Molson’s new all-Canadian boy

For the handful of people who haven’t heard by now, rookie director Pete Henderson, with just three commercials and many music videos under his belt, beat out front-runner Richard D’Alessio for the new pool of Molson Canadian spots.

D’Alessio, who directed the first batch of high-profile commercials for Molson’s ‘I Am Canadian’ campaign, seemed most likely to get the nod for what is arguably the juiciest pool of the year, out of MacLaren Lintas. But enter Henderson, just off a job for Cadillac through the same agency.

Word is that Henderson simply had everything going for him: the agency was familiar with his work and liked his take on the board. More importantly, Spy Films was able to adapt to the budget and schedule.

Budgets and schedules are being held close to the chest, but the shoot is guaranteed to last 15 to 20 days through March and April. The campaign will be an evolution of the ‘I Am’ push, requiring both live-action footage and tabletop shots. Spy’s sister company, L.T.B. Productions, is lending director Steve Bruni out of New York for the tabletop work.

While Henderson is working on what may prove to be a career-making production, D’Alessio will be busy shooting a pool for Bell Canada through Leo Burnett, awarded to Imported Artists last month over competitor Radke Films.

Sugino interactivates

It’ll be difficult to top the famous red leather jacket promo, but Circle Productions director Shin Sugino is wagering his new reel on cd-rom will get the attention of agencies from Japan to New York.

Circle will be shipping the Interactive Shin Sugino Portfolio this week to 1,000 agencies worldwide.

According to Sugino, who claims to be the first director/dop in North America to use multimedia as a selling tool, the project was propelled by the belief that directors have to look ahead to stay current.

‘As directors and photographers, we have to understand what’s next. Agencies, either quietly or not so quietly, are opening up multimedia divisions. We’ve got to catch up.’

The cd-rom medium may have been primitive and awkward a year ago, but it’s come far enough to do justice to Sugino’s highly stylized work. On-screen, the look is mesmerizing. The picture quality is salient and deep, the seven full-motion commercials work so close to realtime it’s almost impossible to notice the delay, and the sound works in stereo.

The contents screen offers up seven options showcasing Sugino’s specialties: fashion, cars, and people, as well as categories for product shots and personal photography, totaling 109 shots, plus a video section which shows seven spots in full motion. Icons of an exit sign, roll of film, loupe, and Sugino’s logo shapeshift in each corner of the screen, and perform a variety of tasks once the cursor is employed. Like the cd jacket says, ‘For every tool there is an invitation to play.’

The program took six months from concept to completion, funded by Sugino, and designed and produced by Sugino and Sierra Communications’ Gary Chaikin, (Playback alumnus) Jason Maher and Paul Royes.

Bessies are yet to come

Only slightly the worse for wear, the bleary-eyed judging committee for this year’s Bessies wrapped up the awards selection process at the end of February after a commercial-watching marathon that spanned three days and 500 spots.

The judges looked at tv commercials produced between March 1, 1994 and Feb. 28, 1995. The process went something like this: in the first stage, all entry reels were viewed category-by-category. Judges voted electronically for the ones that moved to stage two, where spots were graded one through 10, again according to category.

Gold, silver, bronze and awards of merit were chosen at this point, plus the craft awards. From this pack, the gold, silver, bronze and campaign Bessies were selected. Any ties were broken by chairman Jack Neary of Cossette Communications-Marketing.

This year’s high-profile judging committee included Neary, Tom Nelson of Ammirati and Puris, Rick Kemp of Chiat/Day, Lorraine Tao of Leo Burnett, Larry Gordon of Vickers and Benson, Robert Quartly of The Directors Film Company, Terry O’Reilly of Sparks Productions, Howard Alstad of MacLaren Lintas and Troy McClure of Taxi.

Those Bessies-bound should mark May 4 on their calendars. The Toronto Sheraton Centre atrium awaits. Beverages will flow again over the legendary Long Bar.

Up-and-comer

It may pale in comparison to aforementioned Pete Henderson’s gigantic career leap, but up-and-coming comedy director Martin Granger is making moves. An Avion Films-supported test spot for Pringles Light added to his reel of film clips helped convince Harrod and Mirlin that Granger would be the best choice to direct a new spot for SnackWell’s cookies in February.

Crammed into a to-die-for loft on Liberty Street in Toronto, Granger worked alongside industry veteran Stanley Mestel, dop on the project. Says Martin: ‘With Stanley, I never worry about how the shot looks. I say I want a brightly lit kitchen at 11 in the morning; I look in the camera, and there it is, even if it’s seven at night.’

The talent was comedian Lindsay Leese, a longtime friend of Granger’s who he met in another life as a bartender at Second City when Leese was working on stage.

With his first commercial credit in the can, Granger’s next project is a psa for volunteering, which he just finished writing. True to form, it’s a funny spot, not your typical smash-the-viewer-over-the-head psa. Shooting should begin within the next month or two.

On the move

Peter Thomson and Jean Michel Ravon have signed with Heathgate Films. Thomson comes from L.T.B Productions, Ravon from Avion Films.