Ever consider what goes into those wacky designs on lotto scratch-off tickets?  BCLC—the British Columbia Lottery Corporation—shows us in a comic, faux-documentary spot titled “Artists” from agency TBWA Vancouver, directed by Richard Farmer via Green Dot Films in L.A. and Imported Artists in Canada. In the spot, a somewhat frustrated artsy-type wearing marvelously '70s styled eyeglasses talks about what goes into the creation of that often gaudy artwork for lotto games, hinting that these bits of impassioned creative expression are just not fully appreciated. “Canadians are funny, period,” says Farmer about his approach to the scripts.  “With that in mind, I created characters and backstories much like you would for a TV show that depends on talented improvisation. From there we set up a 360 environment and improvised all day, until the producer kicked us out. I had to kick some gigglers off the set for laughing during takes. I felt bad for that, but it was one of the funniest casts I’ve ever worked with.”  Agency credits include Paul Little, Mia Thomsett, John Williamson and Mike Hasinoff. EP for Imported Artists was Suzanne Allan; IP’s Managing Director was Tom Symes. For Green Dot, nods go to Managing Director Rick Fishbein and EPs Darren Foldes and Rich Pring. Line Producer was Ahnee Boyce, Director of Photography was John Houtman. Ross Birchall edited for Bijou Editorial.

Animal Logic digital artists were recognized and awarded at the 8th Annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards for ‘Outstanding Matte Painting in a Broadcast Program or Commercial’ on a Kaiser Permanente TV spot titled “Emerald Cities.”  At the ceremony, which was held at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, Animal Logic’s Art Director Ben Walsh, Matte Painter  Ben Walker,  Sr. Matte Painter/3D Animator  David Woodland and VFX/Matte Painter Kim Taylor were named recipients of the prize, recognizing the matte paintings that appear in the spot. Directed by Biscuit Filmworks’ Noam Murro, the spot shows cars and bike messengers working their way around gnarled tree trunks and city streets covered with pine needles, along with shots from inside office towers of cityscapes competing with soaring pines branches. The spot ends with a simple on-screen graphic, expressing an environmentally-sensitive initiative on the part of the advertiser, a health insurance company: “Paperless medical records are a beautiful thing.”  Animal Logic was responsible for digitally transforming the urban jungle into a lush, fertile landscape, integrating its  matte-painted trees into the live action city environment. The agency on the spot was Campbell Ewald, L.A.

Terry O'Reilly, co-founder of New York and Toronto-based audio house Pirate,  will be Radio Jury President for the 2010 London International Awards. The prodigious O'Reilly is well-suited for the task: he’s won hundreds of awards for writing and directing radio and TV commercials, he hosts the hit CBC/Sirius Radio series “The Age of Persuasion,” is co-writer of a bestselling book based on the show and is familiar with all aspects of the business, due in no small part to time spent as a copywriter at DDB and Chiat\Day.  In other Pirate news, the shop has announced the expansion of its sales team with a pair of independent reps who will handle key US regions. Spark Reps’ Phil McAlpine will handle Pirate in the Southwest, while Jack Fahey will complete the sales team expansion by staking out territory for Pirate on the East Coast.

“Five blades, three teams and a race to the finish” —that’s the idea behind the Gillette NASCAR Young Guns contest that’s featured in a fast-paced new spot directed by Station Film’s Brendan Gibbons, produced for BBDO, New York.  In the contest, six NASCAR drivers will team up to shave 500 miles of guys' faces using the Gillette Fusion razor. The teams are made up of Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne, each paired off in teams of two. You can check the Gillette Young Guns website to see who’s ahead.  In the spot, which features bits and pieces of footage shot for the contest, we see all sorts of road racing fun, including taxicabs flying over hills and Zamboni's racing across the ice at skating rinks.  Agency credits go to Joao Medeiros, Alex Goulart, Jon Krevolin and Roger Jones.  Crew Cuts handled post and edit, with credits going to Editor Jon Daniel, EP Jessica Gonsalves and audio post mixer Nick Montgomery. 

