mobile/ cell phone, edit & post FX on your lap top, output as quicktime, upload to net. Bingo. Now if we just dispense with the client! Wheres it all heading? At the end of the day ... At the end of the day nothing ever changes. Just like your mother. Oh, this year Im gonna loose 15 pounds. Sure you are. And this year hi-def is going to replace film Sure it is. And this year client direct will eliminate the agency Sure it will. Heres my theory People like to say shit. And they say shit all the time. Some say shit because they truly believe shit will happen. But most say shit just to be saying shit. And since all shit rolls downhill Well Thats a lot of people getting full of shit. Good thing we have comedy. And some recent work from Theodore: Spots Title: The Attempt Click here to view the spot: VIEW Commentary from Craig Lederman, Brian Morgan, and Ted (the director). It can be a common theme in this business: frustrated creative folks banding together to shoot something on the edge... Writer Craig Lederman and Art Director Brian Morgan approached director Theodore Melfi with an idea about a young man trying to commit suicide... Utilizing the fumes of the new Toyota Hybrid Prius. "The Attempt" is an utter failure, thanks to the super low emissions of the environmental friendly Prius. Melfi directed the spot through his production company Area 51 Films (Santa Monica). Executive Producers Phyllis Koenig and Preston Lee supported the project on the heels of another commercial - the old piggy back approach. With the help of friends in the production world, the spot was edited (Frank Effron @ Cut and Run), transferred (PJ @ Company 3), mixed (Mark Meyuhas @ Lime) and then emailed to ten million people and... Here we are. DDB Singapore rolls out new work for Air Force DDB Singapore Executive Creative Director, Neil Johnson: "Based on a fresh creative platform Like Nothing on Earth' the TVC is based on the premise that an Air Force is a blend of its people and its technology. The technology is ready. Only a select few have it in them to propel it. And how these world class people are created is told through visual metaphors. It is this combination of people and technology that results in a Force that can respond like nothing on earth". Creative Director: Neil Johnson/ Terrence Tan Account Mgt: Alan Lim/ Jimmy Yar/ Chris Chua Writer: Christopher Lim, Alex Kuo Art Director: Joel Chin, Terrence Tan Director: Peter Cherry Production House: Fluid Productions Post-Production House : Infinite Frameworks Media : Starcom Media Cook & Goldman to Publicis & Hal RineyPublicis & Hal Riney Continues to Strengthen Integrated Capability with the Addition of Two Award-Winning Creatives Ken Cook and Dominic Goldman to Further Heighten Creative Focus on Integration and Interactivity San Francisco, CA October 3, 2005 Publicis & Hal Riney today announced the appointments of two award-winning, senior creatives. Former head of the Microsoft team and all integration efforts at MRM Partners of McCann Worldgroup, Ken Cook joins the agency as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Creative DirectorBrand Integration. Dominic Goldman joins from Goodby, Silverstein and Partners as VP Creative Director Interactive. Both are new positions created to provide clients with a heightened level of focus on integration and interactivity, enhancing their ability to compete in todays evolving marketing environment. The hiring of Cook and Goldman closely follows the addition of brand integration specialists Jim Consolantis and Jamie King and further enhances the agencys integrated capabilities. Both Ken and Dominic are award-winning creatives who make a habit of staying two steps ahead of industry trends, said Jae Goodman, Co-Executive Creative Director. Their addition to the team shows our commitment to putting integration and interactivity at the center of the creative process. We will continue to add talent that pushes our entire team to deliver a creative product that meets our clients very aggressive business goals by reaching customers in new and powerful ways. Ken and Dom will help us create consistent, effective messaging across all media from traditional to the most cutting-edge. Cook, an 18-year industry veteran, has been continually recognized for his accomplishments across various disciplines, including marketing and communications design, packaging and corporate identity. He will report to Senior Vice President, Worldwide Creative Director, James Consolantis, and