NewsReel12/12/07

Advent-urous!

As a pleasing follow-up to last week’s Green feature, a number of companies have gone for the Green option of sending e-Christmas cards this year. The more studious have rather cleverly even included an advent calendar, and one of the best is from DLKW. It includes a daily treat of ideas, lists, and tips to help the beneficiary enjoy Christmas to the fullest, and they’re giving the money saved from postage and packaging to Marie Curie Cancer Care and The Stroke Association. Everyone's a winner. Click here to see what's behind today's window.


Young Guns announced

52 countries. 60 finalists. 71 bullets. No, the result was not some kind of mass killing spree, but some happy creatives from around the globe being awarded for their good work at this year's Young Guns Award.

Below are the recipients of the two key awards (it would seem the future is bright for advertising across the Atlantic):

Jeff Anderson and Isaac Silvergate from TBWACHIATDAY New York are the 2007 Young Guns of the Year. The best young creative talent globally in 2007 as recognised by the YGAward jury.
Their Mars 'Combos - what your mom would feed you if your mom was a man' campaign won 2 Gold and 4 Silver Bullets in TV and Radio.

As the Young Guns of the Year they also win US$20,000 and a place on the 2008 YGAward jury.

Nate Virnig, Jesse Synder and Rene Delgado from Miami Ad School Minneapolis are the 2007 Student Young Guns of the Year for their ‘Red Bull Campaign’ idea.
They also win a three-month paid placement at a Leo Burnett Worldwide office of their choice and US$5,000 to help them get there.

To download the full list of the winners and finalists this year click here.

Aussie Awards

There was a big night for the Australian film industry last week, with the 49th Australian Film Institute Awards. Among the winners were Sydney’s Fuel VFX, who picked up award in a number of categories including a Gold for their excellent work on Sony’s ‘Kiss’. Never ones to miss the opportunity to let you view the best work (and show off the size of our archive!) you can view the ad below.



You can also take a look at the full list of winners at Thursday’s Loreal Paris AFI Awards 2007 here.

It's Sonny for Jeff

Those talented folks at Sonny, London, have been joined by Jeff Thomas. The director, whose recent work includes spots for Prudential and Vauxhall, will be represented worldwide by Sonny (excluding US). Also, as it’s that special time of year, it would be rude not to mention that he co-directed the video for ‘Christmas Is All Around’, and here it is (if you’re feeling particularly sado-masochistic, why not even turn up the volume?!)

Meribel has begun

Meribel is off and running. Look out for our special report from the French resort next week and, if you’re going out there, please be nice to the representatives from The Reel.

Weekly short film festival

Short and Sweet, the only weekly short film festival in London, has been going from strength to strength since its launch a year and a half ago. In July it expanded into the West End and now runs on Mondays on Brick Lane and Tuesdays at AKA WC1. Founder Julia Stephenson and her small team work tirelessly to deliver the best in short films, music videos and animation from around the globe, with the intention to inspire, unearth some of the best new talent around and provide a great and FREE place to network.

Once again, as the newsletter is going out on a Wednesday, we’ve missed the opportunity to tell you who’s there, but the Short & Sweet end of year party is still on Tuesday 18th December at the AKA Bar in Soho.

For more info contact:
ben@shortandsweet.tv
julia@shortandsweet.tv

The Key To Reserva

Branded content has been a buzz word(s) in ‘unconventional’ advertising for quite some time now. Whist product placement has been rife in movie-making since George Bailey expressed his interest in National Geographic in It’s A Wonderful Life, and in TV since Soap Operas were sponsored by soap companies, the recent concept of incorporating a brand into a piece of filmmaking that consumers actually want to view has been like catnip to adland. With Axe/MTV’s The Gamekillers proving that successful TV shows can be derived from advertising concepts and the likes of Tony Scott and Baz Lurman providing fully branded movie stylings, it’s only fit that cinema maestro Martin Scorsese should take the reigns in this excellent piece for Freixenet Cava – The Key To Reserva.

