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Seen and noted
inside the head of an animation company head .. huh? A chat with Chris OReilly - joint MD/co-founder of Nexus Productions. bestads: You started in London & have since opened in Paris. Is this the road the world domination? Whats the history of nexus & where do you see it going? Chris OReilly: Charlotte Bavasso and I started Nexus eight years ago. Originally we were a division of a Japanese company, but then we bought them out and separated off. Opening in Paris was a natural evolution for us. Charlotte is French and weve always had French directors on our reel. The talent in France is excellent and there are interesting projects coming from there too. Not sure about the road to world domination! Were enjoying the winding back routes. bestads: Any plans to move into non-animated areas? Chris OReilly: Our company plan was to focus on the new generation of filmmakers and artists who had embraced digital film making techniques, with a strong focus on animation. However we always had broader filmmaking interests. Live-action and animation hybrid work has been a massive part of our repertoire, and quite a lot of live-action only work too. Right now were involved in three totally live-action projects. Ultimately our interest is in talent not techniques. bestads: Weve featured 8 Nexus spots on bestads. Thats got to be a record for an animation company for our site. Any interesting work in the pipeline (that youd be allowed tell us about)? Chris OReilly: Weve got quite a few projects going through that Im excited about. Hopefully some will surprise and delight enough to make it on again! bestads: So Grrr is being submitted to the Guinness book of records! Whats the thinking there? Chris OReilly: Weve been told this... It has won a lot of awards - pretty much everything it entered. Its been at a disadvantage being animated as it cant win quite so many craft awards (editing, art direction, cinematography etc) so I dont know whether it will get that honour. bestads: Smith & Foulkes, Smith & Foulkes, Smith & Foulkes ... Do the other directors get a bit peeved at all of the attention these guys have been getting? Chris OReilly: They have been pretty hard to avoid of late, but the other directors here all hold their own against them pretty well! I think we have a diverse roster, and I think the directors all have similarly diverse ambitions. bestads: Maybe nows a good time to mention the feature film title sequences youve done. I remember sitting in the cinema being mightily impressed by these! Chris OReilly: These have been great fun projects to work on. Feature titles get a global exposure that commercials rarely get. Kuntzel + Deygass work for Catch Me If You Can was even parodied on The Simpsons. Now that is an accolade Grrr! never had! bestads: Where do you see animation ( & advertising for that matter!) heading from here? Chris OReilly: Were in a time of exciting change. I think its important for companies like ours to be flexible and recognise which strengths are universal and enduring. Where ever there is excellent design with strong storytelling, we want to be there. Thats what Im backing for the future. bestads: Any tips for creatives ... if theyre thinking about writing for an animated treatment? Chris OReilly: I think its always good when a creative team get the animation company in early to develop the project. With animation you have to create a whole coherent universe and working with the directors who understand their techniques and styles inside out, can make the script work better. Almost all our good work comes from these co-operative trusting relationships. (see all of the work at www.nexusproductions.com) New virals for Goodyear through Leagas Delaney CHANGING TYRES CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH! Goodyears new viral marketing campaign for RunOnFlat, its innovative safety tyre, uses black humour to draw attention to the perils of changing a flat by the roadside. To view the spot "Flyover" click .... HERE  Instead of using the conventions of the category that employ torture-test imagery such as winding roads and high performance situations the films focus on the absolute worst case scenario faced by motorists trying to change a flat and coming to an untimely end in the process. To view the spot "hard shoulder" click .... HERE Abbott Mead Vickers - new Guinness work. Fridge dwelling pint sized barman prepares the perfect pint! Guinness .... in a can. To view the spot click .... HERE Fancy dress ... just a bit over the top. New Tetley's work from Saatchis London Just your typical occasion at your typical local pub To view the spot click .... HERE Post / FX /3D .. a few words from Golden Square A chat with Ewan MacLeod, the founder of one of London's leading post production facilities, Golden Square Post Production (Now's a good time to remind everyone that NOTHING on bestads is paid for i.e. no advertorials. If it's on the site it's because we like it or it's interesting. Always happy to hear from the best people). bestads:We get mainly creatives visiting bestads. Do you think they look on Post & 3D in particular as sexy ... or a bit like watching the grass grow? Ewan MacLeod: Clients fall into many different camps with view on Post Production. From understanding the process and fully appreciating the skill of the individual artist (whether it be flame, fire or after effects) to just expecting it to be done, regardless of what is involved.. A very busy well known director asked me the other day if we can do titles which shows how disinterested people can be. A handful of creatives understand the process and appreciate the talent of individual artists, but I think, the majority see it as the final, unavoidable stage before their commercial goes on air. bestads: Wheres it all heading? I seems like FX programs are getting smarter & smaller. Will the agency TV departments end up doing all of the spectacular FX on their laptops at the airport lounge? Ewan MacLeod: No, because it will always require experience and skill that few people posses. The technology is only a tool, if you dont know how to use it, its useless. bestads: It seems that you MUST have the latest burning device ... Flame, Inferno, Furnace, Volcano ... Or the right name ... Harry, Henry, Percy ... Is the equipment the focus or the people? Ewan MacLeod: In order to compete with other facilities, we must have the latest software update whether its useful or not and it helps to speed up the process. Because everyone has the same kit/software, what separates the companies are the people. It is the service and skill of the producers and artists that make the difference. bestads: Awards must be tricky. When youve done an absolutely BRILLIANT job, judges end up saying FX? What FX? I didnt notice any FX. Ewan MacLeod: Thats why bestads and other web sites/trade magazines to show and explain how things were done are so important to us so that we can go through how things were done. Six years ago the trend was to make effects in commercials as obvious and as in your face as possible, now if you can spot the effects, you havent done your job properly. bestads: Ive seen quite a few totally 3D car ads out of the USA recently. Is it just a trend or the way of the future? I can see how the clients would be happy ... Can we see that shot from a different angle so we feature the headlights more? ... No re-shoot. Ewan MacLeod:Because of the advances in 3D, the creative briefs are becoming more imaginative, there are no limitations. Invariably it is more cost effective to build the car in 3D than it is to shoot the car live (if indeed in it even possible with the script). However where possible, we would always suggest that they shoot as much in camera. bestads: Tell us a bit about your Nike Chain Reaction advert. What was Golden Squares role in this? To view "Chain Reaction" click .... HERE Ewan MacLeod: Having built up a relationship with the directing Duo Danny and Ezra from Hanrahan on previous projects, we know how they work and they understand the 3D process being ex animators themselves. On a project of this scale it is essential that there is continuous dialogue and trust between the client and the animators as it is truly a team effort. bestads: And finally ... Any tips for creatives when theyre writing scripts that may have 3D work? Ewan MacLeod:Come and talk to us at the earliest possible opportunity! Things that were impractical and too costly/time consuming may now be feasible with the advances in technology. (eg 3D fluid dynamics). If we are involved at the development stage, we can advise which route to go that is realistic with the time and budget of the project. With our regular clients we will give talks on the latest developments so they are aware of what is feasible or not. bestads awards 2006 - Judges - Phil Cockrell and Tony Hardcastle Phil Cockrell - AMV BBDO London Tony Hardcastle - AMV BBDO London PHIL COCKRELL Phil joined AMV in July 04 after spending 7 years at Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe, where he worked (with his partner of 21 years, Graham Storey) as Creative Director on several accounts, including The Times, Virgin, Powergen, Royal Marines and the Energy Saving Trust. He has collected awards while working at a cross-section of the industrys top agencies, including Cogent, Lowe Howard Spink and Simons Palmer Denton Clemmow and Johnson.  