This industry is full of great lines, and you folks didn’t disappoint us in 2001. Here are a few of our favorite things you’ve told us. Please note this is just for fun, and we acknowledge, quite happily, that all of these quotes have been taken out of context.

‘Trust your instincts. If you think that little thing in the corner shouldn’t be there, then move it. And if you think the lighting is wrong, then change it. Just because you’re a young director and your DOP is 80, don’t feel bad about saying, ‘Can we try something else?’ ‘

-Radke Films director Matt Eastman

‘While in the commercial arena I do very soft, touching moments, or family moments, on the feature side I do pretty hard-ass action thrillers.’

-Director Kari Skogland

‘You see that pitcher there? It’s candy glass. That’s going to explode – boom. The second beat is a plate that the fellows are setting over here – that’s going to explode. And the third beat is that vase in front of the lens [hanging over the terrace] – that’s going to explode. So it’s going to go ‘bang, bang, bang.’ ‘

-Tye Codi of Tyco Aviation, explaining the nature of the special effects for a Radke films Doritos shoot

‘You take that tour enough times, you see the mechanical shark enough times and you start to wonder, ‘Gee, maybe I could do this.’ ‘

-Director Jim Donovan of Voodoo Arts, Montreal, on his wanting to become a director after several trips to the Universal Studios theme park

‘When you understand the humanity of where the kid’s going to pee, we’re not only taking credit for the clean toilet but for the toilet experience in itself. It becomes completely clean. It’s the toilet plus two feet either way.’

-Palmer Jarvis DDB Toronto’s creative director Neil McOstrich, on the ‘Bad Aim’ spot for Pine Sol

‘We are going to destroy our own commercial production industry if we don’t keep top of mind that what is important is what goes on film. I don’t need a fancy dinner or a stay at the swankiest hotel in town, as long as where I stay doesn’t have cockroaches. It’s the quality of the work that matters.’

-BBDO’s co-senior VP/creative director Craig Cooper

‘I would love us to get to the point where we believe our consumers are intelligent, instead of feeling like we need to spell out every single thing and talk down to them.’

-Janet Kestin, cocreative director, Ogilvy & Mather, Toronto

‘I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet. I’ve been able to travel all over the world shooting cars. You get really comfortable doing a certain kind of work, and in this past year I’ve had a chance to work in Paris, the South of France, Spain twice and countless incredibly beautiful locations. So as for being labeled a ‘car guy,’ I’ll take it.’

-Apple Box Productions director Barry Meier

‘When we get quantifiable evidence of reasonable numbers of the population avoiding commercials, it is certainly going to put a lot of pressure on the conventional commercial break.’

-M2 Universal president Hugh Dow, on the personal video recorder and video-on-demand devices

‘I may recommend that they not use certain people because they wouldn’t be right for the job. I try to maintain as neutral a stance as I can. I think we have great people here and I’m thrilled when we find Canadian talent to work with, but I would not relegate the search to just Canadians for patriotic reasons, nor would I place emphasis on the U.S.’

-Jeff Finkler, then Saatchi & Saatchi executive VP/creative director

‘We all know you can’t get real cats to screw for a camera repeatedly, on order. You can’t even get them to sit down or stand up. We had some real [trained] cats on the set and it is shocking how little they can actually do.’

-Vancouver director Nick Racz, on filming the ‘Bad Cats’ PSA for PETA

‘I think there are a lot of good people up here. You have to be current and have a current-looking reel, and if you’re not getting the work your reel isn’t current. As a result, Canadian directors are getting bypassed or overlooked just because their reels tend to be dated and don’t have what [clients] are looking for. It’s kind of a catch-22 and it is unfortunate.’

-Director Alan Marr, celebrating his 25th year as a commercial director by joining The Big Film Company

‘…but that’s off the record.’

-pretty much everyone we’ve talked to at one point or another