Perhaps not since Calvin’s wood paneling and pubescent crotchettes has an ad campaign generated such an outpouring of apocalyptic angst. ‘Neath the rhetoric are some great looking spots from Vickers & Benson and comm.bat films director Paul Cade, churned out within tight time lines, and a big client demonstrating, for all those who care to observe, a willingness to take a creative risk. All of them, on the surface, seem to be in possession of human souls.

The Bank of Montreal ‘mbanx’ spots, which employ youngsters and that song to convey the idea of change, began shooting in mid-September and were on the air less than a month later.

The teaser, featuring Bob’s catchy ditty sung by Vivian Williams, was shot in Collingwood, Ont. with contributions from that town’s Osprey school and the Georgetown Children’s Choir.

The five other spots were shot over two-and-a-half weeks across the land from Toronto to Vancouver, encompassing a range of geographical and film looks; from a ‘cool and busy’ city look to ‘Ansel Adamsesque’ mountain scenes to golden fields of wheat, each featuring a young person discoursing in an earnest youthful way about change, keeping promises and the like.

The ability of Cade to extract the essential charm of the youngsters without inducing dry heaves was key. v&b art director Terry Bell says Cade’s great regard for language and ability to conjure sensitive, real images made the campaign.

‘Our concern was that the kids didn’t become shills,’ says Bell, who created the campaign with writer Larry Gordon. Cade says there weren’t extensive shot lists used and the natural behavior of the kids dictated much of the end result.

Toward capturing youthful ease, Cade says a glass was placed in front of the camera on tight shots, so on close-ups the children could see, and talk to themselves.

Cade emphasizes the importance of clients and agencies exploiting directors and cameramen who are growing artistically rather than relying on established stars and cites cameraman Stephen Bower’s key contribution to the campaign. Agency producer was Bev Cornish and the spots were edited by Chameleon’s Andy Attalai.

Bell gives due credit to the client, who backed the campaign without the benefit of storyboards per se. ‘They have a history of encouraging us to think big,’ says Bell. He also cites the contribution of David Fleury for the notion of bringing a gospel sensibility to the tune in question.

While all responsible for the ads are buoyed by the endless stream of verbiage, Bell says it all began quite simply. ‘It started by being about change, and marrying that image to children. We thought the song would bring a bigness to it, but we didn’t think it would generate all of this.’

-Hackett to the Maxx

Michigan-based director Dan Hackett has joined Toronto’s Maxx Productions. Hackett, previously repped by Partners’, was creative director at W.B. Doner in Michigan before moving into directing and is steeped in both a heavy visual and dialogue-intensive history.

A Michigan native whose seen-in-Canada efforts includes Jeep work with Bozell, says he ‘kind of grew up in Toronto’ and is a longtime acquaintance of Maxx head Harve Sherman. He says he liked the idea of a newish company, and as of Oct. 21 joined the Maxx contingent.

‘I like the idea of an upstart company, the freshness of that,’ he says. ‘Harve and I restruck an old friendship. I like what he had to say about where he wants to go and what he wants to do with the company.

Hackett’s wide-ranging background is evidenced in his hands-on approach to spots; he’s into doing his own set sketches and drawing shooting boards and generally being involved in the creative process. ‘Doner was a dialogue-heavy comedy agency that I spent 17 years in,’ says Hackett. ‘The natural spin-off was to be heavily involved in directing talent and dialogue, but my base is still lighting and art direction.’

Hackett counts filmmakers like Lawrence Kasdan among early associates and is himself currently nearing completion on a film script.

-Lowe at large

Saatchi & Saatchi vp executive broadcast producer Doug Lowe departed the agency as of Nov. 1 to move into the wonderful world of freelance. While rumored to be ‘going 14 different places,’ Lowe says he really is going freelance, but also says he’s keeping his options open.

-From Bosnia to Vangroovy

Hardship, to some directors, means running out of hair gel, or having substandard craft services. To Davor Marjanovic, it was a civil war which destroyed the bulk of his work and a whole lot more.

Marjanovic came to Canada from Sarajevo two years ago, and when he recently approached Vancouver’s Ace Film Company for a shot at directing commercials, a verbal account of his film experience had to do.

With an extensive film background that includes filmmaking studies in London, film and tv work in his former home, and teaching film at university, Marjanovic left Sarajevo with only a music video and the negative of a film he was making while the war was going on.

Ace head Parker Jefferson says Marjanovic was persistent in his overtures, to the point of presenting full-color storyboards for commercial ideas he had developed. While lacking a reel, Jefferson says the Bosnian director clearly has talent and an impressive resume and needed a break. It came in the form of a handful of spots for Future Shop in Vancouver which Marjanovic just completed. The spots, though hard-core retail, are interesting, says Jefferson, and showcase Marjanovic’s skills and knack for comedy.

Marjanovic also teaches film at Capilano College and recently received the Praxis Award, an annual screenwriting award associated with the Vancouver International Film Festival, the cbc and Simon Fraser University. With the beginnings of a reel taking shape, Marjanovic is now being shopped around Vancouver agencies.

-New GBV producer

Melanie Fernandez-Alvarez was recently appointed broadcast producer at Griffin Bacal Volny, responsible for all radio and tv production, liaison with production houses and talent payments.

-London awards

It’s gut-check time again for creative types as the 1996 London International Advertising Awards looms. The awards, being held at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel Nov. 18, recognize creative juice above all else.

Organizers report a record number of entries this year – 13,943 from 71 countries. Canadian tv and cinema entries totaled 25, with 14 making it to the finalist stage.

-To the highest bidder

It was a big night out, with big money and a big variety of people from all sectors of the commercial production industry and beyond who assembled at Toronto’s Joker to spend some dough and lend support to the Bereaved Families of Ontario.

Auction chair Lesley Parrott, who has been involved with the organization since 1989, was stationed at the door for much of the evening, greeting the steady stream of friends and shoppers.

The night featured a silent auction, with attendees competing for items which ran from various objets d’art to an old-style Coke fridge to ‘a day on a commercial set.’ The live auction, called by Barnaby Southgate, also featured a 12-month lease of a 1997 Sunfire, courtesy General Motors, with puckish MacLaren McCann writer Mark Fitzgerald spurring the crowd into a bidding frenzy.

In between auction action guests availed themselves of the services of an astrologer and listened to live music. In total, the evening raised over $62,000 for the bfo. Parrott expressed her thanks to the numerous people, including auction committee members.

-Bob Mann award

Know someone who’s a consummate post-production guru and all-round stand-up individual? Then don’t just stand there with your tape in your hand, nominate that person for the 1997 Bob Mann Post Production Award. The award is presented at the yearly Bessies gala to a person who has demonstrated long-standing and consistent professional excellence and integrity in the commercial post-production industry.

Nominations will be drawn from a wide range of post professions including those in the fields of editing, online editing, digital effects and cgi design and animation, colorists, audio design, engineering and opticals, past and present.

The award was established in 1992 to recognize the increasing importance of post in the commercial production realm and the achievements of its namesake and first recipient, editor Bob Mann. Other past winners include Mike Smith and Ernie McAdam from Film Opticals, Chameleon’s Ross Briggs, Spot Film and Video’s Al Lindsay and Archie Van Dyke from The Daily Post.

Post has evolved radically, says Lisa Weinrib, topix producer and 1997 Bob Mann Award chair, and the award is important as a show of appreciation and recognition of those who have evolved themselves and contributed to the growth of the industry.

Nominations are due Nov. 20.