Ata DMC packs boxes for Fastweb
In an example of how far a metaphor can go, Headquarters puts a box over a man's head and follows him from birth through manhood - including baby pictures, first date, time spent as drummer in a punk band (hilarious) - until the final setting on a Larry King-esque show. The scene cuts just before his face is revealed. The imagery culminates in an unexpected pitch for video conferencing: "Now you can see who you're talking to." A great script effectively set off by Green Day's "Time of Your Life."

CREDITS:
Client: FastWeb
Title: Life
Agency: Ata DMC, Milan
Agency Creatives: Giorgio Natale, Federica Ariagno, Alberto De Martini, Nicoletta Levi, Cristina Rolando, Arianna Davighi
Production Company: Headquarters, Santa Monica
Director: Joe Public
Editorial Company: Mad River Post, NY
Editor: Mike Elliot
Special Effects: Sea Level, Venice

Avion bounces PSA for Rethink! Breast Cancer
It's about men with breasts - rather large breasts. They're washing cars, jogging, intentionally laughing so they can stare at each other's racks, taking Polaroid's... things men would do with breasts of their own. The tag: "If men had breasts, they'd really appreciate them. Look after yours." This PSA does a couple of things well - it gets the message out without resorting to easily-dismissed angst and it succeeds in appealing to a wider demo than those who have to worry about this disease.

CREDITS:
Client: Rethink! Breast Cancer (PSA)
Title: Man Breasts
Agency: ZiG, Toronto
Agency Producer: Amanda Loughran
Copy Writer: Jennifer Wilson
Art Director: Rosalinda Graziano
Production Company: Avion Films, Toronto
Executive Producer: Andria Minott
Producer: Jennifer Roworth
Director: Martin Granger
DP: Simon Mestel
Editor: Brian Noon, Third Floor Editing, Toronto

McCann-Erickson does funny Black & Decker
Hardware spots before the holidays are no surprise, but humor from B&D might be. These new spots, for this usually staid hardware maker, stand out for two reasons: the casting and subtle humor. The performers combine futility with a do-it-yourself enthusiasm most inept home renovators will identify with. And humor drives the message - whether it's a cat with its leg in a cast, a woman trying to hide behind a tree or flashbacks to a giant-afroed school kid stuck in a desk.

CREDITS:
Client: Black & Decker
Title: The Neighbor, The Big Man, The Crooked House
Agency: McCann-Erickson, NY
Agency Producer: Toni Lipari
Creative Directors: Steve Ohler, George Dewey, Chris Quillen
Production Company: hungry man, NY
Production Co-producers: Stephen Orent (NY), Dan Duffy (LA)
Director: David Shane
DP: Eric Schmidt

hungry man spins for Ikea France
Although a pitch based on "Too Much Furniture" is odd for a furniture retailer, it's a strategy that works brilliantly for Ikea. Each spot uses physical humor to make the point that it's not about the most furniture, it's about the right furniture. Stunts include a tyke knocked off a trike by an overhang, a cross-dresser squaring him/herself on a table corner, and a guy having to ditch the trois from a ménage for lack of space. The music (or absence of it, in the case of "Vroom") perfectly sets the mood for each.

CREDITS:
Client: Ikea France
Title: Vroom, Le Slow, A Woman or Nearly, 2 Girls and a Guy
Agency: Leagas Delaney, Paris
Agency Producer: Maris Massis
Creative Director: Pascal Gregoire
Copywriter: Julian Rottermann
Art Director: Sebastian Pierre
Production Company: hungry man, NY
Executive producer: Stephen Orent, Dan Duffy
Director: Hank Perlman
DP: Steve Keith Roach

Arnold opens world of possibilities for VW
In a clear demonstration of why you should pay for a cinematographer, this VW spot strains against the confines of an advert. The ad begins with an office drone waking up and then follows him through the day. Each scene is over-laid with those of subsequent days, creating a sense of repetitive despair. Each shot contains rigid shapes and boxy architecture, perfectly offsetting the freedom represented by the round curves of the new VW convertible our hero spies from his window.

CREDITS:
Client: VW
Title: Bubble
Agency: Arnold Worldwide, Boston
Agency Producer: Bill Goodell
Copywriter: Joe Fallon
Art Director: Don Shelford
Production Company: The Directors Bureau, NY/LA
Director: Mike Mills
Producer: Oliver Fuselier
Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors, LA
Editor: Angus Wall
Music: Jeff Lynne