will be responsible for various disciplines as well as outside agencies and suppliers to achieve seamless integration for all Publicis & Hal Riney clients. Cooks experience developing new brands and marketing ideas that are extendable through the line will be an invaluable addition to the team. Goldman will report to Executive Creative Directors, Jae Goodman and Jon Soto, and will leverage more than 10 years of international experience to drive client marketing and branding strategies centered around interactivity. His belief that interactive should be equally deserving of big ideas as any other component will help revamp the creative process, and he will be responsible for driving that thinking throughout the organization, as well as connecting with other Publicis agencies. Advertising today isnt about taking existing ideas and tweaking them for new media; this is a fundamental shift in the creative process, said Jon Soto. Ken and Dominic will be involved at every level of the processfrom strategy through executionto make sure we're always pushing ourselves and our clients to use new media in effective ways and to rethink core ideas when necessary.  Ken Cook Prior to joining Riney, Cook was Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director of MRM on the Microsoft business, where he was integral in building the team that grew and supported that account. He was responsible for the technology giants customer relationship management and direct and interactive efforts as well as ensuring complete integration with other agencies. When Cook founded his own design, branding and design firm, Brandtank, he leveraged research and a strategic planning focus, more typical of an agency model, and combined it with new media and the latest technology to produce strategy-based, innovative and award-winning solutions for clients. Previously, Cook was Senior Vice President, Brand Design Group Head at McCann, where he spearheaded a brand redesign for the Oakland As and created the first Brand in Advertising tools designed to guide the Microsoft work globally. Hes also served as Vice President, Creative Director of Brand and Advertising at Bank of America, founded and managed his own design firm, and held various creative positions at Siegel & Gale and Bright & Associates of TBWA/Chiat/Day. Cooks work has been honored by national and international design, advertising and communications competitions such as Communication Arts, the LA Art Directors Club, One Show, The New York Art Directors Club, Society of Publication Designers and the San Francisco Show. His work has also been featured in many books and industry publications such as The Annual of the Type Directors Club, American Corporate Identity, Graphic Design USA (annual of the AIGA), The AIGA Book Show Annual, Graphis and a number of print regional design annuals. Cooks work resides in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and the communications archives at Columbia University, New York City.  Dominic Goldman Goldman joins Riney from Goodby, Silverstein and Partners where he was Group Creative Director for a broad spectrum of businesses, including Adobe, Hewlett-Packard, Subway, Milk and Specialized. Prior to his time at Goodby, Goldman held several positions at Ogilvy & Mathers Singapore office, culminating in Creative Director and head of the interactive group. Although he delivered exceptional work for Nokia, Volvo, Levis, The Economist, DHL, SPCA, Guinness and HOG, Goldman is best known for his part in elevating OgilvyOne to the number one creative position in the worldwide network. To date, Goldman has achieved recognition for his work at numerous international awards shows, including The Clios, One Show, New York Festivals, Cannes, D&AD and Communication Arts. He has also served as a judge for many international award shows, including The One Show and The Clios. Inside their heads - Tim Hearn and Graham Cappi, TBWA/London We've asked a few of last week's featured creatives a few questions ... to try to get inside their heads: Tim Hearn and Graham Cappi, creatives at TBWA/London Q: You've got a great idea. Who's the most difficult to slip it past? A: The one who doesn't understand what a great idea is... Q: It's all about the work. That's why partying is off the agenda. A: Yes. Because otherwise, it's all about partying and work is off the agenda. And you're out of a job. Q: 10% inspiration. What's the other 85%? (mathematics is certainly of the agenda) A: 80% malt, hops, barley and pure spring water. 