Doolan ‘Boars’ them to tears…….of laughter as the new Mars ‘ROCKS’ commercial
Breaks out this month. The real challenge was to find a matching boar and bear in the
weird and wonderful world of taxidermists.

Leeming was thrilled with the result as Doolan effortlessly entered the world of
Youth culture.

Product: Mars
Title: ‘Boar’
Agency: Nitro
Creative Director: Fiona Leeming
Director: Jamie Doolan
Producer: Jackie Adler
Editor: Gary Woodyard
Post: Tide

Consistent, dedicated and his own best friend. Jamie gets things moving, his second set of Ford Dealership advertisments this year were another shining example of his strength as both Director and DOP. JWT and the client couldn’t be happier with the follow up to the first campaign that the dealership thought was the best they’d ever made!

This spoken to camera description of the product is beautifully supported by great visuals, graphics and a clean edit. On air this week, Jamie is currently shooting his latest commercial (Euro RSCG Sydney) with producer Jackie Adler.

Titles: ‘Territory Diary’ ‘Focus Diary’ ‘Fiesta Diary’

Director/DOP: Jamie Doolan
Producer: Jackie Adler

Agency: JWT Melbourne
Creative: Ashley Ragg
Art Director: Stan Jarin
Creative Director: Craig Scrivener
Agency Producer: Pip Heming
Post: Tide

Matt Kamen has just delivered a knockout music-vid for Melbourne based hip-hop outfit, True Live. Sneaking the project in between commercial jobs, Matt made the clip for the single “Damn Right”, taken from the band’s upcoming second album. 

“We wanted to do a Point-of-view shot of an underground boxing match,” Kamen says. “To make it feel real, I wanted Ryan to take a few punches but his commitment to this blew me away! After 5 minutes he was spitting blood and couldn’t focus properly. To get the shots I needed we went on for another 40 minutes, I hope he can still rhyme on stage.”

The clip was shot entirely on an old single clip video camera, with front-man Ryan Ritchie instructed to do his best to belt the crap out the camera and break it. Cinematographer Simon Ozolins’ fantastically grungy lighting was supplemented with a VHS degradation post-path and a colour grade to bring out tobacco flavoured skin tones and inky blue blacks.

Matt and Chris have just returned from a fantastic trip to Adfest in Thailand where Matt picked up a Bronze award for Best New Director. We congratulate him!

You can check out Matt’s reel here , or contact Chris to have a DVD reel delivered to your desk.

Mat Humphrey has just completed another hard hitting campaign to raise awareness for road safety from the TAC.

The campaign launched on the 18th March and sales of protective clothing have already started rising with consumers mentioning the advertising when coming in to purchase the gear.

It was great to team up again with Nigel & Pete for another memorable, if graphic safety message for the TAC.

Director: Mat Humphrey
Producer: Karen Bryson
Agency: Grey Melbourne
Creative Director: Nigel Dawson
Art Director: Peter Becker
Head of TV: Sandi Gracin

It’s all about the moment with Matt Kamen’s new performance piece for FOXTEL. This polished 35mm spot is Matt’s first and exciting job out of Sydney is purely based around direction performance.

The one-day shoot on two locations, to create 2 spots ‘Half-Time’ and ‘The Lawyer’ has turned out to be a huge success and the award winning agency Three Drunk Monkeys were fantastic to work with.

3 Drunk Monkeys (Founding Partners: Scott Nowell, Mark Green and Justin Drape) won B & T Emerging Agency of the Year 2007 and pride themselves on creating innovative and entertaining ideas, CD Shane Gibson, CW Nick Morrissey and AD Sam Chapel came up with two great ideas, our personal favourite (‘the lawyer’) of the two can bee seen above.

Director: Matt Kamen
Producer: Chris Kamen
Agency: Three Drunk Monkeys
Agency Producer: Mark Summerville
Creative Director: Shane Gibson
Copywriter: Nick Morrisey
Art Director: Sam Chapel

Continuing the series of Worksafe Victoria’s emotive and affecting TVC’s, Director Mat Humphrey has just completed the latest installment, titled School Play.

