With backing from Radke Films, directors David McNally and Jeff Eamer have parlayed a 26-year friendship and five years of professional collaboration into a new production entity called m.e.a.t.

McNally, previously with The Players Film Company, and Eamer, who had been an agency creative for 14 years before being represented as a director by Spy Films, form the basis of Media Entertainment Advertising and Television together with executive producer Meredith Dorion, also ex of Players, and sales rep Susie Neill of The Artists Company.

m.e.a.t.’s aim, say its principals, is to bring not only executional expertise but a creatively oriented commercial production resource to the industry. McNally cites production shops like Tool and Traktor as exemplars of the shop’s vision, whereby directors bring advertising experience or a strong advertising perspective to production work.

‘People can expect that there will be creative input available if they want it,’ says Eamer. ‘Certainly not everyone will, but we’ve had great success with people who have opened up and allowed the process to be a little more fluid at the outset.’

The new arrangement is a formalization of what the two partners have done over the past few years, says McNally. The pair has collaborated on individual as well as on shared projects over the past several years, including cowriting and directing a campaign for auto info resource Lemon-Aid, which was recognized as a finalist and short-listed at the Clio Awards and the Cannes Festival, respectively.

Eamer says the new shop will be unique in employing a collaborative process among its directors on the boards received.

The shop is currently in discussion with American companies toward establishing affiliations, as well as with Canadian talent to round out the small roster, which will likely be capped at four to five local directors.

The pair have also been collaborating on long-form projects, which will likely be developed out of m.e.a.t. in the long term.

m.e.a.t. is an independent satellite company of Radke and will operate separately out of its own space. The company is working out of a temporary location while formal office space is sought.

*Partners’ rate reordering

The Partners’ Film Company is taking a step toward what the company considers to be a rationalization of the pay structure for commercial crew. While the new rate plan increases the length of a regular work day, those affected say that the duration of, and compensation for, a typical day will remain largely unchanged.

Partners’ put in place a 10-hour basic day Feb. 1, replacing the nine-hour day which had been the norm.

While extending the basic day, the new plan will see double time rates kick in sooner. Crew days will go from ‘nine, three and two,’ meaning nine hours at regular rates, followed by three at time and a half, two hours at double time and triple time thereafter, to 10 hours at regular rates, the next four at double time and triple time thereafter.

Rates will also go from $32 an hour for keys, $30 for seconds and $28 for thirds to $35 for keys, $31 for seconds and $29 for thirds.

The larger relative increase for keys reflects the increased responsibility of the key crew to recruit and oversee the rest of a department, says Partners’ Ross McLean, who says the new scheme also simplifies the process. The plan will provide no increase for sound people.

The previous rate plan had been in place for several years, instituted after the ia contract ceased several years ago.

According to one veteran key crew person, the plan ‘works out the same financially in the long run.’

*A slam-dunk for Harvey

What is the sound of one campaign premiering? For The Players Film Company director Carl Harvey’s new Raptors spots, the sound was the roar of 20,000 ball fans thundering through the new Air Canada Centre as the new 60-second spots play above the crowd on four four-by-16-foot led screens.

The new Raptors spots, created out of Echo Advertising, premiered at the end of January at the team’s new home as part of the Raptors’ Fan Fest extravaganza. Harvey brought his comic stylings to the spots – three :30s and three :60s – which are part of the Raptors new advertising efforts, which began airing Feb. 1.

In the vein of the award-winning Seattle Supersonics commercials, which employ a comedic touch to humanize the players, the new spots depict the gargantuan team members out of the usual context of the sweat-soaked, theater-of-intensity that is basketball.

Among the scenarios are a visit to a Danforth Avenue tailor by rookie Vince Carter, who guilelessly asks for stitching services to attach his letters and numbers to his jersey, and a run-in between a Cub Scout leader and another Raptor giant.

Editing was done by Brian Williams at Panic & Bob, who waded through reams of footage to arrive at the end product.

*Targeting Poland

Filmblanc president Noemi Weis was in Warsaw, Poland Jan. 24-26 as part of a Government of Canada business development mission promoting Canadian talent, facilities, technology and savings in the television production industry.

Filmblanc represents directors from around the world and has affiliates in Europe, South America and Asia. Since opening shop, the company’s mandate has been to attract recognition and business opportunities to the Canadian market.

While in Poland, Weiss showed off around 10 of her Canadian directors.

Filmblanc Argentinean director Jose Luis Marques recently shot three days in Whistler, b.c. for Chiclets through J. Walter Thompson, Colombia.

*Voodoo revamps

After a year in the business of 3D animation and visual effects, Montreal’s Voodoo Arts has revamped, creating a new model for advertising and film production.

The shop is a convergence of directors, producers, graphic designers, editors, 3D animators and engineers collaborating on a project from its inception through to the final edit.

While the company will continue to work on film and television productions, the advertising business is its main target.

‘The traditional way of making commercials is changing dramatically and many are being made using visual effects,’ says Barry Bittle, vp of corporate development. ‘We are taking all the artists and putting them together supported by the technology with one purpose in mind; to create more opportunity and be more innovative, which will elevate the work.’

The creative team consists of directors Eddy Chu, and Steve Gordon, for representation in the Montreal market, and Daniel Fortin, Pierre Dalpe, Gilles Paquette and company founder Richard Ostiguy for exclusive representation.

Gunnar Hansen is animation and special effects director. Brad Hiebert, Alexandre Lafortune and Olivier Ruel make up the team of special effects artist. Mario Doucet is Voodoo president.

According to Bittle, the company picked up a $400,000 digital effects job out of Young & Rubicam, Miami, for Dominican Republic beer brand El Presidente.

*Circle launches into post

Circle Productions, Vancouver, is expanding into post-production.

The company purchased an Avid around two years ago so that editor Mathew Griffiths and director Rob Turner could work on director’s cuts at their convenience.

Now the production company is providing the offline service to clients in-house, with plans to build an edit suite and purchase a second Avid system.

*On the move

* Saatchi & Saatchi, Toronto, creative director Terry Balagia has made the move to l.a. and a creative role at dmb&b there. No replacement has yet been announced for Balagia.

* After months of operating out of Partners’, Industry Films has moved into its new and permanent home at 260 King Street East, Suite 200. To reach the Industry crew call (416) 815-1717 or fax (416) 815-0147.