5% luck. (If you're only prepared to give 100%, forgo the luck.) Q: Publicity. Who needs it? A: Certainly not Tim Hearn and Graham Cappi, creatives at TBWA/London. Q: If all copywriters are working on their novels, what are art directors working on? A: Children's novels. Guest Comments for the featured spot "Dutch Coarse" Guest comments from The Two Pauls, creators of our featured spot "Dutch Coarse" We are the Two Pauls (Paul Best and Paul Fraser) and we are founder members of a creative collective that doesn't have a name yet. It's been going for two months and 'Dutch Coarse' is the first work to go live. We work with other people to get good work out there, instead of disappearing into the bottom drawer as the client changes his mind yet again. To take the line "Work like you don't need the money" the collective will only produce work we think has a good idea, even if it costs us. We are currently in the Dutch media for developing protest flags to put in dogshits (a major problem in Amsterdam) with lines like "My owner is an asshole". So that's shit and swearing. Expect something about sex from us next month. Inside the producer's head - Rod James, Head of TV, M&C Saatchi This week, we've put a series of questions to a few TV producers around the globe trying to get inside their heads. Amongst them ... Rod James, long time Head of TV, M&C Saatchi Sydney. How do you choose directors? Whats the usual process? RJ: The most important thing is picking a director and production company producer you can trust to deliver, and with that their track record (ie their reel) is obviously very important. Often I work with directors on a repeat basis, and I see this as no different to using the builder you trust. If they did a great job on your last house why wouldnt you consider them for a new campaign? Thats why Phil Meatchem was chosen to direct our fantastic new brand tvc for Optus. Having shot many great commercials for us I knew Phil would deliver on Optus and he did a superb job along with Animal Logic's wonderful post work. That said its also great to meet and work with the new breed of directors. In just the last year we've shot with Cherub's Sam Lang and Nash Edgerton, POD's David White, Revolver's Jess Bluck, Silverscreen's Michael Wong and Elevator's Bruce Allan. All of these were first timers for us and all did a really great job. I also believe the production house and their producers are very important. Companies I regard highly such as Film Graphics and Revolver are run by fantastic EP's Michael Cook and Michael Ritchie who have an agency background and understand what's needed without the bullshit. Is there enough time in the day to watch all of the incoming reels? RJ: The nature of a producers job and the usually crazy work load means that its physically impossible to watch a constant stack of reels every week. I'd love to sit and watch them all day but unfortunately the never ending hospital queue at my door has to come first. I know from speaking regularly to colleagues like Ali at Saatchi's and Brendan at Burnett's that they feel exactly the same given our hours. It may not happen overnight but I do see all the reels sooner or later and I find the experienced production house producers or ones who have worked both sides of the fence understand this. Ultimately if there's great talent out there they wont miss being noticed. Well designed websites are also a smart way to go now as they can be viewed anywhere instantly. The producer is always the last to leave the looooong post sessions. True or false? RJ:As I type this I'm sitting at Beamos late on a Thursday night recording a track for a pitch that has just been briefed and in between this Ive got to edit a stealamatic, shoot and edit a casting, and get two other commercials complete, approved and out to air all by tomorrow afternoon. Its just another normal week! Caffeine management. Any tips? RJ: For reasons that nobody ever gets I've never drunk coffee in my life so I wouldnt know the difference between Bar Colluzo's finest and a jar of instant. The fact is I simply don't like the taste of it so I stick to my water bottle. Who are the main culprits for blowing out the budgets? RJ: More often that not these days it's clients suffering from way too many levels of approvals. It's frustrating when the client who's really the one to approve the work hasn't been to any of the meetings or comes in at the 11th hour. Does agency producing set