TONY HARDCASTLE Tony has worked at many of Londons top agencies including F.C.O., Still Price Lintas and WCRS as well as a stint as Head of Art at Y&R Adelaide in Australia. He is at present a senior Art Director at AMVBBDO, working on Mars, Pepsi, BBC and RSPCA. Prior to that he worked at WCRS on the much awarded and Campaign of the year 118-118 campaign. (AMV BBDO don't have creative titles ... CD/ ECD etc) bestads awards 2006 - Judges - Al Young Al Young CD St Lukes London Background: After college, Alan spent three years as a commercial writer whilst creating comedy and stage-plays in his spare-time. In 1990, he enrolled in the British Design and Art Direction Workshop and was bitten by the advertising bug. He went on to write a number of famous advertising campaigns for Boots 17, IKEA, Foxs Biscuits, COI, Mothercare and BT. Alan is a founding member of St. Lukes and after his first year as Creative Director, the agency was voted Campaigns agency of the year. In January 2001 and 2002, Campaign magazine listed Alan as one of the UKs ten hottest Creative Directors. In 2004 Al was elected to the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Creative forum and in 2005 he was voted onto D&ADs Executive Committee. In 2005 he also Chaired both the Newspaper Societys Creative Juice awards and Radio Advertising Bureaus Aerial Awards. His approach to advertising attracts considerable media attention, and he is interviewed regularly by the national press, television and interviews with him have been broadcast on the Today Programme and Pick of the Week on Radio 4. Alan is now active on the lecture circuit , runs D&AD workshops, delivered talks to MA students at St. Martins School of Art and at the National Film Theatre. bestads awards 2006 - Judges - Sam Walker
Sam Walker Mother London
Sam Walker has worked for Mother London for over six years and has been responsible for, amongst other things, campaigns for Egg, Orange, Typhoo, Observer, and Hoegaarden. We thought it was important to get a judge from Mother London ... the agency currently leading the world in our rankings. Sam has kindly offered to fill that role. RUSHES SOHO SHORTS 2006 Call for Entries From the good people at Rushes: Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, now celebrating its eighth consecutive year at the forefront of the European film festival calendar, is delighted to announce its first call for entries in 2006. The deadline for entries is 5th May and films must be no longer than 12 mins for each of the five categories: Short Film, Newcomer, Titles & Idents, Music Video and Animation. For more details and an application form go to: www.rushes.co.uk The landmark annual festival, which showcases the work of some of the UKs most talented young filmmakers, will run for a week from 29th July until 4th August. Awards for the best director in each category will be presented on Thursday 3rd August at the star studded Festival Awards night held at one of Londons hottest venues, The CC Club in Piccadilly. This years spokesperson is one of Britains best-loved actors, Bill Nighy, whose credits include The Constant Gardener, Enduring Love and most notably his hilarious performance as the un-cool-aging-rocker-Dad in Love Actually. This will be the second time Nighy, well known for his enthusiastic support of short film, has been a spokesperson for the festival. Also lending his support for the first time this year as a festival judge is British actor David Morrissey, soon to be seen cavorting with Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct 2. Other new judges joining the ranks alongside Time Outs film critic Dave Calhoun and the Observers Jason Solomons, include Dave Waters, Creative Director and Founder of acclaimed advertising agency DFGW and Maggie Ellis from the UK Film Council. The Vue Cinema in Leicester Square will continue to be the delegate centre and main venue in the West End. Vue Cinemas will also host regional screenings in Shepherds Bush, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cambridge and Leeds. Other screenings planned for the festival schedule include Straight 8, APA, Futureshorts and Shorts International. The BBC Film Network will