Consistently producing top-quality results and determinedly undertaking to work on better and better projects ­ it’s so crazy, it just might work. Check back with Philip Mellows in a few months after the results of changes at The Players Film Company have a chance to gel.

Preceding its seventh anniversary in the business, Players recently got a new address and a roster full of painstakingly chosen new directors, which combined with some growing existing talent will form the basis of a quest for creative excellence.

The last two years have been a blur of activity for Players, which has relocated to 67 Mowat in a space spectacular for its size and ubiquity of windows, soul-soothing pale wood floors and walls (the result of several color experiments including a bright green boardroom ­ the suggestion of David McNally).

Mellows says in the last year he has seen a significant increase in the level of creativity and quality of production in the spots coming out of the shop and in the industry as a whole.

He spent the last several months studying the reels of directors who he says represented the best of specific areas of expertise in commercial production, and the resultant agglomeration makes for a gorgeous company reel and a versatile talent base.

New Players include New Jersey-based director/dop Alex Fernbach, a tabletop specialist with a group of spots not recommended for viewing by those struggling with food, coffee or alcohol problems; l.a.’s Mitch Teller, who d’es comedy, kids and old ladies; director/dop Michael Chu out of l.a.; New York-based Randy Akers; and l.a.-based Blair Hayes, a current hotty in the u.s. who d’es gut-wrenching children and family scenes. Anyone able to sit through his emotion-packed reel ­ particularly his spot for The Boys and Girls Clubs of America featuring a pensive Denzel Washington ­ without at least minor throat-lump development is simply without a human soul.

Players’ Stephen Surjik was recently nominated for a Gemini for cbc’s Little Criminals and is currently directing an hbo project starring Gabriel Byrne in l.a.

Existing local Players McNally and director/dop Henry Less have been consistently busy over the past year, and Mellows says both are in bloom creatively.

McNally, who previously made a name as a hair guy, has expanded the creative breadth of his reel, which is now stocked with quality spots with deftly executed comic twists, including a Visa spot through Leo Burnett featuring a hilarious Machiavellian monkey who scores some plastic from an unwitting hairless cousin.

McNally recently shot seven days for Clairol through New York’s Wells Rich Greene and generated much of the strategy for creating the spot’s effects.

While aiming high creatively seems an obvious goal, Mellows says it requires a concerted effort and commensurate staffing moves. Acknowledging the u.s. content in the new roster, he says it wasn’t for lack of trying to secure Canadian talent; he picked the best of the available talent in the desired areas.

Mellows says his goal for this year is to grow the Players roster domestically, and he emphasizes the importance and the benefits of working with local talent, ‘guys who can be in your office within an hour throwing ideas around.’

Mellows says the increase in the overall caliber of work coming out of Canada has meant that top-drawer u.s. talent, who don’t necessarily need the work, are attracted and in turn attract quality Canadian creative.

-Healthy week for Avion

Avion Films has just taken over representation of Bedford Falls from The Partners’ Film Company. John Mastromonaco, reputed to be making a move of his own soon, will stay with Radke for now. It’s a good time to work for Avion; the company is subsidizing staff memberships at the SkyDome health club.

-Milk and Honey

L.A.-based Milk and Honey Films has opened an office in Montreal to provide production services to foreign shoots locating in the city. Milk and Honey works with commercial production shops in l.a. and elsewhere, consulting on locations and managing production services from equipment, casting and crew to, potentially, post.

The company, which also has an office in Prague, is co-owned by executive producer Howard Woffinden, who had previously worked with Limelight and Propaganda, and founding Propaganda director Greg Gold. The Montreal office will be run by Montreal executive producer Jacques Langlois of Jet Films.

Woffinden says all Milk and Honey shops are linked with a dedicated graphics-based computer configuration and isdn lines, which when combined with favorable time zone differences and scouts equipped with digital cameras can provide clients with lightning location information.

‘That puts us in the position of being able to construct a prepro process before the production company leaves l.a.,’ says Woffinden. While commercial work is the primary focus now, Woffinden says he is interested in moving toward feature work.

He says a strong association with Langlois, opportunities for growth in the market, and the European flavor of the city formed the basis of the Montreal expansion. The shop’s first project is a spot for Cutty Sark out of Saatchi & Saatchi, Athens.

-Tim’s tearjerkers

The scoop on those Tim Horton strange-but-true tales from the donut trenchesŠ

Kevin Hawley, a senior writer at Enterprise, had heard of some real-life scenarios concerning some Horton’s punters while doing focus groups down East. There was no call for a coffee spot at the time, but he wrote up the saga of Lillian, a senior who walks up a hill every day to get her Horton’s java fix, and put it in his back pocket. When the opportunity finally arose he pulled out Lillian, and Sammy, the dog who g’es to th and retrieves his owner’s coffee, etc. about four times a day.

Viewer response to the spots has ‘been phenomenal,’ says Hawley, admitting the client and agency have received phone calls and faxes from (some tearful) Lillian and Sammy fans. ‘It’s so rare, usually you only hear when people don’t like an ad.’ The aim is to do at least one a year.

The Partners’ Film Company’s Michael Cerny directed and the agency producer is Terri Black. Eric Jurewich was the art director. The music came from Louder’s David Krystal, composer of the original ‘You’ve always got time for Tim Horton’s’ tag (recently deemed a great Canadian classic and sung by the three pseudo tenors on Air Farce).

In other repeat biz news, Krystal is currently working on four Publix spots, making it his 50th gig with the u.s. grocery mega chain.

-New directions

The best video category in this year’s Juno Awards is littered with some familiar as well as some new directing talent from the commercial world.

Nominees include Jolly Roger’s Curtis Wehrfritz for The Odds’ Someone Who is Cool; Partners’ Eric Yealland for The Hip’s Ahead by a Century as well as codirectors James Cooper and Stephen Scott for The Killjoys’ Soaked. Cooper, Mad Dog Digital’s resident compositing wiz, has recently branched out into directing, represented by Blackwalk. Upcoming projects include a video for ambient/techno outfit Legions of Green Men.

-Moves

Editor Brant Lambermont has moved from Partners’ Post to Third Floor Editing.

Michelle Czukar will also move from Partners’ to Panic & Bob.

Orbit Representation has taken over rep duties for Kessler Irish’s roster. Orbit had previously repped for Partners’.

Beverly McKee has been appointed program director of Videofact, a MuchMusic/MusiquePlus-sponsored non-profit foundation for the production of Canadian music videos. McKee replaces Julie Thorburn Padula.