you up for a career in the diplomatic corps? RJ: A good producer is a bit like a good footy coach and team psychologist rolled into one, so I guess it would. What makes your work successful? RJ: Using great suppliers and hiring great talent certainly helps. We are blessed with very talented production companies (and great freelance crews), post production companies, editors, musicians, casting directors and more in this market. It's all about relationships. The bottom line is that like every head of tv I can't possibly use every supplier so I have built relationships over time that I know I can trust. For example I've been working closely with Rick Schweikert at FSM for a long time and he and his excellent team have never failed to deliver for me. I'm also blessed with a great team of girls in my tv dept who I've hopefully taught how to be great producers whilst retaining a sense of humility and humour. I try to never lose sight of the fact that whilst we care like hell about the work we're just making ads at the end of the day. What do you say to suits knocking on your door who suddenly need to have a commercial with an impossible budget on air by Sunday? RJ: Tremendous Is it true that Ben Welsh's first name is actually Francis? RJ: Yep it's true and he loves it when the girls call him Franny. What are you listening to at the moment? RJ: Foo Fighters "In Your Honour" as loud as possible. Inside the creatives' heads Inside the heads of Michael Jones & Dave Shirlaw, M&C Saatchi, Sydney. Last week we saw their featured ad innovations for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, this week we pick their brains as part of our ongoing news category inside their heads. bestads - Youve got a great idea ... Whos going to be the most difficult to slip it past? M&D M : Dave. D : Michael bestads - 10% inspiration ... Whats the other 85%? (true creatives wont pick that up) M&D - inferior subcutaneous nerve neck tension. bestads - Choosing a director. How do you go about it? (this is the holy grail for production companies) M&D - Start as Jess Bluck - and if shes not available, wait until she is. bestads - Publicity ... Who needs it! M&D - Pub yes, licity no. bestads - Managing your career. The work does it for you. True or false? M&D - D: True but creating the illusion of youth works, moisturise daily. M: Hopefully, but never underestimate the networking potential of a good S&M club. bestads - your soapbox of choice .... M&D - Imperial leather. (particularly the gold writing.) bestads - If all writers are working on their novel, what are the art directors working on? M&D Being novel. Guest Comments for September's featured spots for the Manhattan This week's guest comments are from Jason Levine (Art Director/Writer), Publicis, New York, one of the creatives on this week's featured spots for the Manhattan Short Film Festival. The Manhattan Short Film Festival was started by an eccentric Australian friend of ours called Nick Mason. The first screening took place on the side of a truck in Mulberry Street, Little Italy, on Sept 27 1998. In its first year the festival received 316 entries from 16 countries, with the winner coming from the former Yugoslavia. The following year, the festival relocated to Union Square Park, in the heart of downtown Manhattan, and was judged by Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Eric Stolz, Laura Linney and Roger Corman. Last year the festival received a record 621 entries from 32 countries, and handed the judging to the cinema going public in 7 states. The winner, an Indian film called Little Terrorist, went on to be nominated for an Oscar. In 2005, the festival will be judged by the public in 30 states in 48 cities, culminating in 160 screenings during one week, 16th 24th September. The winner will be announced in Union Square Park, Sunday 25th and will receive backing to create a feature film that will be distributed to the same cinemas. So thats what the festival is about, now about the ad campaign. My partner, Eric Quennoy, and I were having a late night conversation with the founder of the MSFF, Nick Mason, when he asked us if we would be interested in helping him market the festival for him. We obviously saw a great opportunity to do award winning ads for a film literate client and good friend, and jumped on it. After a few weeks of struggle we came up with an idea of creating films that were inherently short, with story lines that had absolutely nowhere to go. The first one we thought