also feature a selection of the festivals best films from the last 7 years on their website. Confirmed sponsors so far include Ascent Media, Sony, Black Sheep, Tip Top, Cobra Beer and Kodak. Sony Bravia outdoor work through Rushes. New Sony Bravia outdoor work. Very clever stuff! Background: London post-production house, Rushes, have completed a ground breaking new job for Sony who have followed their recent television advertising work for Sony Bravia with a site specific advertising through Viacom Outdoor using the escalator screens at Tottenham Court Road Underground station. The advertising features the iconic balls bouncing between screens in a slow progression followed by a torrent of balls reminiscent of the original television advertising. Rushes animator Lee Tibbetts was supplied reference of the original commercial and created patterned balls to match those in the original commercial. Dynamics were set up for the balls to create a realistic movement and then the positioning of the screens on the escalator matched to camera positions so that the animation continued between screens. The balls were animated in Maya and rendered in renderman where the motion blur, intensity and look of the balls could be controlled to give the best result for the escalator screens. Designer and compositor Matt Lawrence used After effects to manipulate stills of a Sony Bravia set to create an end move that matched the original commercial and composited type, footage and extraneous balls to each of the screens. The sequences were encoded at Rushes and supplied to Viacom for transmission. To see a quicktime of the escalator campaign ... HERE  The ever popular 118 118 lads are back on the tele. Always worth a look. To view the spot click .... HERE  From Gavin Kellett, Publicis UK, one of the creatives on "Still Shakin it": "It's always a bit daunting following up something as successful as the previous Shake It campaigns. But fortunately, all our research kept telling us what a powerful differentiator we'd developed by focussing on the Mégane's rear end. So despite the best efforts of Renault's designers to get car-buyers to notice the new front, we thought it was best to keep giving them what they wanted. Dancing bottoms." To view the spot click .... HERE  Irish agency Chemistry pampers cows in this new advert for Kerrymaid milk To view the spot click .... HERE Just a coincidence ... nothing more
UK
February 23, 2006 02:05 (Edited: February 17, 2023 05:19)
  the new French connection spot through BMB London & the Groovcutters film clip ... a few similarities? To view the French Connection spot click .... HERE To view the Groovecutters very badly chopped up clip, click .... HERE St Luke's London doing the coconut waltz New work for PJ Smoothies from St Luke's A series of 2 good adverts from the very clever people at St Luke's London. Here's one ... To view the spot click .... HERE  More good work from Mother London, currently leading the bestads rankings as the best agency worldwide. To view the spot click .... HERE From Mother: The new adverts for I cant believe its not Butter are Ozzy Osbournes first ever UK TV commercials and were shot over three days near Ozzys home in Buckinghamshire. Jon Culshaw impersonates Ozzy so convincingly, just like I cant believe its not Butter impersonates butter that the advert humorously plays on the two Ozzys being unable to tell the difference between the two. Jon Culshaws realistic impersonation and makeover even had Ozzy convinced that he comments, I cant tell the f***ing difference when I look at the ad. It freaks me out! Strong work from Scottish Agency A strong campaign for speed cameras through Barkers Scotland and Plum Films (Edinburgh) Agency: Barkers Scotland Creative Director: Andy Rigden/Jim Langden Producer: Micky Macpherson Director: David Boni Prodn Co: Plum Films New Whiskas work from TBWA London ... real appeal. You have to love Fred .. the bed head Creative agency - TBWA/LONDON Creative Team - Alasdair Graham and Frazer Jelleyman with Dan Gorlov and Rachel Le Feuvre Production company - Home Director - Lucy Blakstad Stylish new Nescafe work from Annex Films The first commercial in a new campaign direction for Nescafe coffee. A live action/animation journey illustrating how the 3 different blends of Nescafe compliment people's varying moods. Agency: McCanns UK Creative Director: John Hurst Art Director: Carole Davids Copywriter: John Hurst Agency Producer: Petrina Kilby Director: Luc Janin Prodn Co: Annex Films And now ... how Honda Civic ads USED to look ....