Hosted on the Frieixnet site - http://www.scorsesefilmfreixenet.com/ - the film follows Scorsese’s quest to film a ‘lost script’ of Alfred Hitchcock’s. Shot in a ‘mockumentary’ style, the short opens with Marty revealing the script to an intrepid crew, explaining how a page is missing, and going to Spinal Tap-esque levels of anguish when his interviewer attempts to touch the pages (showcasing the acting skills the director honed in his own film cameos). However, the quality of the piece is truly revealed when the film changes gear and showcases Scorsese’s tribute to Hitch. By using classic Hitchcockien motifs (action-reaction editing, contra-zoom, the icy blonde) alongside familiar icons from his movies (the music from North By Northwest, the red spot-out from Rear Window, the birds from … well you get the jist), the homage nails the key aspect of any film-lover’s Hitchcock obsession. Working as a stand-alone piece as well as a tick-box reference game, the short again stirs memories of Tap with its pitch perfect reconstruction.

Trailed on TV and in cinemas, with the full length film only being available online, the campaign hits the nail on the head by creating not only a short that is a joy to watch, but also an environment that is heavily branded, yet not intrusively so. It’s a skill to make a branded piece that satisfies its audience, but to create the best Hitchcockian footage since the master passed (eat your heart out Brian de Palma) is a miracle.

Doin' the Green thang

'Sunshine', this week's cheeky UK ad of the week for Greenpeace, is the latest in a glut of eco-friendly ads this year, and with 2008 fast approaching, we decided it would be a good time to take a look at who else has been expounding the virtues of going Green...

2006 was undoubtedly the year in which the frozen issue of climate change began to thaw into the mainstream and the words ‘carbon’ and ‘footprint’ first came together, for most of us, to mean something other than the possible result of walking through a pile of coal; Al Gore first told us of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and we had the inception of the 'Green Awards' promoting creativity in sustainability.

However, it’s throughout 2007 that brands and organisations have really woken up to public concern on the issue, undoubtedly helped along by the aforementioned ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ as well as ‘Live Earth’, both perpetrated by Al Gore. So maybe we should actually thank Kyoto rebel George W. Bush, because if it wasn’t for his frankly astounding victory in the US presidential race all that time ago, Gore wouldn’t be able to devote so much time to the issue of climate change and the great and good of adland might not have been compelled to produce so much top-notch eco-friendly advertising, some of which we’ve decided to take a look at here.

Sky have been quietly carbon neutral since 2006, but decided that 2007 was the year we should all know about it. The novel approach to announcing this admirable feat was created by WCRS and Hibbert Ralph Animation and features ‘Cool Cat’ a 1930’s rubber-hose-style animated cat and the catchy-as-hell ‘Joy to the World’ from Three Dog Night. The result is a toe-tapping triumph that is full of feel-good factor. How do they substantiate the claims? Shut up and look at the pretty pictures.

Even though Toyota have made - and continue to make - such gas guzzlers as the Land Cruiser, due to their ground-breaking Prius they are the car manufacturer of choice for the environmentally conscious…and those wishing to avoid paying the congestion charge. Therefore, unlike Sky, it’s easy to see the substance behind this equally attractive execution from Dentsu and Tool of North America, and their pledge to continue the good work is a prime example of a simple idea well-executed. However, after the big Chevy Tahoe SUV’s recent victory as the American Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, they had better get to making cars from twigs quick-sharp before they get usurped as the world’s favourite Green conscious car manufacturer.

MTV, never shy to raise the issues that need to be talked about, showcased a series of films as part of the launch of ‘Switch’, their initiative to encourage young people to make small changes to their energy wasting habits, earlier this year. The films are a veritable smorgasbord of techniques and talents that are very mindful of their target audience, and our June cover star ‘3650’, from the combined talents of Paul Smith of Ogilvy, ubik, and Picasso Pictures, is a particular highlight, with some charming animation, beautiful music and a clear, succinct message well represented.