This spot follows Shannon’s Way’s successful formula of a family waiting for Dad to arrive home safely from his working day, this time to his daughter’s kinder play.

Written by Jacqui Shannon and Creative Director Rob Dow, this 90 sec TVC is currently airing in Victoria, and promises to evoke the emotion and thought this message deserves.

Director: Mat Humphrey
Producer: Helene Nicol

Agency: Shannon’s Way
Creative Director: Rob Dow
Writer: Jacqui Shannon
Agency Producer: Jo Theoharis

Mat Humphrey has recently completed a new anti-smoking spot for The Campaign Palace Sydney that sheds an ironic light on smokers’ habits.

In contrast to some of the more graphic anti-smoking health messages this new commercial exposes smokers’ habitual behaviour by comparing the relationship with smoking to a friendship, and highlights the destructive nature of addiction.

The 30sec commercial, written by Executive Creative Director: Paul Fishlock, is airing on NSW television and in cinemas.

Having just finished three spots for Triple M we’re pleased to announce that the “Weather Presenter” spot was selected for “Best Ads on TV” for the week starting 14th Jan. Working with three great scripts from Peter Hibberd and Jim Ingram at GPYR Melbourne, the Kamen boys relished the opportunity to indulge in some oddball performance comedy for a client only too willing to push the envelope. You can watch all three spots below..

Triple M Rocks - Weather Presenter

Triple M Rocks - Politician

Triple M Rocks - Business Pitch (Angels)

Director: Matt Kamen
Producer: Chris Kamen

Agency: GPYR Melbourne
Copywriter: Jim Ingram
Art Director: Peter Hibberd
Creative Director: Ben Coulson
Agency Producer: Mandy Celms
Head of TV: Romanca Jasinski

Director Damien Kelly has teamed up with creative hot shop The Foundry on a couple of new spots for Snooze. Building on the already successful ‘Sleep Well’ campaign, the two spots are called ‘First Time’ and ‘Hand Me Down.’ Both were conceived and written by Creative Director’s Annie Price (Melbourne) and Ian Brown (Sydney). Featured here is ‘First Time’, which depicts a young couple moving in together but all they really care about is making their new bed. If you you wish to grab a copy of Damien’s latest reel, contact Helene Nicol at The Guild on (03) 9529 8100.

Director Damien Kelly and Producer Garett Mayow have just completed a new Repco spot for M&C Saatchi, Melbourne. Continuing on from the ‘Cars are our life too’ campaign, the story involves an inventive rev head using a car jack to raise his little old Mum up so she can enjoy Xmas dinner with him. With the tag line ‘Get everything you need this Xmas’, it’s the first spot for Repco since M&C won the business. It was written by dynamic young team Aaron Pepper and Daniel Grech and helmed by creative maestro Steve Crawford.

Director: Damien Kelly
Producer: Garett Mayow

Agency: M&C Saatchi
Copywriter: Aaron Pepper
Art Director: Daniel Grech
Creative Director: Steve Crawford
Agency Producer: Meaghan Kiely
Head of TV: Karen Muxworthy

The Guild Of Commercial Filmmakers is very excited to announce the signing of talented TVC director Craig MacLean to our roster.

“There was just too much talent for us to pass up this opportunity,” said Helene Nicol.

MacLean started directing commercials while still an agency creative and is now demand for his ability to extract natural and understated performances from actors and non-actors alike.

Since making the seamless transition from agency to production company, Craig has helmed commercials for brands like Ford, Pizza Hut Farmers Union Iced Coffee, V8 Supercars and Blockbuster Video, as well as writing and directing the well-received short film the Loan, starring Chris Haywood, Dee Smart and Justin Smith.

The KB’s have just wrapped up a new spot for ANZ Credit Cards at DDB. In this fish-out-of-water comedy skit, director Matt Kamen was able to indulge his love for bad dancing. The boys are pleased to announce the dance footage from the out-takes will be available on DVD for a limited time only, including such moves as The Robot, The Sprinkler and The Funky Chicken - a great Christmas gift for the whole family.