of was Memoirs of a Kamikaze Pilot. Soon, we had written a dozen of them: Searching For Starbucks, Exit Strategy for Iraq, The Calf That Would Be Veal, The Dog That Wandered Into The Vietnamese Restaurant, Jimmys First Time, The Softer Side of Idi Amin, Grandmas Surprise Party, The Man Who Thought He Could Fly, etc. As far as execution goes, the idea was to make every one of these ads look and feel like a short film, and therefore to incorporate as many of its genres animation, film noir, documentary, etc. And just like the films in a short film festival, we wanted all these ads to look and feel radically different from one another. The starting point was to actually use a different director for each spot, and for them to bring their unique style to the board. Some directors decided to shoot on 35mm, some with an old Bolex H16 camera, some went digital, and some of the spots are animated. Also, the ads were shot in locations as diverse as London, L.A, New York, Montevideo and Sao Paulo. Its also worth noting that when we sent these scripts to directors, we were worried about them all gravitating to the same two or three boards. To our relief, however, the directors seemed to find something different in each script that appealed to them as filmmakers. As we begin to see some of the finished ads, it is amazing to see how different the spots look and feel from each other, which is exactly what we had hoped for. The truly refreshing aspect of this project has been the passion and generosity shown by so many people. A short film, as everybody knows, is about the struggling filmmaker pulling favors at every turn with the vain hope of one day achieving a slither of notoriety. This clearly seemed to appeal to the countless directors, producers, editors, cameramen, sound mixers, etc, who happily gave their time to work on the project. WELCOME TO THE BRAND NEW bestads NEWS SECTION.Read and post the latest creative news right here: Creative viewpoints, new work, awards, events ... or just gossip. Got a point of view? Done some good work? Post your news directly onto the site. (Or email it to beamo@bestadsontv.com) No anonymous postings or comments though. There'll be a bit of a delay so that posts & comments can be checked by the good people at bestads. A PSA for Air Mercy Services - Suburban Films AMS SOS A helicopter without blades is about as useful as AA cup implants, a Dachshund pointer or a three-legged Lipizzaner. Suburban Films with acclaimed director Jeremy Goodall took on the challenge of highlighting the operations of a non-profit organisation in his new public service announcement. Jeremy has managed to create an analogy of a helicopter without blades as being similar to a service without dedicated donor support. Agency 8 Seconds and the Suburban Films team descended on the AMS hangar at Cape Town International Airport on a cold, stormy morning. Mercurial director, Jeremy Goodall, bagged the shots despite howling wind that would halt even the steeliest of Janjaweed militiamen, with a plucky crew who contributed their time for the AMS debut. Then onto Frogs Croak Constantia, where the pool scene was shot. Local frogman Michael Snyman did the honours with the underwater shots. The result, crisp, haunting shots that create a sense of unease. Everyone on the shoot and in post-production really pulled out the stops to assist in helping the AMS craft a sublime, thought provoking commercial. It is perfectly timed to get the SA Red Cross AMS' 40th Anniversary Appeal off the ground in 2006 , and to encourage South Africans to make a "birthday gift" to help with expansion of the organisation's facilities and purchase lifesaving medical equipment for its bases. Enquiries or donations: visit www.ams.org.za or contact Susann at (021) 934-0916 or by e-mail at susann@ams.org.za. DLKW's new work for Branston Pickle. Nice too! Branston Pickle - Single handed The things you can do once you've freed up that other hand! Project name: Squeezy Client: Premier Creative agency: DLKW Copywriter: Richard Holmes Art director: Remco Graham Planner: Lisa Conway Director: Guy Manwaring Producer: Dickie Jeffares Production company: Therapy Films Editor and editing company: Mark Edinoff at Peepshow Post-production company: Rushes Audio post-production: Wave Music Composed by: Mcasso Music BCM Partnership keeping busy The BCM Partnership, Brisbane, have been busy finish off commercials for Qld transport and the Original Juice company (where some unusual facts about