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AGENCIES Which agency has the best ratings when you add 'em all up and average it out?
DIRECTORS And if you do the same thing with directors, who's top of that list?
CREATIVES Are you one of the twenty-five creatives who's won a coveted place on this list?
AGENCY PRODUCERS Or are you one of the most highly regarded agency producers in the UK?
FILM PRODUCERS You may have worked out that there's a bit of a theme developing by now.
BRANDS Mind you, this one's a bit different as it looks at the brands themselves.
FILM PRODUCTION COMPANIES Another company list - is your place of employment one of those on this list? If so, demand a pay rise - you're obviously doing something right.
POST / EDITING / SOUND COMPANIES We've bundled together all the tertiary companies into a single list. There are a few prominent companies on here that don't subscribe to DAVID. The fools.
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY Are you one of the best twenty-five cinematographers working in advertising? You are? Then you should be on this list.
A woman goes the extra mile for baked beans in this entertaining ad for Heinz.
Sergei and Alexsandr gain a coterie of animated counterparts in this amusing effort from Compare the Market.
'No Time to Die', the twenty-fifth James Bond movie and Daniel Craig's last as 007, has endured a rough journey to the big screen.
Bombay Sapphire return to our screens with this tactile piece of work from BBDO New York and director Alan Masferrer.
Next on the TV comeback trail is GamesMaster, the show that turned astronomer Sir Patrick Moore into a nightmare-fuelled cyborg.
Avast hold an intervention for the internet in this amusing and privacy-focused film.
A game of keepie uppie at an office leaving do quickly turns feral in this amusing ad for Ladbrokes.
Films like 'Unsane', 'Tangerine', and 'Romance in NYC' have all been shot on iPhone, so it's understandable that Apple would promote the device's on-set capabilities whenever possible.
Blink have announced a pair of new additions to their roster in the form of John Ogunmuyiwa and directing duo Jungle.
Lip treatment brand Burt's Bees present this winsome commercial directed by Emilie Thalund.
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A woman goes the extra mile for baked beans in this entertaining ad for Heinz. Grocery delivery substitutions have become an all-too familiar pain for many lately, and the central character here snaps upon learning that her favourite 'plant-based protein' is off the menu.
What follows is a madcap dash through the neighbourhood, smashing through fences and leaping into gardens (superhero landing and all) in an effort to reach the corner shop as quickly as possible. It's one way to get your steps in, we suppose.
Director Tom Marshall delivers a pacy dollop of action, with nimble editing ensuring that the audience are pulled fully along for the ride until the promised tin of beans is acquired. A final cameo from a bemused child seals the humour, adding a new twist to the brand's familiar slogan.
Sergei and Alexsandr gain a coterie of animated counterparts in this amusing effort from Compare the Market. A dastardly panda, mad scientist squirrel, and jewel-thief ostrich are among those featured in the new rogues gallery, as Alexsandr attempts to persuade them to use their financially fishy powers for good instead of evil. It's a tough sell, but the silk-robed meerkat is on the case.
Textured animation and lovely incidental details draw viewers into the narrative here, as each new character is given their moment to shine. Charming design quirks like laser eyes or lipstick-covered beaks add richness to the work, while moments of humour (the lemur's loud teacup is a particular treat) enhance the proposition further. We look forward to seeing what the gang get up to as the campaign unfolds.
Also, it's interesting to see another team of financial champions emerge so soon after MoneySupermarket's MoneySuperSeven. Let battle commence.
'No Time to Die', the twenty-fifth James Bond movie and Daniel Craig's last as 007, has endured a rough journey to the big screen. Director changes and multiple delays caused by the pandemic have pushed Bond fans to the brink, so this low-key Heineken plug serves as a reassuring apéritif before the film's September 30th release.
Eschewing explosions and gadgets, the ad sees Bond pour a glass of the advertised beer before uttering, "Well worth the wait". It's a cute nod to a line from Ralph Fiennes's M in recent trailers ("Come on, Bond, where the hell are you?") and delivers a wry rebuke to the pandemic from a character who's seen it all before - including a hover gondola.