Union Editorial has expanded its longform and feature film services with the addition of Noah Haeussner as Head of Entertainment Development. Haeussner joins from Level 1 Promotion, where he served as Director of National Promotions for Film and Television. With the move, Union now becomes a full-service marketing and post production house in the feature arena. The company has been awarded its first project in this capacity, handling the entire marketing campaign for "Obselidia," the feature debut from director Dianne Bell, which screened in competition at Sundance this year. "This is a natural evolution for Union," says Union Partner/Executive Producer Michael Raimondi. "Many of the additions to our roster over the last couple of years have contributed to this moment." For example, he notes, Union Partner/Editor Sloane Klevin co-produced and edited the Oscar, EMMY, and Peabody Award-winning documentary “Taxi to the Dark Side”; Editor Jinx Godfrey cut the Oscar-winning doc "Man on Wire"; and Partner/Editor Jim Haygood ("Fight Club," "Where the Wild Things Are") is currently editing the feature "Tron." Union recently completed work on trailers for high profile TV projects like HBO's "Addiction" and "True Blood."  "Noah is at the forefront of the current trends in feature film marketing," Raimondi adds. "From understanding film marketing theatrically and online to experiential marketing and brand integration, he’s the perfect person to help us fully exploit the talent and resources here at Union." While at Level 1, Haeussner developed and managed a number of online and offline marketing initiatives for films such as “Speed Racer,” “The Dark Knight” “Angels & Demons” and “The Taking of Pelham 123.” He previously headed up the film marketing department at StreetWise Concepts & Culture, where he developed and executed national campaigns for Warner Bros.’ “300,” “I Am Legend and “Get Smart,” and Paramount Pictures' “Beowulf.”

Animation and production house Psyop recently completed character design for Nurofen pain reliever via London-based agency Mother. In “Core” a woman’s head glows red with pain; inside, we see the source of her problem—a busy little woodpecker pecking at a tree. The woodpecker shakes the tree with his pecking, but it all comes to a halt when a Nurofen painkiller arrives, seen as a little pill-shaped robot armed with a beam of relief.  It scans the tree for the source of the noise, passing over cute little orange birds that are not making much more than a tweet before it zaps the woodpecker into cooing silence. Credits go to After Effects Artist Michaell Shin, Animators Pat Porter and Jordan Harvey, EP Lucia Grillo and Producers Nathan Jew and Carol Collins. Music by Q Department and Sound Design by Sound Lounge.

Twist Director/DP Rich Michell has lent his talent to Nebraska-based Union Bank & Trust for a series of new commercials via Lincoln-based agency Swanson Russell. Shot against a seamless white background and skillfully cast with a charismatic spokesperson, the campaign explains to consumers why Union Bank is the best choice for customer service in these uncertain times. The spots feature a highly stylized look, which Michell is well-positioned to shoot. With a background in fine arts that includes sculpture and photography, Michell is used to shooting tabletop as well as people. "Our goal in the Union Bank campaign was to educate rather than to sell,” he says. In the spots, titled “Dominos,” “Bricks,” “Suits,” “Location” and “Phones,” the spokesperson compares Union Bank’s services to its rivals using a variety of visual techniques to illustrate its competitive advantages—using dominoes to demonstrate the red tape of other banks, for example, or bricks to represent the stability of Union. Credits go to Editor Chad Nelson, Production Designer Michele Gilstead and Producer Dave Bellmont.

These goats just keep on giving.  Tate USA Director David Popescu recently won a Gold Best in Show ADDY for a spot titled “Goat Tears” for a pain relief product called Thera-Gesic, out of Dallas-based agency Moroch. In the spot an old woman, clearly knowledgeable in the ways of homeopathic remedies, explains that goat tears can relieve aching joints. But not so fast--goats don’t cry easily, as the old girl demonstrates by singing a horrible rendition of “Danny Boy” to a goat.  She also shows one a grave marker and tells it, “That’s your Mama, ” and takes to chasing others in a monster costume. The spot, which was shot by Popescu while he was with STORY in Chicago, was edited into 10, 15, 30 and 60-second versions at 3008 in Dallas by Editor Brent Herrington. Agency credits go to Steve Yoon, Vince LoPresti, Jim Bowling, Jim Sykora and Kathleen Torres. The spot was shot by DP Peter Simonite.