This work is just the tip of the (fast melting) iceberg, but each demonstrates a different and interesting approach, and is part of a wider mission to build a brand recognised for being serious about going Green rather than just taking the first opportunity to jump on the bandwagon with an ill-conceived and half-baked execution, of which there are plenty. However, we will be checking to see if the lights are turned off the next time we take a late night stroll past the MTV studios in Camden.

NewsReel 3/12/07

The NewsReel is the new way for you to tell us your news and for us to tell everyone. Please send any adland news you may have at your disposal to Sam@thereel.net and we'll do our best to make sure it appears here.
















Gargette is a drawn to Draw
Ex Academy, Hungry Eye and Union director Simon Gargette is off to Draw Pictures to further expand the London based production company’s burgeoning commercials roster. The experienced Gargette started his career as an agency copywriter for McCann and Vernon’s before moving into stills photography and cinematography, alongside running his own studio. However, he quickly made the natural move into directing and helmed Europe’s first interactive spot for Shell as early as 1987.

Since then he’s been one of the lucky few to direct the best dog in advertising – the Dulux dog mauls the Andrex puppies every time – as well as spots for Ford and the RAC, among others.

Young creatives go for their guns
Young Guns have announced the shortlists for their 2007 awards, and with their ingenious call for entry featuring Alex Bogusky from Bogusky Crispin + Porter we’re sure they weren’t short on entries.

The Reel Team have taken note and the next time we ask for work, one of us will do so wearing white Y-fronts and holding a pink keytar…or perhaps not. (Sadly Alex Bogusky isn’t the one in his pants, holding the keytar)

The short list of young whippersnappers waiting for their ‘first time’ can be viewed at www.ygaward.com and we think you’ll agree that, with the variety of countries represented, the awards really do deserve the title of ‘International’. The winners are to be announced this Friday, 7th December.

Ben returns to The Square after a year in China
Yes, it may read like a headline for ‘EastEnders’ and a – probably utterly implausible - storyline involving the spawn of Phil and Kathy, but it’s not. The Ben is Leyland and The Square is Golden.

After a year away at Profero, in Shanghai, working with clients such as China Central Television, Fanta, Guinness and Samsung, Ben Leyland has returned to Golden Square as creative director of Disqo, their digital design department. Ewan McLeod, excutive producer and co-founder of Golden Square is delighted to have him back and said, ‘…timing is everything and the opportunity to work with Ben again was an enticing one…he not only adds depth but brings a vast amount of talent to Disqo.’ That’s all very well and good, but what will Phil say…oh, sorry, wrong Ben; wrong square.











Meri-bells ring out before Christmas
Entries for the competitions at this year’s Meribel ad festival have long been closed and the representatives from The Reel have been honing their snowball throwing skills (but of course they’d never aim for you) and the beautiful French resort is gearing up for the grand opening next week, on the 11th December. Watch out for our Meribel feature in this month's Reel.










Weekly short film festival Short and Sweet, the only weekly short film festival in London, has been going from strength to strength since its launch a year and a half ago. In July it expanded into the West End and now runs on Mondays on Brick Lane and Tuesdays at AKA WC1. Founder Julia Stephenson and her small team work tirelessly to deliver the best in short films, music videos and animation from around the globe, with the intention to inspire, unearth some of the best new talent around and provide a great and FREE place to network.

This week will feature films from: Robert Samuel, Lynnel Cizo, Jamie Rafn, Jason Reitman, Richard Fenwick, Luis Cook, Max Hattler, and Nicolas Salis

MONDAY: Venue: Cafe 1001, 91 Brick Lane Time: Films START at 19h00 TUESDAY: Venue: AKA Bar, 18 west central street Time: Films START at 19h00

Short & Sweet will also be having an end of year party on Tuesday 18th December at the AKA Bar in Soho. So put it in your diary, although we will almost certainly remind you next week.