Director: Matt Kamen
Producer: Chris Kamen

Agency: DDB Melbourne
Exec. Creative Director: Michael Faudet
Associate CD: Jim McKeown
Creatives Team: Anna Rogers & Tamara Yim
Agency Producer: Naomi Ingleton

Mat Humphrey has recently directed a new spot using landmines to demonstrate the dangers of speeding on corners for Clemenger BBDO Wellington and client Land Transport NZ.

Shot outside Wellington, the spot confronts speeding drivers with the reality that the laws of physics cannot be overcome by driver skill. For every driver there is a point of no return when taking a corner too fast will result in losing control and crashing.

Land Transport NZ Advertising Manager Paul Graham said the new ad aims to show speeding drivers the potentially fatal consequences of taking corners too fast.

‘The ad uses the image of landmines to emphasise that when you enter a bend at high speeds you put yourself in danger, even if you can’t see it. You are at the mercy of forces beyond your control, which could kill you. The message is simple – slow down.’

Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Wellington

Exec Creative Dir: Philip Andrew

Art Dir: Scott Henderson

Writer: Dan Moth

Agency Prod: Marty Collins

Prod Co Prod: Marge McInnes

Director: Mat Humphrey

For more information or to view the reel contact Shareen Kane – 02 9908 2216

OK, and a little help from an incredibly talented sunflower and a willing and cooperative spider!

Credits:

Director Jamie Doolan
Producer Jackie Adler
Editor Russel Lonie
Flame John Holmes

Agency Campaign Palace Melbourne
Creatives
‘Sunflower’ Tony Leishman & Jacqui Paterson
‘Spider’ Pat Lennox & Ben Green
Producers Fiona Gillies & Josh Armstrong

This year’s Melbourne International Film Festival will be promoted with a standout trailer made by hotshot Guild youngsters Matt and Chris Kamen. The spot features a man taking a self-portrait of his uneventful life everyday for a year, with his daily monotony broken only by the “19 days” of excitement and colour that is the film festival.

M&C Saatchi creatives Murray Bransgrove, Glenys Gibbons and Ruben Cirugeda created the idea after being inspired by the famous Youtube video, ‘Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for six years’.

To achieve the look of a man taking a photo of himself each day for a year, director Matt Kamen explains that “the entire sequence is constructed from individual photographs. Katie Milwright our photographer did an amazing job, each photo had to look like a new day and she literally lit the room 100 different ways with only two lights”.

To achieve the look of hair growing over time, the photos were taken in reverse sequence and Daniel’s hair trimmed between each shot by the talented team of hair and makeup technicians headed by Olivia Still. Patrick Bennet headed the Art Department team which spent the whole shoot adjusting the many props in the background to great effect - keep an eye out for the wilting flowers towards the end.

Mat Humphrey has directed a new anti smoking spot for the Campaign Palace, Sydney which continues to draw attention to the graphic warnings on cigarette packs by highlighting the real behaviour of many smokers at point of purchase. “It’s a definite change of pace from some of the more recent ‘in your face’ ads such as the mouth cancer and gangrene tvcs but still a hard-hitting health message” says TCP chairman and executive creative director, Paul Fishlock.

Fresh from directing the series finale of critically acclaimed Love My Way, director Emma Freeman has returned to directing commercials.

The series has expanded Emma’s already extensive performance experience and has enabled her to work with actors such as Claudia Karvan, Asher Keddie, Brendan Cowell, Dan Wyllie, Justine Clarke, Ben Mendelsohn, and Alex Dimitriades.

Mat Humphrey has again teamed with Grey Advertising to produce a new spot for the Transport Accident Commission (TAC). This spot is the latest in the “How Safe is Your Car” series, and shows the benefits of Electronic Stability Control. We see the comparison of an emergency situation without ESC, and then again with ESC. So don’t buy a new car without ESC. Writer was Nigel Dawson, and Agency Producer was Jane Parkinson.

