Reel Opinion: Mark Denton

For the third instalment of our increasingly popular 'Reel Opinion' feature we've delved into production and secured the musings of a (very busy) director and MD who needs no introduction.

Mark Denton
Director & MD Coy!
President of Creative Circle

Fortunately, I’ve been a bit busy lately and even though I watched these ads over a week ago, I’ve only just written the review. So it’s already a good test of just how memorable they are.

Here goes:

PETA 'Pusher'

Agency: The Cricket Club, New York

Production: Japanese Monster / Boy Genius, Venice CA

Director: Scott Corbett

I like this one:

From what I remember, it opens on the exterior of a high security prison as a fat bloke dressed in white walks alongside the perimeter fence. His progress is intercut with images of the inmates who are not normal prisoners but hybrid chicken men, part human, part rooster. It’s all very dark and disturbing and when our white-suited gent finally makes an appearance we see that it’s Colonel Sanders of the fried chicken fame. The viewer is then invited to visit the kentuckyfriedcruelty.com website. Luckily, unlike the shop, you don’t have to be off your face to go there.

Washington Lottery 'Birds'

Agency: Publicis, Seattle

Production: Sticks + Stones, Santa Monica

Director: Jerry Brown

The second one was quite unforgettable too, but unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. This is an idea that probably looked better on paper than it did in reality. It’s all about the joy you experience when you win the Washington Lottery. They dramatise this by taking flightless birds like a chicken, penguin and emu up on a hang-glider to experience the ‘thrill’ of flying.
Sadly, the birds look like they aren’t enjoying the ride and I imagine that vast sums were spent in post painting out the resulting poo.

Sensoa 'Out of the Closet'

Agency: TBWA, Brussels

Production: Caviar, Brussels

Director: Frank Devos

The plot is something about the fictional first gay man describing his life story. To describe this as ‘hamfisted’ is an insult to people who have hams instead of fists.

COI 'Knife Crime: CCTV / Lecture'

Agency: RCKR/Y&R, London

Production: Sonny, London

Director: Guy Manwaring

I watched a couple of commercials in the same campaign designed to help stop knife crime. It’s a serious subject that’s rightly had a lot of media coverage recently. In these spots we see CCTV footage of an everyday street scene where someone ends up getting knifed and a lecture showing slides of horrendous knife injuries. The ads go on to explain that if you carry a knife you’re more likely to get stabbed. They’ve probably done loads of research to back up this strategy. I can’t help feeling that a lot of youngsters might be tempted to ‘tool up’ because it looks so dangerous out there.

Honda 'Jump'

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, London

Production: Knucklehead, London

Director: Johnny Green

A load of sky divers jump out of a plane, link up and form car part shapes. While we cut to shots of a man driving a Honda. The climax is when the skydivers form the logo. Unfortunately, it’s every bit as good as it sounds. Surprising really, coming from one of the sexiest agencies in the world and one of the most exciting directors around at the moment. It probably cost a few bob too.

Oh well, back to work.