Eva Preger, a longtime Industrialist, and Toronto line producer Merrie Wasson (known for, among many jobs, producing for artiste/director Floria Sigismondi) have stepped up to the executive production plate. Middleditch on the other hand, has been importing his particular brand of bizarre character driven comedy.

Middleditch, who recently left Sydney's Independent Films to launch his own production company Tank Films with exec producer Peter Masterton, has recently completed two high profile beer campaigns for the Canadain market. He shot Blue Light's "Fridge" and "Concert" in Toronto for Palmer Jarvis DDB, as well as a yet to be disclosed Labatt campaign in New Zealand, through the brand's outgoing agency Ammirati Puris Lintas (see Grip, pg 22).

"Fridge" shows a pair of lads in a kitchen, one of whom appears to be fixing a problem under the sink. We see however that he has cut through the wall and into the neighbors fridge. As he sticks his head into the icebox, his female neighbor opens the door and screams when she sees him, slamming the door. The male neighbor opens the door to investigate and screams louder when he sees his Bud Light has been pilfered. "Concert" is set at a large concert with two rock-loving chicks astride their boyfriend's shoulders. Suddenly there are flung about, shoulders above the crowd, in a chaotic manner with their heads connecting at least once; the reveal shows us that their rides are trying to snag a fallen Bud Light on the floor.

Middleditch notes many similarities between the Canadian, New Zealand and Australian mentalities, not the least of which are an unquenchable appetite for beer and the laconic, dry comedy applied to advertising the stuff (along with a shared British heritage).

"There's a saying over here among comedy directors that we make a living shooting two idiots in a kitchen," prefaces Middleditch. "For Bud Light, 'Fridge' was about good writing. The script was an effective piece of written comedy so my idea was to do it justice. I try to enable the actors to offer up thoughts and ideas and experiment. It was a matter of telling the story simply through a restrained performance."

We went through an enormously long casting session; Toronto has a big core of talented and experienced actors that could fall into the beer category, with the age, type and look. After that, with comedy, once you've cast, I try to enable the actors to offer up thoughts and ideas and experiment. It was a matter of telling the story simply through a restrained performance."

The physical comedy of "Concert" was another matter altogether.

"Physical comedy and violence as an idea are inherently risky. If you don't hit it at the right pitch and time, it can backfire," explains Middleditch.

Middleditch first traveled to Canada in 1998 for the Montreal Film Festival, where his first feature Terra Nova, was being screened. He is represented by Public Works in the US.

Webfiles:

Industry Films> http://www.industryfilms.com