For more info contact:
ben@shortandsweet.tv
julia@shortandsweet.tv

Wii-nter Wonderland - it'll be consolly this Christmas

If current advertising is to be believed, families around the globe won’t be sitting down on the 25th to watch Noel’s Christmas Presents whilst stuffed with turkey, or mortgaging Park Lane to keep hold of Mayfair in Monopoly, they’ll be waving remote controls at a small white box roughly simulating the joys of Tennis. The Wii revolution is truly upon us, so we at The Reel thought it fit to assess how the console war was being fought in the festive season, looking at the latest ads of each of the heavy-hitters.

Nintendo Wii

The daddy when it comes to casual gaming, Nintendo’s Wii advertising from Karmarama has been keen to stress the ‘anyone can play’ aspect of the console’s appeal. Featuring generic ‘model’ types and their families having the time of their lives with their Wii-wands, the spots, whist not being creatively eye-popping, certainly convey the ethos of the system. Indeed recent celebrity fuelled versions (Ian Wright and Shawn Wright Phillips to name but one) cement the family-fun stylings with smart casting, a technique mirrored in the clients’ DS advertising too, with Johnny and Zoe Ball loving their handhelds.

Sony Playstation

Sony’s TV and cinema output for their uber-powerful PS3 system has been centred on their ‘This Is Living’ strapline. Launching the console was an intriguing set of hotel based spots which led to a stylish webfilm housed on www.thisisliving.com. However, the latest sumptuous execution from TBWA London introduces a bizarre cast of characters in a fairground-esque world, entreating the audience to share in their magic. Whilst certainly conveying the system’s ability to transport players to another world, we at The Reel feel that it doesn’t do much for the consoles warmth.

Microsoft Xbox 360

Content in the fact that they’d well and truly built their customer base when Sony and Nintendo’s consoles were just hatching (thanks to a year’s head start), McCann Eriksson San Francisco’s work for the Xbox 360 has recently focussed on major game releases – most notably the fantastic Halo 3 launch campaign – and its online networking capabilities. However, with their latest piece the agency have obviously noticed the ‘casual gaming’ uprising that’s all the rage and are priding themselves on the diversity of their catalogue. Slickly produced and with a friendly feel (although the child choir ‘Nothin’ But A Good Time’ rendition could grate, give us the Poison original any day!), the spots nicely reposition the brand without antagonising their core consumer.


It’s interesting to see that two of the three top dogs have opted for a casual gaming approach for their Christmas advertising – one, a console that has prided itself on its all-encompassing appeal, the other, a gamer’s haven that finally has the pick-up-and-play software to sell. Sony’s approach is to side-step this altogether, although in doing so seems to be unsure who it’s targeting (gamers aren’t getting the chance to see the powerhouse in action, newbies aren’t encouraged by the cold, confusing world presented). Whilst it’s pretty clear which company is leading the race for a place on Santa’s list – Nintendo’s Wii still selling out in minutes wherever it’s stocked – it will be interesting to see which brand’s approach will lead to victory in the long run. After all, a console’s not just for Christmas, it’s for life…

NewsReel 27/11/07

The NewsReel is the new way for you to tell us your news and for us to tell everyone. Please send any adland news you may have at your disposal to Sam@thereel.net and we'll do our best to make sure it appears here.

Jung von Matt
The German publication ‘Manager Magazin’, a magazine for German managers, has once again compiled its annual index of the most creative advertisers in Germany, and Jung von Matt, the home of October’s country feature guest editors Bernhard Lukas and Arnault Lindemann, have clinched the top spot as the best ATL advertising agency and best internet advertiser.

The agency, with offices in Hamburg and Berlin, also topped five out of six categories in ‘Agentur Images ‘07’, a poll of 300 German marketing decision makers, conducted by the ‘Handelsblatt’ newspaper and the trade publication ‘Absatzwirtschaft’.