Mat Humphrey & BMF Sydney have taken the ‘Deliciously Creamy’ Oak attribute, and with the team at Dairy Farmers, created a TVC called ‘Rescuer’ which turns a potentially pretentious dramatic scene into an unexpected gag.
“Shaking your Oak to make the drink creamier is a great truth to work with. The drama of the situation surrounding the shaking of the milk makes it very funny and communicates the idea in a memorable way,” said Warren Brown, executive creative director of BMF.
This spot was launched on the 11th of February. Oak is one of the eight core brands produced by Dairy Farmers, Australia’s leading branded dairy business.

Exciting new Director/Producer team Damien Kelly and Garett Mayow have just joined The Guild of Commercial Filmmakers and they couldn’t be happpier.

After a successful two year stint in agency land writing, directing and producing in-house, it was only a matter of time before they switched to full-time production. Kelly says, “We both felt that the time was right to make the move and we felt The Guild would be a perfect fit for us. They’re all about doing great work and so are we. It’s very exciting.” Mayow heard him say it.

Damien and Garett have built a strong comedy/performance reel and have a great eye for casting. “We’ve got all genres covered,” quips producer Leanne Tonkes. Mayow heard that too.

And since joining in November, Kelly and Mayow have already been inundated with ads for NIB Health, Medibank Private and GE Money.

The team will be out and about in Sydney and Melbourne in the coming weeks.

For a sneak peek of the reel, click here.

Contact:
Garett Mayow
garett@theguildfilm.com
+61 (0) 438 370 257

Leanne Tonkes
leanne@theguildfilm.com
+61 (0) 419 592 942

The flamboyant filmmaking duo known as the Kamen Brothers, whose rockstar lifestyles have often overshadowed their brilliant work, are ending their overseas exile and returning to Australia after signing a landmark deal with The Guild.

They fled Australia in 1991 amid a storm of speculation over alleged misconduct against minors on set, yet the undeterred KB’s continued their dynamic brand of filmmaking in Eastern Europe for over a decade.

Having been inundated with offers upon their return, including appearances on the talk show circuit and modeling contracts for mature men’s products, the KB’s have finally committed to a Directing/Producing position at The Guild.

After lengthy negotiations with DFAT, Helene Nicol has revealed that the Australian Government was willing to allow the KB’s to return to Australia if The Guild took full legal responsibility for their behavior.

Click here to watch their brand new promo featuring Franco Cozzo.

The KB’s have also been busy proving they have their fingers on the ‘new media’ pulse with their myspace.com/kamenbrothers profile.

Don’t miss this chance to meet up with the hottest filmmaking duo in Melbourne!
Contact Helene Nicol:
helene@theguildfilm.com
0418 296 291

The Guild is joining forces with Mat Humphrey in building a stronger Sydney presence.
Humphrey will be Managing Partner and very much the creative force behind the Sydney based enterprise.

Humphrey says ‘The time is right for me to do my own thing. I have admired the Guild’s fresh new
‘co-op’ approach to the production company model and want to franchise the brand here in Sydney.

The old days of the huge production company with massive overheads are gone. My philosophy is simple “put the money on the screen”. I want to be able to look at all projects big or small, both here and over seas.

I have always enjoyed working closely with creatives and now I am free to do this even more.

We are all really excited about the future and so are my clients.’

To see Mat’s latest reel call the Guild on:
Syd: 02 9281 9981
Mel: 03 9529 8100
Mb: 0418 296 291
Contact Helene Nicol:
helene@theguildfilm.com

Director Jamie Doolan has just completed his first job with UK producer Jackie Adler.

The campaign entitled Go For Your Life was produced for the Department of Human Services through Grey Melbourne.

Shot in a Melbourne school in one day with 40 kids, the message was simply to be more active!

Go and take a look at the spot here.

To make a time to see the reel contact jackie@theguildfilm.com or 0413 161 177.

Ex London producer Jackie Adler has joined the team.

Jackie’s work history includes stints at JWT London, Publicis London, Cowboy Films, Stark Films, Rogue Films and 180 Agency Amsterdam.

Her global experience enables The Guild to broaden the opportunities for both our Australian directors and international productions coming to Australia.