Bandito Brothers directing duo Gentlemen recently sent NBA star Lamar Odom into space for PowerBar and helmed the first-ever "Popumentary" for Kellogg's. "Moon Dunk" via Publicis Dallas takes the accomplishments of the L.A. Laker star to new heights as he rockets into the atmosphere with help from a PowerBar Energy Blast. The directing duo describes the spot as “something we crafted lovingly with just some papier mache, string, a little paint, and one of the greatest basketball players in the universe."  With a quirky and similar aesthetic—but no ball players—Kellogg’s "Popumentary," via Leo Burnett, puts the Gentlemen’s spin on the nature documentary genre, in which Corn Pops are seen frolicking in the wild, hunted by chompo-diles (chattering teeth) and ultimately being consumed by a Spoon-ephant (a spoon, of course!). It's a spot designed to grab kids' attention, yet still be entertaining for adults as well. Agency credits for "Moon Dunk" go to Pete Voehringer, Steven Grimes and Jaime Roderer. Keith James edited for Red Car/Dallas. Robert Fox handled production design from Sheldon Prosnit Agency. For "Popumentary," agency credits go to Kimberly Cyrille. Doug Chamberlain, represented by Innovative Artists, was DP for both projects. Additional Bandito credits go to EP, Jeffrey Rohrer.  Jacob Rosenberg was EP for both spots along with Producer Wade Brandenberger. Colorist was Andrew Huebscher and Siobhan Prior edited. Additional post was handled at Bandito. In other news, Director Stewart Hendler has joined the company.  Hendler has directed commercials for clients including BMW, Motorola, Budweiser, Adidas, MTV, and PDFA. He has been recognized as a "Director to Watch" in Shots, 'boards and SHOOT, as well as at Young & Rubicam's "Young Guns," the Clio awards and the Kodak New Directors showcase.

"A Somewhat Gentle Man" ("En Ganske Snill Mann"), the latest film from TWC Films’ director Hans Petter Moland, just had its world premiere in the Berlin International Film Festival’s main competition, where it won the Audience Award. Starring Stellan Skarsgard, Jannike Kruse Jatog and Jan Gunnar Roise, "A Somewhat Gentle Man" tells the story of Ulrik, who, after twelve years behind bars for murder, emerges from prison and finds himself in an emotional maelstrom of revenge, love, and longing. Moland began his feature film career in tandem with his commercial directing career, having earned various commercial honors in numerous festivals and competitions, including Cannes, Eurobest, Clio, Epica, I.B.F. and Mobius. This latest  feature film effort underscores his flair for provocative storytelling. Peter Cowie, the international film historian, has called Moland "the Ridley Scott of Norway," as a nod to his ability to master both visual and narrative storytelling styles. 

So Loud contributed music and sound design to “Land Swimming” a Michael Phelps endorsement spot for Subway.  Fueled by Subway sandwiches, Phelps power-swims through the end of a  swimming pool and beyond the gymnasium, going clear across the country. Boston agency McCarthy Mambro Bertino called on So Loud to create an action-adventure score for the spot. Composer Nathan Kil wrote the track and collaborated with So Loud CD Paul Riggio to get just the right crunch to accompany Phelp’s strokes through various forms of terrain.  Agency credits go to Chris Poulin, George Goetz and Matthew O'Rourke. The spot was directed by New Deal Studios' Ian Hunter, and includes VFX also done at New Deal by Robert Chapin and Michael Theurer. Cut and Run’s Jeff Grippe edited.

New York-based editorial house Cutting Room has brought on Editor Debbie McMurtrey (pictured here). The move to Cutting Room reunites McMurtrey with mentor Chuck Willis, who she first assisted at Crew Cuts. The Chicago native discovered editing while studying visual communications at the University of Michigan. Moving to New York after graduation, she launched her career at Crew Cuts in 1999, rising quickly through the ranks to editor, then joined Nomad in 2007.  Her eye for comedy and dialogue is seen in successful campaigns for the NFL, PepsiCo, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Pizza Hut, Gillette and Oral B, working with directors such as Joe Pytka, Jesse Dylan, Rocky Morton and Matt Aselton. Her TV credits include parodies for NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” including “Taco Town” and “Tressant Supreme,” with Kelly Ripa. In 2008, she cut a VH1 pilot, “Star Stories,” an adaptation of an award-winning British comedy. Her film credits include the 2006 festival favorite, “The Path of Most Resistance.” In other Cutting Room news, Willis recently cut a spot for Miller Lite titled “Big Game,”  in which a Miller Liter delivery guy takes time to promote small-town businesses like Loretta’s Pralines in Louisiana, Bizarre Guitar in Phoenix and Tim’s Baseball Card Shop in Chicago. The agency was Saatchi & Saatchi, New York. Credits go to Gerry Graf, Ralph Watson, Dan Kelleher and Diane Burton. Harold Einstein directed for Station Films, where additional credits go to EPs Steve Orent and Tom Rossano, Producer Eric Liney  and DP Ramsey Nickell. Cutting Room credits go to EP Susan Willis and Producer Melissa Lubin.