The awards are particularly noteworthy due to the impressive state of German advertising as a whole, if last month’s country feature is anything to go by, and we’re happy because it vindicates our decision to let them take the reins of our much-loved country feature last month - if you didn’t get to see it, below is an example of the kind of thing you missed out on. Ooh, we do spoil you…

Title: Symphony in Red

Client: Konzerthaus Dortmund

Agency: Jung von Matt, Hamburg



Jake Wynne-s at Prime Focus
















Prime Focus London (the commercials and broadcast post-production company born of the merger between Clear, VTR and The Hive) have brought in ex-HSI director/editor Jake Wynne as a visual effects director and editor. Jake started his career as an editor and won the BTAA Best Commercial Editing Award for Lucozade’s ‘Mods’ spot in 1999 - click here to view – and as one half of directing duo Jake & Jim (the other half being Jim Canty) he has directed several high profile promos for artists such as Geri Halliwell, Stereophonics and Paul Weller, as well as commercials for Nescafe, Sony PS2 and The Observer.

Simon Huhtala, MD at PFL explains his reasons for bringing Jake on board, ‘I’ve been working with Jake for almost 10 years, he loves the craft of film-making and truly understands the role post-production has to play in it. As a long term client of ours I know he has as keen an eye and attention to detail as our artists here at PFL. I’m keen to offer Jake’s skills to our film clients as well as our advertising clients, especially where the visual effects are particularly heavy or the director can’t always be available to supervise.’

Jake reciprocated the glowing praise by saying, ‘It’s an exciting opportunity to spread my creative wings within a structure that is developing in a very forward thinking way.’

It looks like a match made in heaven and we at The Reel are looking forward to featuring some of the work that results.

Meri-bells ring out before Christmas









Entries for the competitions at this year’s Meribel ad festival have long been closed and the representatives from The Reel have been honing their snowball throwing skills (but of course they’d never aim for you) and the beautiful French resort is gearing up for the grand opening on the 11th December. Watch out for our Meribel feature in this month's Reel.

Weekly short film festival








Due to the unavoidably late distribution of the newsletter we were unable to inform you of the great offerings at Short and Sweet this week. However, in retrospect, the following directors were featured and a good time was had by all (we can assure you we’ll be back on time next week to let you know what’s going on in advance):

Damien Bapst and Dan Creteur, Ken Wardrop, Chris Nolan, George Wu, Martin De Thurah, Florian Grolig, Jamie Rafn, and a special performance from Tim Key.

EVERY MONDAY:
Venue: Cafe 1001, 91 Brick Lane
Time: Films START at 19h30

EVERY TUESDAY:
Venue: AKA Bar, 18 west central street
Time: Films START at 19h00

For more info contact:
ben@shortandsweet.tv
julia@shortandsweet.tv

BBC Switch - Red Bee Media

BBC mans have low’ed their usual swagness and flexed a BARE HEAVY new selection of gully content for the boy dem’ and gyal dem seen. Its called BBC Switch, Get me family!

If you understand all of that – well done. If you don’t – you are clearly very old and we will translate for you here:

The wonderful people at the BBC have recently announced that they are to extend their content for 12-16 year olds under the cross platform Banner of BBC Switch.

(Ok no more yout’ speak)

Whilst Switch will not involve a new service or channel – the brand will be launched across major terrestrial channels Radio 1 and BBC 2 and has been designed to occupy the prime time ‘teen zone’ between 7pm and midnight on radio and a 4 till 6 weekend slot on BBC 2. Switch will be made up of a mixture of home grown content and new programming curated from across the water including, what is being touted as the new OC, “Falcon Beach”.

The new BBC 2 home grown music show ‘Sound’ will be presented by the budding partnership of Annie Mac and Nik Grimshaw, whilst Radio 1’s Surgery will be fronted by the ever opinionated Kelly Osbourne - both promising great music and teen related banter.

To launch the new brand the clever chaps and chapettes at Red Bee Media have produced this fantastic TV campaign and series of interstitials aimed squarely at the younger Switch demographic.

You won’t understand what they are saying. You will long to be young again. There is nothing you can do about it. But I think you will agree – its all rather nice…

So this summer is gonna be CHUNG and HECTIC FAMMO! Switch is SWITCHIN’ on us – its gonna be BIG in the GAME!

C U L8R M8 etc etc… (OK, we lied about no more yout’ speak)