It appears as though The Partners’ Film Company’s big picture idea of becoming associated with long-format work, namely feature films and television programming, is beginning to take shape.

Partners’ corporate sister, Skyvision Entertainment, is said to be in the final stages of preproduction on its first feature, a movie called The Sadness of Sex, which is scheduled to shoot for two weeks in Toronto.

The film is being directed by Rupert Wainwright, a director best known for his music videos and the recent Walt Disney feature, Blank Cheque. Wainwright also directed Michael Jackson’s latest mega-budget commercial promoting his next albumn. The spot was shot in Budapest earlier this year, and one report suggests the 60-second spot topped the u.s.$7 million mark.

The Sadness of Sex is apparently based on a series of short stories by a South African novelist and is described by one source as a dream-like story of sex fantasies.

Wainwright is with The Bedford Falls Group, a company under the umbrella of Partners’ U.S.A., which in turn is associated with Partners’ in Canada and Labatt Brewing-owned Skyvision.

dop on the art-house movie is Partners’ own Andre Pienaar.

More on features

Director Boris Damast will soon be permanently based out of l.a. after a long summer of commuting between Toronto and the Sunshine State.

Damast, a partner in Damast Gordon and Associates, will keep a residence in Toronto and continue working on Canadian projects through dga. (It will be business as usual, stresses dga’s Susi Patterson.)

But with the large number of commercial projects in l.a., commuting has gotten tedious, Damast says. His family will move to a new home in Scottsdale, Arizona, a short distance from l.a. The move is slated for Dec. 1.

On the lookout for a long-form project, Damast is reading a script by Mandik Martin, cowriter of Raging Bull and Mean Streets. Set in Brooklyn, the movie is titled On The Edge. It’s a small-time gangster movie with a dark sense of humor and ‘some intense scenes,’ says Damast.

Damast’s l.a.-based rep house, Harmony Films, has indicated it may option the project with him, if both parties like the script. It would be Damast’s first feature film.

Avion takes off

Good food, great music and lots of easy chitchat with people you don’t get to see often enough – a sure-fire prescription for a successful party, and all three were there in abundance at Avion Film Productions’ official opening party last week.

With spotlights courtesy of William F. White illuminating the entrance to the old Copp Clark building that is now Avion’s production home, several hundred assorted industry types spent a warm mid-October night officially celebrating the arrival of the company.

The atmosphere was relaxed and easy, with a fairly broad mix of youthful and veteran agency faces, along with a full complement of production people: directors, editors, post people and crew. There was, to make the party complete, an ample amount of star sightings, with the likes of Murray McLaughlin, Ian Thomas, Tom Cochrane and Dini Petty making appearances.

Music, for those swaying by the margarita-filled water coolers, was provided by the bands Big Faith and Big Sugar. The highlight of the sound portion of the evening had to be the horn-playing of HooDoo’s Michael Rosen.

‘I think the community was really up for a party,’ says Avion’s Michael Schwartz.

Inner Circle

Circle Productions has signed u.s.-based director Blair Hayes. Hayes’s high-profile work includes a Japanese airline spot with Richard Gere, and an Acura commercial with Geena Davis. His specialties include people spots and beautiful exteriors, says Karen Tameanko at Circle.

New look at LTB

Renovations are about complete and the paint is drying at the new-look offices of L.T.B. Productions.

Newly arrived executive producer Sarah Ker-Hornell says a number of personnel changes are now formalized.

Susie Cunko joins the office at 137 Berkeley Street as the new office manager.

Director Christopher Gentile moves over from Diamond Productions and David Hackl, a production art director, has made the move to director.

Also, ltb has picked up Canadian representation for Los Angeles-based director/cameraman Craig Henderson, known in particular for his car cinematography.

Mestel to Dalton

Dalton Films, now known as Dalton/Kessler Productions, has signed up Allan Mestel as a director. Mestel, whose father Stanley is one of Toronto’s most influential dops, has been editing for eight years. His recent editing house was Chameleon Films.

Stewart departs DMB&B

The axe has fallen on veteran broadcast producer Craig Stewart at D’Arcy Masius Benton and Bowles. Stewart and at least one creative, Ryo Muto, were let go early last week. dmb&b, one of the big Procter and Gamble agencies in town, has been in the hands of a new president, Raj Marwah, since late last summer when Rupert Brendon announced he was stepping down from the top post in Canada.

Imported gets Slavin

New York-based director and photographer Neal Slavin is being represented by Imported Artists. This is Slavin’s first representation by a Canadian production house. He’s built a reputation for specializing in bizarre group photography, says Imported’s Christina Ford.

Besides taking the u.s. first family’s (the Clintons) Christmas card picture last year, Slavin’s claims to fame include a Gold Lion at Cannes for a campaign for DDB Needham and client New York Lottery, plus spots for Pacific Bell, Turner Broadcasting and European American Bank.

Euro look

The Artists Company has signed Scottish-born director Alastair Paton. According to Artists sales representative Susan Neill, Paton just finished a spot for Canadian Airlines out of bcp, Montreal. Before that, he had been working in Europe out of a Stockholm-based agency, Wilendar.