With a new concentrated formula launched this year, the 1998 Bessies show honored 12 of the best ads in the land, most of which demonstrated a pared-down production ethic.

In his Bessies message, chair Terry Bell presented the idea of successful spots telling the truth, and the Bessies winners did largely present some form of the truth, rather than a mind-bending production extravaganza. The Bessies results reflect the emergence of strong, story-based spots, long on idea, personalities, dialogue and comedy.

Avion, which captured three Gold spots, as well as a campaign win, has demonstrated a capacity for the genre and recently bolstered its roster with a foursome of long-form directors to deliver the required skills.

Bringing on Peter Bogdanovich, Tim Matheson, Tony Bill and Tim Hunter, who collectively represent extensive feature and tv credits (The Last Picture Show, The River’s Edge, My Bodyguard, Twin Peaks) as well as acting experience, brings a complement of expertise in storytelling, talent and dialogue to the shop.

Avion’s Michael Schwartz says with an increase in humanity-driven scripts from agencies, particularly comedy/dialogue, feature directors will be increasingly sought.

‘The era of rock-and-roll, image-driven advertising is receding,’ says Schwartz. ‘What we are seeing more of now is thoughtful, dialogue-driven, slice-of-life advertising – commercials that people can relate to on a human level.’

As one creative put it, you don’t bring on Pete Bogdanovich to do a Taco Bell spot, you bring him on for the job with few parameters other than the delivery of a story, with the look and the feel of the director’s style attached.

‘Canada’s reel’

The leaner, keener Bessies featured a lineup of solid work which put more emphasis on delivery of story, performance and the small, important human moment, and less on an array of film techniques.

Once again humor ruled, but the show itself also provided some human moments of its own, including a poignant video intro to the Spiess Award featuring Fritz Spiess posthumously addressing the merits of this year’s winner, Richard Unruh, and the winner’s heartfelt acceptance of the honor.

The revamped show formula did away with category-based awards and distilled the pool of entries into 37 single and four campaign finalists (recognized as merit winners in the categories) and then into 10 single and three campaign Gold Spot winners, presented at the event along with craft and special awards.

The new format, marking the event’s 35th anniversary, made for a more streamlined show, or as the comparison by Bessies vice-chair and host Marta Cutler went, more like ca.

The intention behind the change in format, to spotlight the pinnacle of achievement in the industry and assemble ‘Canada’s Reel,’ was duly appreciated and reviews were largely positive. Most attendees applauded the pared-down Bessies and the emphasis on the best and the brightest. The main criticism was aimed at the disjointed nature of the presentation and the somewhat confused podium goings-on.

Repeat visitors to that violated-leg podium included Lorraine Tao and Elspeth Lynn, who won the day with the Kellogg’s Special K ‘Resolution’/’Designer’/’Fat’ campaign, directed by Imported Artists’ Richard D’Alessio, winning Gold Spot Campaign and Best of Show Campaign and ‘Resolution’ landing a Gold Spot and Best of Show Single.

The black-and-white spots captured the winning combination of a simple idea which appeals to some common thread of humanity, and an expert execution, with D’Alessio adroitly capturing the absurdity and humor inherent in most things human.

Campaign Gold also went to bbdo’s ‘Student Lone’/’Soup & Jamb’ for Campbell’s Soup, directed by Avion’s Mark Story, with each spot also capturing Gold independently, and to Palmer Jarvis ddb’s Playland pool ‘Throwing Up’/’Hungry Boy,’ with the latter also recognized with Spot Gold.

Other golds

Other Gold Spot winners featured humor and meticulously captured scenes, as demonstrated in ‘Rocker’ for Delmax from The Holmes Partnership and directed by Imported Artists’ Wayne Craig, and in Ammirati Puris Lintas’ ‘Rush Hour’ for Compaq. The latter spot also netted directing craft kudos for Players Film Company’s David McNally and the editing craft for Panic & Bob’s David Baxter (who both deserve the honor just for that split second in the ad that captures the pure pain in the facial expression of a subway rider as a momentarily distracted child returns to its torturous wailing).

Roche Macaulay & Partners’ ‘Truck’ for CFRB 1010 showed the cause-and-effect gravity of a highway accident situation using the verite footage of a highway traffic-cam.

Young & Rubicam’s ‘Actor’ for AGF Mutual Funds, directed by Avion’s Steve Eschelman, netted a performance craft award for the spot’s star Chase Randolph, who also delivered a delightful paean to Canadian advertising in his acceptance speech for the Kari Award for performance.

Gold winner ‘Dead Chicken’ from Aviator Pictures, the no-budget spot that wouldn’t quit, also won craft awards for casting and sound design, courtesy Ferocious Fish.

‘Signs’

TBWA Chiat/Day’s ‘Signs’ for Petro Canada won craft honors for cinematographer Chris Soos; the Molson ‘Cliff’ spot from MacLaren McCann was cited for the skills of former Third Floor editor Gillian McCarthy and for the music of The Einstein Bros.; and bbdo’s ‘Lori’ for Bell was also singled out for an editing craft award for Flashcut’s Bob Kennedy.

Special effects crafts went to the Labatt ‘Table Top’ spot out of apl, with D’Alessio, LairdFX and Axyz sharing the credit, and to the Coke ‘Groove’ spot for the efforts of director Floria Sigismondi and TOPIX/Mad Dog Flame artist Susan Armstrong.

The presentations of the special honors – the Spiess, Bob Mann, Kari and Walter Bell Awards – provided some of the show’s solid podium moments.

The formidable Unruh wiped away a tear and spoke of recently attending the memorial of his friend Fritz Spiess and his deep honor at being singled out.

‘The award took on a personal nature in that Fritz was the director/cameraman with whom I cut my first work,’ said Unruh later. ‘When I was introduced to Fritz there was a trust that began that allowed him to take me on as somewhat of a student, hence he became my mentor at that stage.’

John Kearns presented the Bob Mann Award to Soundfield’s Jeff White, who accepted the prize with an extraordinarily humble and affecting address.

The Walter Bell Award went to Humber College student Mary-Jo Dionne.