New York based design studio adolescent recently joined with the international Social Media Week conference to create the opening film for the event, which took place last month in six major cities around the world. The five-day conference explored the impact social media has on culture, business communications and society. Over the course of the conference, each city hosted programs that spanned a variety of formats, ranging from lectures, presentations and panel discussions to interactive workshops, seminars, networking events and receptions. Adolescent’s opening showed colorful shapes and objects floating along a work environment with jump cuts of images that represent each of the participating cities; New York City, Berlin, London, San Francisco, Toronto and São Paulo. A chess set represents New York, pints of beer for Berlin, pigeons on a cobblestone road for London, a soccer ball for Sao Paulo, etc. Each opening ended  with sponsor logos. Credits go to Animator Man-Wai Cheung, DP Mina Muto and Animator/DP Radhames Mora.

Owners Ashley Adams and Stephen Hens and Founding Director Nick Spooner have announced that Beef Films and Chop House Edit will now be working out of a new facility in Santa Monica, just blocks away from the Third Street Promenade.  The partners explain that it was time to reevaluate the companies’ proximity to its agency clientele, both those that are from out of town as well as those scattered around Los Angeles and particularly in West L.A., Culver City and Santa Monica. Previously located in the art district of downtown, the company has now taken up a three-story loft-style space situated on Santa Monica Boulevard between Fourth and Fifth Streets.  In other Beef Films news, Director Pascal Franchot recently completed a segment of CNN Heroes on Efren Peñaflorida, who launched a "pushcart classroom" in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership. Peñaflorida will receive $100,000 to continue his work with the Dynamic Teen Company.  The top 10 CNN Heroes are chosen by a blue-ribbon panel from an initial pool of more than 9,000 viewer nominations.  Each has been honored with a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. See Penaflorida’s story here.

Jeff Bednarz's short documentary "6" just premiered at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. One of only nine documentary shorts in the festival lineup, "6" is a portrait of small town America as told through the lens of a six-man high school football team.  The film was a collaborative effort between Bednarz, who directs through Directorz in Dallas, and Editor Jack Waldrip of Dallas-based post production company Charlie Uniform Tango. The film captures the grit, determination and passion of players and fans alike that form the heart and soul of communities too small to field a full eleven-man team.  Bednarz was introduced to the subject matter by Jim Ferguson, co-founder of an event called Six Man Super Saturday,  a one-day event in which some of Texas’ best six-man football teams compete.  The director had worked with Ferguson on a series of spots for the NFL Channel. Inspired by what he and Ferguson perceived to be a vanishing way of life, the duo went to the Texas towns of Strawn and Follet to capture intimate portraits of the towns' lifeblood: high school football.  “This story is a lesson in compassion, hard work and how important it is to hang onto our rural communities and the American Dream," says Bednarz.  Charlie Uniform Tango’s Waldrip, who has edited many of Bednarz's commercial projects, worked with over 40 hours of film to weave the stories into a tight and compelling 20-minute short.

Company 3 has partnered with Dallas post facility ANDTRANSFER to provide remote color grading with its industry-leading colorists. Company 3 will employ its remote technology for post production services on commercials and features, enabling clients to collaborate in real time with Company 3 artists on color grading projects. A high-resolution monitor calibrated by a certified Company 3 engineer, coupled with a video conferencing system, ensures that client feedback reaches their Company 3 colorist in L.A. or New York without delays or color discrepancies.  “We always strive to provide technical and logistical solutions to better serve our clients,” says Luis Ribeiro, VP Business Development for Company 3. “We chose to partner with ANDTRANSFER because, as a telecine boutique, they understand the unique workflow inherent to our business.”

