The 47th annual New York Festivals held its TV Cinema & Radio Advertising gala on Thursday, Jan. 27, at the Hudson Theatre in New York’s Millennium Broadway hotel. A total of five Grand winners were selected.
Wining the Grand for best campaign was a trio of spots for the Canadian Film Centre’s Worldwide Short Film Festival. The ads, “Love Scene,” “Good Cop/Bad Cop,” and “Establishing a Character,” were created by agency Taxi, Toronto, and directed by Tim Godsall of untitled, Toronto. (Godsall is repped in the U.S. by Biscuit Filmworks, Los Angeles.) An entertainment promotion gold was also awarded to the three spots.
Scoring the Grand win for best commercial was Aerolineas Argentinas’ Shadow” out of J. Walter Thompson, Buenos Aires, and directed by Javier Blanco of Compania Cinematografica, Buenos Aires. The ad additionally won a Gold World Medal for corporate image.
“Kids on Steps,” for Volkswagen, out of DDB Group Germany, Berlin, won the Grand for best cinema commercial. Sebastian Strasser of Cobblestone Filmproduktion, Hamburg, directed the spot. The ad also won a gold in the cinema category.
Sony PlayStation’s “Mountain,” directed by Frank Budgen of Gorgeous Enterprises, London–he’s repped stateside via bicoastal Anonymous Content–scored a Grand Award for best creative/production achievement. The spot won three Gold World Medals: one in the toys and games category, and two in craft and technique: one for best direction, and another for best arrangement of a popular theme. The spot unfolds to the Shirley Temple song “De Gospel Train/Get On Board.”
Rounding out the Grand winners was “We Gave Blood”–which won as best public service announcement–for the Australian Red Cross, out of agency BMF Advertising, Advertising, and directed by Ben Lawrence of Caravan Pictures, Sydney. The ad also earned a gold in civic/social education.
GOLD STARS
Two Gold World Medals were awarded for cinema advertising, the other going to “Drivers License,” “Contractor,” and “Aspiring Director,” for AGF Financial Services, out of TBWA/Toronto. David Wellington of Steam Films, Toronto directed the package.
A three-spot package for the American Legacy Foundation, “Epidemic,” “Hair,” and “Smoking Machine,” was honored with a gold for health and hygiene. The ads, out of Arnold Worldwide, Boston, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B), Miami, were directed by David Gordon Green of bicoastal/international Chelsea Pictures. “Village/Old Man,” for AIDS Awareness and agency TBWA/Paris, won a gold for health and hygiene. Miles Goodall of Suburban Films, Cape Town, South Africa, directed the spot. (He is repped stateside via The A List, New York.)
Two spots were awarded gold honors for best low-budget ads. Volkswagen of America’s “Love Thing,” out of Creative on Demand, Coral Gables, Fla., was honored, as was “Presidents,” for Mlaba (Latin American Art Museum) out of CraveroLanis Euro RSCG, Buenos Aires. José Chaparro directed the spot through the agency, and also served as the agency producer.
The “Freedom Center Campaign,” for the Ad Council/Freedom Center/National Underground Railroad, was honored in the interpersonal/intergroup relations category. Bob Giraldi of bicoastal CaseGiraldi Media, directed.
A gold for philanthropic appeals was awarded to a spot called “Stevie Wonder,” for the Muehlehalde Home for the Blind in Zurich, out of agency Ruf Lanz Werbeagentur AG, Zurich. Serge Hoeltschi of directed the ad out of Condor Communications, Zurich.
A FOX Sports’ package comprising the spots “Burglar,” “Busted,” and “Fish” won gold in the media promotion/broadcast category. The ads, out of TBWA/Chiat/Day, San Francisco, were directed by Baker Smith of harvest, Santa Monica. Additionally scoring gold in the category was “Smell,” for FOX Sports en Español, out of agency GrupoGaellegos, Long Beach, Calif. Nicolas Kasakoff of Nunchaku, Buenos Aires, and Flip Films, Santa Monica, directed the ad.
A trio of spots for American Standard air conditioners–“BBQ,” “Fetch,” and “Basketball”–won a gold for household appliances/furnishings. Overall & McQuoid–Richard and Simon, respectively–of bicoastal Go Film directed the spots for agency Foote, Cone & Belding, New York.