Bombay Sapphire return to our screens with this tactile piece of work from BBDO New York and director Alan Masferrer. The Hampshire-based spirit targets viewers' senses in this 30" commercial, with a deconstructed look at what makes a spiffing gin and tonic. And, yes, Moe the bartender, they do indeed mix.
Said blend is rendered with sloshing flair before the ad's scope increases to include lemon trees and balloons as bubbles. It's heightened yet coherent, and incorporates the brand's blue-and-gold colour scheme well throughout - a polished reminder of the label's attraction among a sea of big-name and craft rivals.
Press replay: the return of GamesMaster.
Reboots of The Crystal Maze, Changing Rooms, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air et al. prove that the Nineties are back with a vengeance. Next on the comeback trail is GamesMaster, the show that turned astronomer Sir Patrick Moore into a nightmare-fuelled cyborg.
The original series ran on Channel 4 between 1992 and 1998, with GamesMaster 2.0 due to arrive on E4 later this year. Made in conjunction with Facebook, the show will be 'compatible' with the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset - a far cry from the hulking machines found in '90s arcades.
Sergei and Alexsandr gain a coterie of animated counterparts in this amusing effort from Compare the Market. A dastardly panda, mad scientist squirrel, and jewel-thief ostrich are among those featured in the new rogues gallery, as Alexsandr attempts to persuade them to use their financially fishy powers for good instead of evil. It's a tough sell, but the silk-robed meerkat is on the case.
As the Bezos and Zuckerbergs of the world chop the internet into increasingly rigid portions which mine user information for all it's worth, it can feel like merely hopping online means signing your soul away to the devil of late-stage Capitalism. Avast antivirus and VPN providers intend to change that, promising viewers their privacy in this entertaining film.
A game of keepie uppie at an office leaving do quickly turns feral in this amusing ad for Ladbrokes. The energy dials up to eleven from the first mad dive across a table to reach the red balloon - cake flying in the process - and things only get more intense from there. Poor Carol probably just wanted a quiet send-off.
Burt's Bees "For Lips, With Love (Director's Cut)"
50s 17 Sep 2021
Lip treatment brand Burt's Bees present this winsome commercial directed by Emilie Thalund. After so long hidden behind face masks, lips are ready for the limelight once more. Thus, Thalund crams as much kissing, blowing, breathing, and even spitting into 50" as possible...and it's a graceful effort from the Dane.
Comfort-forward underwear brand Sloggi aim to appeal to a Gen-Z audience with this body-positive commercial. Featuring boob-owners who dance, skate, create art, and more, the high-energy ad focuses on the versatility of the brand's heat-activated 'body adapt' bra.
The New York Times celebrates the grit, determination, and ingenuity of journalists in this engrossing film. From amusing camera mishaps in the field to the very real business of reporting on protests and environmental decay, Camille Summers-Valli's film is proof that it takes a certain type of person to relish documenting life from all angles.
With the issue of adult and particularly elderly isolation thrown into stark relief by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sky are attempting to give back with their latest phone scheme. The media giant is pledging to connect with thousands of potentially vulnerable people via its Befriending service, which offers a weekly phone call as a way to facilitate much-needed social contact.
Supermodel and activist Gisele Bündchen and her husband, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, are on a mission in this entertaining commercial for crypto exchange FTX. The high-profile duo are phoning around to find out who's interested in investing, and having presumably exhausted friends and family, they are contacting some of Tom's old adversaries.
Mobile network giffgaff's latest animated outing rises to the challenge of creating an ad which fully embraces deaf and hard of hearing viewers. The brand use an animated incarnation of Aleks, who first approached them with the request for more inclusive communication, which addresses the audience via crisply rendered BSL. For those unable to interpret, there are text-like subtitles to translate.
Casting a celebrity with a dedicated fanbase can often be a boon for a commercial campaign, and this strange outing for Burberry makes the most of Adam Driver's, er, forthright admirers. The Jonathan Glazer-directed piece sees the distinctive-looking actor race a horse across a beach, all but keeping pace with the animal until they both plunge into the depths.
IKEA mark twenty-five years in the Spanish market with 'Trapped in the 90s' - an eight-part reality show that strips twenty-somethings of their mod cons. It may not breach the Geneva Convention, but, as this 40" trail shows, a house without recycling bins, cutlery trays, and linen bed covers may push some to breaking point.
