Former L.T.B. Productions executive producer Sarah Ker-Hornell is going solo with a new Toronto commercial production shop aimed at providing a high degree of service and accountability to agencies and to a small roster of directors.

Angel Films will, at the outset, consist of Ker-Hornell, directors Sean Tracey, Richard Picton and Joe Piccirillo, and executive assistant Lisa Broadfoot. The plan is to add no more than six directors over the first year and eight by year two.

Ker-Hornell says the small roster configuration, a model more common south of the border, will allow her to concentrate on fitting boards to talent and on building the careers of the directors, who have a range of different strengths and levels of experience in the Canadian market.

Tracey, based in New Hampshire, has worked previously with The Partners’ Film Company and ltb and is a dialogue director, a commodity Ker-Hornell says is not in overabundance in the Toronto market.

Picton, whose credits include the Chevrolet ‘Tried Tested and True’ penetrating personalities spot, is a stills specialist with wide experience in the Toronto advertising scene.

Piccirillo, a young director based in New York, has yet to direct a spot in the Canadian market. Piccirillo has worked as a director/dop and has experience in the fashion/beauty/lifestyle world, with u.s spots for Cover Girl and some attention-getting work for Armani.

Ker-Hornell is finalizing a King West space for the independent shop, which she is financing with a group of private investors and of which she will retain 85% ownership.

Ker-Hornell brings 16 years of industry experience to the venture, including stints at Shultz and Partners’ and in the post-production realm.

After her two-year contract at ltb expired and was not renewed, and after considering an offer from Command Post, she says she decided to devote her considerable energy to her own business.

The concept of a small roster shop is not a reinvention of the wheel, she says, but is still a relatively new idea in Canada, allowing her to closely track business and offer unique management to directors and responsiveness to agencies.

‘The shop will be driven by service,’ she says. ‘The goal is to have a high degree of intimacy and involvement in every project.’

In terms of expansion, directors will be added according to the dictates of the market.

Hackl now a Raver

‘A new bouncing director was born to the proud people at Rave Films,’ announced David Hackl as he became the newest addition to the Rave family after departing Apple Box.

Hackl says the move was well-timed and says he looks forward to working with a growing company with a youthful sensibility. ‘Part of it came from a realization that I’m still growing as a director,’ he says. ‘I wanted a place that could help me grow and is growing itself.’

Hackl points to larger demographic trends in the industry where late 20 and early 30-somethings are assuming more importance as consumers and as creators of advertising.

Chasing long-form

Steve Chase is in the process of interviewing writers for Mr. Hawaii, the first of a two-part feature film development deal with Mandalay, a division of Sony Pictures. The deal materialized after Chase had passed on the original script and producers requested his input on changes. If the script comes together as planned, Chase will likely direct.

He is also looking for other projects, which may include his own spec script, being shown to some young writers at William Morris.

Buckley goes freelance

Michael Buckley is now available to production companies on a freelance basis as a director/dop. Buckley is represented by Sesler & Company.

New Views: Part One

Editor/post guy/cameraman/ director Bill Morrison is making the move to commercial directing, and if you ask him, will tell you he represents an ascending breed of young directors who combine artistic and technical know-how.

Morrison has been directing, primarily music videos, for about five years and now has a ‘handshake deal’ with Circle Productions and Jump, an l.a.-based music video company. With a background in broadcast, post design and online editing, Morrison moved into directing and cinematography for experimental film, videos and commercials.

Morrison says a knowledge of the entire production process allows a different perspective for a director.

‘I have an Avid system and my own digital compositing system at home,’ says Morrison. ‘When I go out to shoot a commercial or music video, I can shoot it, direct it, cut it, post it, online it, everything.

‘The advantage for me and for the people I work with is a sensibility derived from knowing the process intimately from beginning to end. You’re going to see more of that.’

A spec spot Morrison put together for Zero Gravity clothing was completely posted on a Mac using PhotoShop and After Effects for compositing. With technological means becoming more affordable, artists who can drive the tools will be well positioned, says Morrison. ‘There are a lot of technicians, but few artists,’ he says. ‘I think a lot of those people will be displaced by the art community.’

Part Two

In the spec-spots-we-would-love-to-see-air category: new comm.bat films director and Canadian Film Centre alumnus Carol Clusiau wanted to bring something new to the beer ad dynamic by depicting a fashion show with a reclaiming-of-female-sexuality twist.

In the spot, the show’s star grows tired of her role as passive mannequin and emerges at the end of the spot sporting only a pair of strategically placed beer caps from the waist up. She then takes a haul from her bottle of Rebellion and issues a healthy burp.

Clusiau, who had formerly worked with United Studios in Vancouver and has directed two of her own films, says after concept, visuals are paramount. With the ‘Rebellion’ spot, she says the intention was to turn a typical beer ad on itself by using a high babe factor but ‘breaking all the beer ad rules and not having them be submissive.’

‘I guess the question is: are the advertisers ready for me? I hope so, cause I don’t just want to make ordinary ads. I want to make extraordinary ads.’

Now, if the crtc would loosen up with on-camera boozing, bared breasts and belching