Miller Lite’s “Dominoes,” out of Young & Rubicam, Chicago, and directed by Fredrik Bond of bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander (MJZ), also scored a pair of golds: one for alcoholic beverages, and one for best editing. Richard Orrick, of The Whitehouse, which maintains bases in London, New York, Chicago, and Santa Monica, cut the spot.
Mountain Dew’s “Sled,” out of BBDO New York, and directed by Samuel Bayer of bicoastal RSA USA, won a gold for soft drinks. A gold for best humor went to Dairy Queen’s “Baby Bjorn,” out of Grey Worldwide, New York; Smith of harvest directed the ad. .
“Role Reversal,” for Value City, out of Cliff Freeman and Partners, New York, scored a gold in the retail stores category. Neil Tardio, Jr. of bicoastal Go Film directed the ad, which additionally scored a technique gold for best performance.
The gold winner for automotive was the Peugeot 407 spot “Toys,” out of BETC Euro RSCG, Paris, and directed by Philippe Andre of Wanda Productions, Saint Denis la Plaine, France. (Andre is repped stateside via bicoastal Villains.) Also winning top honors in automotive was “Zoo,” for V.A.E.S.A./Audi Allroad, out of DDB España, Madrid.
Scoring a gold for banking/financial/services/insurance was a three-spot package for Mercator, comprising the ads “Drill,” “Old People,” and “Breakfast.” Agency Duval Guillaume Antwerp, Belgium, created the spots. Also winning top honors was “The Spy Ninja,” for UFJ Tsubasa Securities, out of Dentsu, Tokyo. Yoshinari Kamiya directed the spot out of production company D Try Incorporated, Tokyo.
“Births,” for the Buenos Aires Zoo, won a Gold World Medal for entertainment promotion. The spot was out of Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Buenos Aires.
Sagem’s “Tokyo,” out of agency Publicis Conseil, Paris, won a gold for telecommunications services/equipment. Johan Renck of Renck Akerlund Films, Stockholm, directed the spot. Also scoring a gold in the category was “Van/Bear” for Proximus, out of LG&F, Brussels, and directed by Lionel Goldstein of Czar.Be, Belgium.
Winning a gold for transportation was Metro’s “Rush Through Town,” out of Grey Copenhagen.
CRAFT & TECHNIQUE
As mentioned, several Gold World Medals for craft and technique were also awarded. Two honors were given for best animation/computer. A trio of spots for the Toyota Scion–“Transformer,” “3D Artist,” and “Teleporter”–out of Attik, San Francisco scored a gold. Ambience, Sydney, led by director Rob Dupear, created the effects and animation for the package. Toyota Kluger’s “Drivers Dream,” out of Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney was honored. Stuart White, senior animator, and animators Aaron Grove and Andreas Wanda Fin design + effects, Sydney, did the animation for the spot, which was directed by Matt Murphy of Goodoil, Moore Park, Australia.
The gold for best special effects went to “Can Fu” for Pepsi Max out of AMV BBDO, London, and directed by Tom Carty of Gorgeous. (He is repped in the U.S. by Anonymous.) The Mill, London, created effects for the spot.
The honor for best art direction went to Showtime’s “Poem,” done client-direct, and directed by Matthias Zentner of Velvet Mediendesign, Munich. (He’s repped stateside via foreignfilms@cYclops, New York.)
Best cinematography honors went to “The Bridge,” for the Peugeot 607 out of BETC Euro RSCG, Paris. Patrick Duroux served as director of photography; Fredric Planchon of Irene, Paris, helmed “The Bridge.”
Honda’s “Everyday Senses,” out of Wieden+Kennedy, London, was honored for best editing. Ivan Zacharias of Stink, London–he’s repped in the U.S. by bicoastal Smuggler–directed the ad. Filip Malasek of Final Cut, London cut the spot.
Honors for best original music went to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s “”Hey Look,” Listen Up” and “Stay Alive.” Lemonade+Ink, Los Angeles, was the music house behind the ads; Jono Brown was composer. The gold for best sound design went to Toyota’s “Snakebite,” directed by Bruce Hunt of bicoastal/international @radical.media for Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney. Simon Kane of Song Zu, Sydney, created sound design for “Snakebite.”