Moon Media director Liz Hinlein made an appearance at the Winter Olympics, but she wasn’t seen on the luge track.  Rather, it was in the form of a new spot for Dove that aired during the games.  "Misti" is a young woman who—understandably—was a little skeptical about whether or not a deodorant could make her feel stubble-free longer.  The spot proves otherwise, thanks to Hinlein’s eye for casting and performance.  In a lively testimonial, Misti talks about how when she was out dancing with her arms held high, she was a little put off by visible underarm stubble and sweat.  Her delivery of this product endorsement, however, makes the entire message come across in a human and believable way. The spot was produced through Fresh Films in London for Ogilvy & Mather in Frankfurt.

"Named Rider," a new spot for the UK's Department for Transport (DFT), features motorcyclists on the road with bold, stylized neon signs bearing their names and other information. The concept was inspired by research indicating drivers are more careful around bikers when they actually know one. Created via Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO as part of its THINK! campaign, the spot showcases an original track composed by Stephan Altman of Mophonics, which was executive produced by Michael Frick. The song, "If You Got To Know Me," has a bouncy, friendly feel that perfectly suits the spot, airing now in the UK and across the web. Agency credits go to Phil Martin and Brian Campbell. The spot was directed by Thomas Thomas’ Kevin Thomas, and was produced by Billy Jones. Post production was done at The Mill, audio post at Wave. 

The Chicago office of Red Car has added graphic designer Kevin O’Rourke to its roster. O’Rourke comes to Red Car after having worked at both Postique in Chicago and Universal Images in Detroit. Prior to his time in Detroit, O’Rourke worked as a graphic designer at various shops throughout Chicago. “He is a true artist in every sense,” says Craig Duncan, MD of Red Car.  “I’m very excited to have Kevin on board.” In addition to award-winning work for clients such as Ford, Alltel, Jeep and The History Channel, O’Rourke has produced concert posters for Lucinda Williams, Flogging Molly and Sonic Youth, along with poster art for the Detroit Roller Derby league.  He joins the Red Car Chicago team of creative editors that includes Sean Berringer, Bob Carr, Greg Sunmark and Tim LoDolce, along with Effects/Finishing artist Christopher Elliott. “We’ve been utilizing Red Car’s Redhead division out of New York for most of our graphic needs,” says Duncan, “but having Kevin on board in Chicago will provide our clients with a local motion graphic resource, and that will benefit everyone.”

To kick-off its “Brighter Mornings for Brighter Days” campaign, Tropicana brought an actual brighter morning to the 3,500 residents of Inuvik, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, who live without a sunrise for weeks each winter. A team of Canadian filmmakers captured the dawn in Inuvik for a series of documentary-style commercials, which are be featured prominently in the new campaign. The 30- and 60-second spots document the raising of a 36-foot wide, brightly glowing helium balloon, which appears in the dark mid-morning sky over Inuvik’s Jim Koe Park.  With curious and wonderous residents looking on, the balloon illuminated the dark sky, emitting roughly the same amount of light provided by the sun. Arctic weather conditions and Inuvik’s remote location provided a challenge for filmmakers charged with bringing to life the creative concept developed by BBDO Toronto’s Ian McKellar, John Terry and Adam Bailey. Contributing to the campaign was Radke Film Group director Samir Mallal, whose 60-second portrayal of brighter mornings is grounded in the crowd’s response to the sunrise, which is further enhanced by Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson’s song, “The Great Escape.” To top it off, Tropicana  provided 1,200 free cartons of Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice – one for every household in the community.  Additional credits go to DP Chris Mably, Radke EP Michael Haldane, Editor/Sound Designer Ross Birchall of Bijou Editorial and Sound Designer Didier Arlot Tovel of Apollo Studios.

Got new work? If so, we’d love to share it with our global audience in the advertising and production community. Agencies, production companies, post houses, animation studios, editorial companies, VFX houses—just about anyone in the industry—can upload new work for consideration in SourceEcreative’s Just Breaking section. Prominently featured on our home page, it's one of our most heavily-trafficked features. Remember, TV spots, virals and web videos uploaded for Just Breaking should be fresh-scrubbed and picked at the peak of flavor, having just broken within the past 2 weeks. Go to our ADD SPOTS button on our home page, select the “Just Breaking” option on the pull-down menu and follow the instructions and specs listed. Full agency, production and post credits are appreciated—we want to make sure everyone who played a role in the work gets a nod. You can see some examples of Just Breaking work from Smuggler, BABY and Se7en Sunday Films from Indonesia. For information on how to advertise on our home page, check out our ad package info here.