Sunday morning techniques category screening
May 16|2004

Morning Techniques Category Screening

The night drinks took a toll on the Clios since at 10 am, few battered souls made it.

Fortunately the techniques category which includes everything from directing, editing, to adapted music and original music was very entertaining.

Canada were are thou? Didn’t see you here.

Hands down to Goodby Silverstein & Partners for their amazing work. From a very subjective point of view, me and the people seated around me, the HP spots stood out in music, and production.

A spot that was shortlisted everywhere, but which I did not get tired of watching is the Nintendo “School’s out” spot done by Leo Burnett Chicago. Living proof of the fruits of a good marriage between a simple idea and great music.

The Matrix might be over, but many spots could easily be classified as part 4 of the trilogy. A lot of stuff with people jumping incredible distances in a city in slow motion with a techno trip song.

Japan-fever has hit the Clios. As usual, the Japs have delivered an amazing set of work that in our eyes, may not make a whole lot of sense, but which is extremely fresh creatively. Many of them gave me that “what the fuck was that” reaction that I hadn’t had in a while. They had a lot of stopping power, and even though some were quite distant from the product proposition they absolutely stood out. Conversing with my neighbors we concluded that Japan has so much clutter in advertising, that making the craziest ads possible with an unrelated product shot in the end might be a sound technique over there. Who knows?

I was sitting with Alex who works for a commercial music production company in L.A. and we both noticed that there was a lot of really great original music. Perhaps ad agencies are halting their Moby ways and realizing the power of good music.

Overall, it seems we are going in a good direction. There seems to be a bit more creative liberation than the two post 9/11 years. It really feels like people are loosening up.