Vancouver-based director Phil Brown is no stranger to controversy, by any stretch. The mind behind the infamous ‘Dead Chicken’ spot for Fong’s Fresh Poultry is at it again, with a new two-spot campaign for Canine Equipment that is currently being seen in Vancouver.

His clever and admittedly morbid sense of humor (the word he uses is ‘sick’) served him on the filming of the pair of spots titled ‘Very Bad Dog Gear.’ With the assistance of dop John Houtman (whose house is used in one of the spots), Brown creates a look on the commercials that he likens to pornography circa the 1970s. The look did not happen by accident. After the two days it took to film the pair of ads in Vancouver, Brown says much effort went into getting the specific look he had hoped for in post. His mission: to have the spots look as un-Canadian as possible.

‘I have always been really disappointed with the stuff that comes out of Canada because little attention is paid to the film and what it looks like,’ says the director, who is represented by Aviator and The Artists’ Company. He adds that he enjoys much of what he sees in commercials coming out of Europe, saying that many of the spots have a very distinctive look to them. ‘That is what I wanted to do – make it look distinctive.’

The ‘Very Bad Dog Gear’ spots involve a dog versus his owner in a one-sided battle in which the crafty pooch (who looks very much a collie – kind of like Lassie, ironically) supposedly plots and presides over the death of its master. In the first spot, ‘Bathtime,’ the dog manages to maneuver a radio into the tub where its master is bathing, electrocuting him (presumably).

The second, ‘Lawnmower Man,’ sees the dog watching safely from inside the house as his owner gets caught in the blades of his pushable lawnmower (again, presumably). Bits of the owner’s shirt and insides splatter on the wall outside of the house.

Although the violence is implied, the spots leave you with a not-so-fresh feeling, but also with respect for the risks taken in the production and the spirit in which the spots were made.

‘I’ll probably be [known as] the king of sleaze,’ laughs Brown, who says that a little controversy to get blood boiling never hurt anyone. ‘We tend to be so cautious here in Canada that commercials tend to be forgettable. If it’s controversial, that’s good.’

Brown’s outlook on commercials is that, as a director, he has a responsibility to his clients, as well as to television viewers, to do right by them and not insult their intelligence.

‘We are interrupting people’s tv programming, [so] the commercials should be memorable,’ he says. ‘If we can raise a laugh or get them to reach for the phone or something, then that’s good.’

He says his client supports him in the direction he has chosen to take with the spots.

‘Canine Equipment have got a real attitude to their stuff, so they were right behind me on the concept.’

Furthermore, a buzz generated by a spot that is, shall we say, ‘out there’ can do nothing but improve one’s notoriety as a filmmaker. Brown is walking proof of that.

‘The ‘Dead Chicken’ spot, for example, got me so much work it was unbelievable,’ he says, recalling the infamous ad that implied the slaughter of a chicken in order that its owners could get on a bus. ‘Even though it was controversial at the time, the interest, especially from other parts of the world, was enormous. From that, I got jobs in Paris and Prague.’

Brown and R.J. Sauer served as the creative team on the Canine Equipment spots, which were direct to the client. Krista Thompson produced, while Ian Jenkins edited at Coast Mountain in Vancouver.

No pet owners were actually harmed in the filming of the commercials – or in the writing of this article.