There was no great spasm of incredulity amongst judges or anyone else when it was announced that Eddy Chu of Radke Films took top spot at the third annual Saatchi & Saatchi/Playback First Cut Awards for new directors.

With powerhouse spots like Cantel/at&t’s ‘Phone Bomb’ minimovie delivered with a bang, and the high-energy Panasonic spots balanced with humanity-packed work for Cineplex, Chu’s reel distinguishes itself for the head-turning depth and quality displayed by someone so new to the directing game.

While he hasn’t been parked long in the director’s chair, Chu has spent about 15 years in the business, moving steadily through various roles in the production industry and absorbing knowledge that has coagulated into his own distinct approach to helming commercials.

Okay. So a spot like ‘Phone Bomb’ doesn’t come along every day. But those who have been on the receiving end of a lucky break will often tell you there is a whole lot of legwork that goes into being in a position to pounce on an opportunity when arises.

And, of course, if you don’t bury the incisors deep into the jugular of said opportunity, that ‘luck’ can vanish as quickly as it arrived. For Chu, making that killing early in his directing career had everything to do with experience, discipline and skill.

Chu’s approach to ‘Phone Bomb’ and other directing jobs places strong emphasis on the story, knowing the shots and knowing exactly how the story will be told before a set is anywhere in sight. And getting lucky with that unexpected moment on the set is also part of getting the basics right.

Robin Heisey, Gee Jeffery & Partners creative director, says Chu is ‘an incredibly talented and resourceful director who has a refreshing lack of gimmicks to his style and deep, deep production resources.’ He adds, ‘He has a naturalistic approach to narrative which will serve him well and he is capable of working in a number of different styles. He’s just a real talent.’

Says First Cut judge and Third Floor editor Richard Unruh, who worked with Chu during the latter’s producing days: ‘He is one of the hardest working, disciplined people I’ve met, and as a director has not only brought those disciplines to the creative process, but also brings a great eye and an artistic flair.’

Chu’s film sojourn began after studying pharmacy and then business at the University of Toronto, when he took off on a horizon-expanding trip to Hong Kong. There he was first exposed to the world of commercials, initially as an actor.

‘I found myself in front of the camera and thought, this is cool. And then I saw myself and said I’m not a good actor at all, what am I doing here?’

Subsequently, Chu was hired by a production company in Hong Kong to handle casting, but decided to return to Toronto in a thwarted attempt to enroll in a film program (he missed the deadline) and landed in the casting department at Schulz Productions.

Starting off operating the casting camera, Chu traversed the terrain of coordinating, production managing and then full-time producing by the end of the ’80s.

Working with the ‘best directors around,’ including favorite John Mastromonaco, Chu had the benefit of an ongoing stream of influences, and after arriving at Radke, began putting out signals that he wanted to get his hands on a directing job.

‘What has been great about working with different directors is that everyone has shown me a different way of doing things,’ says Chu. ‘I have a great base of production knowledge about how other people work. I’ve soaked up what everyone had to offer and I find I’m now doing something totally different.’

Chu’s first spot job was a psa/ spec for the Salvation Army that he leapt upon when it came into the shop at the end of last year. This spot, along with some local music video work, comprised his reel when the ‘Phone Bomb’ project came along.

Chu was working with Gee Jeffery as a producer on another Cantel job when Heisey bounced an idea off the eager director-in-waiting about a mock movie spot to run in theaters as an entertaining advisory about audience cell phone use and abuse.

Recognizing a winning idea, Chu says he was looking forward to producing the project, but then was called in to talk about directing the job. Chu did his homework, pitched and ‘they loved it.’

Chu’s approach? ‘I said go big or go home,’ he recalls. ‘If this even smells like a regular commercial, I’ve failed. I guess they liked the helicopter idea; it had to be epic.’

While production values were of the highest order, the budget was ‘a challenge,’ and getting the job done entailed Chu calling in favors, support from top industry people and the firm backing of Radke.

The spot was shot over two days in the basement and on the helipad of the Hospital for Sick Children as well as at the Hearn Generator Station.

‘I had a clear vision in my mind about how this thing was going to turn out,’ says Chu of the challenging scope of the job.

Chu, an action movie fan, brought an appreciation for the genre, pinpointing where and how the action happens.

‘It’s all about understanding pacing and knowing how to shoot for that,’ says the director. ‘You have to make the audience react somehow. Every shot has to have a reason; whether it’s a Steadicam shot or a helicopter shot, you have to put as much into every shot as you can.’

Chu cites the importance of casting and actors who can deliver without extended machinations and countless time-sucking variations.

And, he says, you have to know your shots. ‘I came to [‘Phone Bomb’] with a frame-by-frame storyboard. If you look at my old storyboard and look at the spot, it’s almost identical to what I’ve drawn. That’s key.

‘You can do other shots when you are able for editorial options, but knowing that you’ve come in and finished the job with these shots in mind, you know you’ve got a spot.’

Others also recognized ‘Phone Bomb’ as a winner. International kudos include an Andy, a Mobius and a Clio, as well as inclusion on the u.k.-based Shots reel. Chu’s ‘Interrogation’ spot for Panasonic out of TBWA/Chiat Day was also recently cited as Shots-worthy, respectable recognition for an eight-month directing veteran.

Chu says he is noticing a trend toward more strong, story-based spots, his forte, and recognizes the abundance of quality work in Canada.

While Chu won’t deny the visions of features that dance in the heads of most directors, he’s nothing less than supercharged about commercials.

‘I really want to get my feet firmly planted in commercials, I love commercials,’ says Chu. ‘I love being able to complete a story. I like to say I’m selling an emotion. If for 30 seconds I can draw an audience in to get lost in that little world you’ve created, then that’s a good job. To me that’s the greatest high.’