Toolstation return with another creature feature in this amusing instalment of their latest campaign. Once more directed by the formidable Guy Manwaring, the film shows an engineer from the advertised company arriving at a farm to fix an electrified fence. However, it quickly becomes apparent that it's no docile livestock animal they're trying to keep contained...
This spectacular new film for Sony PlayStation centres around a game of chess being contested by two extravagant characters sitting in an ivory tower high above an apparently dystopian city. As they move their pieces around the board, live figures representing chess figurines fight it out in the urban landscape below.
Amazon try to get their audio streaming service on the public's radar with this pacy commercial. Director Owen Trevor explores the nature of storytelling throughout the 40" piece, which sees friends, colleagues, and partners relay their latest audiobook or podcast experience second-hand. As it's how many of us choose our media in an endless sea of choices, harnessing the power of personal recommendation is a canny move.
For many, a silver lining of the pandemic has been a new appreciation of nature. Now there are more bird feeders, bird baths, and nest boxes than you can shake a tail feather at. Yet, as this fetching RSPB film shows, humans have also been a menace to avian society.
There aren't many wordy commercials these days, prompting many of the industry's old lags to bemoan the death of copywriting. The main cause of this, it seems to us, is not a paucity of skill among the graduates emanating from Watford and the other institutions supplying the ad industry with young talent, but the determination to create commercials which can be used in multiple territories.
With the eagerly anticipated James Bond film 'No Time to Die' about to hit the silver screen after being delayed by the pandemic, DAVID can't help feeling that DHL have missed a trick. Surely they could have riffed on the idea of a late delivery, With DHL finally bringing the long-awaited movie to cinemas around the world.
Cadbury target both the heartstrings and sweet teeth whenever possible, like in June's excellent 'Bus' commercial. This ad for Cadbury Fingers is pacier and more nimble in comparison, but also includes some clever emotional beats for good measure. Shot by director Neil Gorringe and DP Jim Jolliffe, the close-up film celebrates busy hands and fingers.
A takeaway owner gets the celebrity client of his dreams in this well-judged ad for Barclaycard. Restaurateur Wasel Ali expresses his pride in treating his guests to the 'Paradise experience' before what seems like a straightforward interview to camera morphs into a slow-motion sequence complete with spangly sitar soundtrack.
Stone skipping - or skimming, depending on your preference - is a dicey art at the best of times, and the bloke in this ad for Fox's mints fantasises about hitting the distance jackpot. Far outstripping the current world record of one-hundred-and-twenty-one metres, the droll film sees this particular stone go on a round-the-world tour... only to return to its point of origin in mere moments. That's some aim.
An epic struggle for lunar supremacy takes place during this entertaining ad for world-building video game Humankind. The film begins with what appears to be a straightforward re-enactment of the 1969 moon landing... before it quickly becomes apparent that the US astronaut has company.
This visceral film takes on the bone-crunching world of wheelchair rugby. A lad's journey to sporting glory is captured in all its blood, sweat, and tears here, accompanied by a nerve-tingling violin soundtrack which sets audience blood pumping from the off. Yet it isn't a simple tale of heroic victory, as a final upset turns the expected ending upside down.
This understated commercial for EDF Energy may take place at night, but there’s still plenty of light entertainment to enjoy. Set to a choral version of Richard M Sherman's 'Busy Doing Nothing', the film shows electric cars illuminate as they charge overnight. Unlike many in this sector, the brand take the 'less is more' approach.
This sleek commercial for activity tracker Fitbit encourages viewers to switch up their daily routines for the better. Director Ben Tricklebank handles complex scene transitions with nimble aplomb in this tricksy piece of work, which follows a woman through her hectic schedule from dawn until dusk over and over again.
The Broadway production of To Kill A Mockingbird reopens on October 5th, and this moving film shows how cast and crew prepare for a Covid-19 comeback story. Narrated by Jeff Daniels (Atticus Finch), the piece flits between a control booth adorned with Christmas lights, the wings and dressing rooms backstage, and the dormant Theatre District outside.