She is currently producing for Jamie Doolan.

Emma Freeman has recently directed a delightful spot to relaunch Sunlight Dishwashing Detergent for Samuelson Talbot and Partners. The spot features a wonderful performance of a woman playing ‘You are my Sunshine’ on her squeaky clean dishes to her little dog.

View the ad here.

Fin Edquist, well known to be a Richmond supporter, has just completed a series of commercials for the Western Bulldogs Football Club. Why this treachery? Well we guess that is what happens when your producer is Helene Nicol, a rabid, one-eyed Doggie supporter. And because Fin was allowed to use his favourite 235 format and use these cool Russian anamorphic lenses. As per usual Footy Club spots are made for love - so a big thanks to those who helped out, Marcus Dineen on Camera, Paul Williams on sound and editing, Cameraquip, Activemotion, Digipics, and all those great Doggies fans who agreed to be in the spots.

View Western Bulldogs - Membership

The first of the commercials created by the Solomon Partnership for Coles screened nationally on Sunday the 30th. Featuring Lisa McCune, the commercial signals a refocussing of message for the supermarket giant. Production was by The Guild with Emma Freeman directing, Leanne Tonkes producing and Academy Award winner, Russell Boyd as cinematographer.

The commercial sees a visual ‘opening out’ of the Coles message with an emphasis on wide open spaces alongside the more intimate moments of enjoyment and celebration. Freeman successfully utilised expansive cinematic images whilst retaining a human warmth to the performances. This is fast becoming her signature style.

Created to flag a new event in the Coles promotional calender, the ad announces Coles’ first nationwide Celebrate Australia Sale. At the same time it gives compelling reasons for the event - a celebration of the fact that not only does Coles employ over 65,000 staff members, they also support Australian farmers by buying more than $2 billion dollars of fresh food annually.

The Solomon Partnership/Coles team included Terence Hammond (Creative Director), Allan Penrose (Account Director) and Elizabeth Grieve (Coles Supermarkets, Events & Promotions Manager). “This is an important step for us as a company”, said Coles Supermarkets, General Manager Marketing, Richard McGough, “and it is the first of many we will be taking as we re energise the Coles brand and adopt a stronger leadership role in the category”.

We’ve set up a podcast so you can now view our latest work in iTunes by clicking on one of the buttons below:

iTunes lets you view our clips full screen and can automatically check if there’s a new clip to watch.

A big thank you to all of those industry people who were able to make it to our launch party on Friday night. From the feedback we have had today, you all seemed to have had a blast - which was always our intent!

Lots of you were asking about the invite film we sent you, so here are some credits:

Director: Fin Edquist
Producer: Helene Nicol
Cameraman: Marcus Dineen
Editor: Chris Reynolds, Activemotion
Music: James Ashton, Risk
Animation: Willie Beecher, Activemotion
Casting: The 2 Divas
Cast: Malcolm Robinson, Robin Collins

and a crew of Robert Kewley, Andrew Jerram, Zigi Yates, Rory Timoney, Peter MacDonnell, Aphrodite Kondos, Heather Ross and Andrew Coyle.

And, of course, The Black Eyed Peas for a great track.

If you missed the invite film, you can see it here.

We have also had fantastic feedback on our logo design and stationery. Once again, we owe thanks - this time to James McGrath, Tom Martin and the production team at George Patterson & Partners. We are forever grateful.

“Oh that’s what we really need – a new production company.�?

Well The Guild isn’t. It’s an old production company, disbanded, dusted off, revitalised, with new recruits and a new moniker.

Some of us were at Great Southern Films and then Great Films and that seemed to be working, probably thanks to a great combination of experience and freshness, wisdom and youth.

Now we’re The Guild of Commercial Filmmakers, a medieval name for Melbourne’s newest production company.

In the Middle Ages a guild was an association of merchants or craftsmen that formed to maintain standards and provided mutual support.

In the modern ages, not much has changed. We’re a merry band of some of Australia’s hottest directors and most experienced producers who work together to produce work of the very highest standard.