UK
January 26, 2006 02:12 (Edited: February 17, 2023 05:19)
 and from the good people at Xtreme Media, a look at the Honda Civic as it SHOULD be. To view the spot click .... HERE  plug: Xtreme media have zillions of ads from around the world on their database. While we were at the beach .... We missed this one from AOL. A clever strategy nicely executed. From the agency: The ads reflect that AOL believes there should be more discussion around the impact of the internet and are intended to spark valuable debate. To view the spot click .... HERE Mother London still delivering New Observer work ... And very stylish too. ... And I would have said those same very nice things even if they didnt send me shares in that fabulous greyhound! To view the spot click .... HERE bigsmall ... The new word for Toyota Yaris CHI London creates strong crisp images (& a nice track) for the new Yaris spot To view the spot click .... HERE  Shot 80km from the Arctic Circle with temperatures reaching -48 degrees, the ad features Natar Ungalaaq, star of the cult film Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner). To view the spot click .... HERE "Knife City" .... all clear New work for the London Metropolitan Police through Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy & director Ben Dawkins. We posted this very briefly a couple of weeks ago but had to pull it after only a few hours on the site. We've got the definite "all clear" so here it is again. To view the spot click .... HERE from RKCR/ Y&R LondonAnyone from Grey UK out there? Hello Grey London We've only got about a dozen of you Grey London people subscribed. There's gotta be a few more of you than that! Hit that subscribe button up there at the top of the page (on the menu bar) and let us know that you're alive & kicking. ta very much. New Samaritans spot through AMV BBDO LondonCoca Cola - Nelson Mandela Invitational Charity Golf An uplifting TV spot currently airing in South Africa to create awareness of the Nelson Mandela Charity Golf Tournament, which raises funds for underprivelaged kids. Agency: Chemistry Art Director: Sean Van Rensburg Copywriter: Stuart McCreadie Production Company: Pistoleros Films Director: Roy Zetisky Producer: Warren Meltz  A tale worth telling! From Ogilvy Johannesburg & director Lourens Van Rensburg The commercial tells the tale of young Jack Michaelson, a cute little white boy who begins his music career as a member of the Michaelson Five, but breaks away to launch a solo career featuring multiple-platinum albums "Chiller" and "Good". But as the tale progresses, and young Jack becomes more famous, his skin takes on a darker tone. And as his skin darkens, so his character becomes hipper, cooler - more black. "The reverse tale perfectly captures Channel O's proposition of 'Get Back to Black'," says creative director on the project Fran Luckin. "Channel O is very much a channel that advocates getting back to your roots, and this commercial illustrates that in a memorable and entertaining manner," she adds. The commercial was directed by Lourens van Rensburg of Fresh Water Films in the style of an E! Entertainment special, complete with bimbo announcer and bad graphics. To view the spot (& credits) click .... HERE News from Krishna Smiles, South Africa. YELLO SUMMER! Currently flighting on TV stations across the country is MTNs latest summer campaign. The commercials fresh and engaging execution manages to stand out in the competitive and congested cell phone market. The concept that includes police busting up a party at an old age home, to dive-bombing grannies, was conceptualized by Creative Director Clinton Bridgeford and his team at Y&R Gitam. In a four way pitch against some of the countrys leading directors and production companies, Bridgeford and his team chose Mukunda from production company Krishna Smiles-Flowers Bloom to direct the spot. When choosing a director for a board, there are certain times that you opt for a performance director or need a director with a great eye or someone that knows how to tell a story. With Mukunda we knew we would get all of the above and as on the number of occasions weve worked together before, he again delivered with unbridled commitment on a job we are all very proud of. said Bridgeford.  MTV moments series takes a different approach Moody images and a quiet, pensive voice give a glimpse into a private moment. Nice. Director: Bryan Little Production Company: Fly On The Wall Agency: FOTW South Africa Agency Producer: David Leite/Filipa Domingues Art Director: Warren Lewis Copywriter: Jason Enslin Creative Director: Warren Lewis MTV STAYING ALIVE CAMPAIGN Fly on the wall news ... After completing a brand campaign for MTV, Fly on the Wall productions were commissioned to do an AIDS awareness campaign for international broadcast on MTV for the Staying Alive organization. Various agencies in a number of countries were asked to submit scripts with MTV and Staying Alive eventually going with Fly on the Wall director, Bryan Littles, own scripts EGG CONTINUES TO SIZZLE Recipe for Success: Just add Egg (Cape Town, South Africa 20 October 2005) At the recent Loerie Awards the team at Egg Films won two of the five Golds, 12 Silvers and eight Bronzes. This years total of 22 awards for seven different ads makes it the sixth consecutive year that Egg has shown its mettle. With only four directors, work produced by Egg won more Loerie awards this year than any other South Africa production company. Exit the strength lying in numbers adage and enter the small company that continues to command dominance in the market. Eggs executive producer, Colin Howard, explains that their strategy is simple: We keep a small and creatively-driven shop. We hand-pick our projects and director-producer teams rather than following a blanket approach. 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. « First « Previous Next » Last » 171 of 171 |
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