hippos help sell juice). Client: Original Juice Company Agency: BCM Partnership Creative Director: Greville Patterson Writer: Nancy Hartley Art Director: James Burchill Agency Producer: Shane Ford Production Company: Post Lounge Director: Ryan Renshaw (Black Lab) Post Production: Post Lounge Post Producer: Vicki Lee Off-Line Editor: Paul Travers Compositor: Steve Tedman 3D Animator: Duncan MacDonald Art Director: Zenon Kohler W+K Amsterdam - more solid EA work Electronic Arts - New Work 30 TV spot: Winner Stays On: We glimpse the personal battle between Rooney and Ronaldinho during a MASSIVE, non-stop Winner Stays On football tournament. Manchester United has beaten Brasil 5-1. Ronaldinho storms off, disgruntled in his yellow jersey. He takes us into a surreal world, where thousands of top teams are packed together, impatiently jostling for their turn on the field. Ronaldinho is saved an eternal wait for another game by his Barcelona team mates he runs straight back out for another crack at Rooney.  FIFA '06 TV spot synopsis: 20 Teaser: Referee An irate warden brutally plucks a referee from the ref storage room deep in the bowels of a stadium. The warden drags the ref through hundreds of the worlds best teams as he reads out the match fixtures for a never-ending tournament. The ref is over-whelmed at first but slowly rises to the challenge by bravely snatching a ball off nearby Rooneys head and kissing his red card as he tears out into the night. CREDITS: TV Ad agency: Wieden+Kennedy/Amsterdam Campaign: FIFA '06 Winner Stays On (30" advert); FIFA '06 Referee (20" teaser TV spot) Client: Electronic Arts (Clive Downie, Trevor Uzice, Ian McGregor, Dave Sullivan) Art director: Rachid Ahouyek Copywriter: Jon Burden Creative Dir.: Don Shelford; Joe DeSouza Producer: Trudy Waldron Prod. Ass.: Lucy Newman Account exec: Hazelle Griffin; Nick Howe Prod. com.: Stink Producer: Mungo Maclagan Director: James Brown CREDITS: PRINT Art director: Rachid Ahouyek Copywriter: Jon Burden Creative Dir.: Don Shelford; Joe DeSouza Account mgt: Julia Porter; Nick Howe Media: Alex Barwick THE CREATIVE BALL - London
CANADA
September 28, 2005 03:18 (Edited: February 17, 2023 04:19)
 DONT MISS THIS FESTIVE SEASONS MOST DAZZLING EVENT - THE CREATIVE BALL on 9th December in The Ballroom at The Grosvenor House Hotel Tickets are now on sale for the Creative Industrys most sought after fundraiser event of the year, The Creative Ball. This year promises to be the most exciting yet with an influx of daring acts spicing up the entertainment. Movers and shakers in the industry are advised to move fast, as tickets for tables of 12 have sold out within days of going on sale. (Only tables of 10 remain for those revellers and charitable hearts who have not moved fast enough.) Established in 1984, the creative ball raises money for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Save the Children and has been supported by Trevor Beattie, John Hegarty, Jim thornton and Nik Studinski. This year, the Chairman of the event is yet another hugely respected name in the advertising industry, Craig Davis, JWTs Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide. For more details please log onto www.midsummer.net or call Jane/Lorraine on 0207 631 1648. For press enquiries please contact Bella or Fiona at CK Publicity 020 7580 5058 or email bella@ckpublicity.com Publicis Mojo Sydney have been busy! Two very amusing spots in quite a difficult category from Publicis Mojo Sydney. Telfast - Photocopier Client: Sanofi Aventis Agency : Publicis Mojo, Sydney Creative Director: Michael Stanford Agency Producer : Jasmin Ferguson Creative Team: Michael Stanford - Writer & Georgia Arnott - Art Production Company: ACNE - Sweden Director: Rasmus Laumann Producer : Richard Bjorlin  Metamucil - Big Sandwich Client: Proctor & Gamble Agency : Publicis Mojo, Sydney Creative Director: Darren Spiller Agency Producer : Jasmin Ferguson Creative Team: Justin Ruben - Writer & Georgia Arnott - Art Director Production Company: Exit Films Director: Glendyn Ivin Producer : Jane Liscombe New work for The Wilderness Society - DDB Sydney ... and very stylish at that Product : The Wilderness Society Title : Chainsaw Agency : DDB Sydney Creatives : Ant&Alex Creative Director : Garry Horner Director : Tony Mahony Prod. Co. : Zealot Films Country : Australia « First « Previous Next » Last » 1396 of 1397 |
Search blogMembersPast guest reviewers
Latest news
Blog categories
Blog archives
RSS feed
advertising news |
 |
