David Reviews
 "You're not an artist, Peggy. You solve problems." Don Draper.
Latest Work
    • Places to BeDrivers sneak out to play with their toys in this dreamy ad for Audi.
    • Word up.Keen to maintain board games' lockdown sales momentum, Alias (Finland's answer to Taboo) present this quirky film shot by Pete Riski after restrictions were eased.
    • Vision Artists present Nikita Popkov.Latvian cinematographer Nikita Popkov has joined the Emerging Artists wing at Vision.
    • Zoe Koperski joins Vision Artists.Vision Artists have completed the signing of Zoe Koperski to their production design roster.
    • A penchant for parody.Australian plonk makers McGuigan ease the tension with these Drama channel sponsorship bumpers directed by Laurence Dunmore.
    • Pulse Films sign Winston HackingPulse Films have expanded their music promo roster with the addition of director Winston Hacking.
    • Alexander Dunning joins Park VillageFormer Grey and McCann Erickson creative Alexander Dunning has joined the director roster at Park Village.
    • Freedom of MindThis intriguing film from Mat Hale paints an inspiring portrait of Stephen Akpabio-Klementowski - a former drug dealer, inmate, and current PhD candidate.
    • Every Little Detail This arresting take on Neil Hilborn's poem 'OCD' offers an intense look at how mental illness can impact relationships.
    • Dog days.Calum Macdiarmid’s atmospheric short film uses brooding animation to convey the monotony of lockdown.
    • Narghi moves to Missing Link Films.Kyrgyzstan-born director Narghi Dotieva has joined Missing Link Films for representation.
    • Next to NormalGeorge the Poet is in fine voice in this uplifting ad for Coca-Cola, which takes a lyrical look at lockdown.
    • No Place Like ItThis charming outing for Rightmove bids to make even the most trepidatious house hunter feel excited about their future home.
    • Klaas Diersmann joins Greatcoat FilmsGreatcoat Films have added YDA-winning director Klaas Diersmann to their roster.
    • La la land.Nike have a strong track record when it comes to tuning into local sensibilities, and they've done it beautifully in this smashing film celebrating Liverpool's counterculture instincts.
    • Rising TollsThere have been many reflections on lockdown, but this offering from director Charlie Watts has more bite than most.

SISTERHOOD

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Sisterhood is free to join and free to view.

Over the next few weeks, we are expanding its scope to include live events and an annual competition.

We're seeking sponsors for this so please get in touch if you'd like to help and associate your company with this vital mission.

VISIT THE SISTERHOOD.
Audi
"Strangers in the Night"		 60s
13 August 2020

What could possibly rouse a working adult from their hard-earned slumber in the middle of the night? A crying child? A salacious affair to conduct? The siren song of the refrigerator? According to this dreamy commercial for Audi Australia, it's the lure of their Q Range motors.

Co-directors Nick Kelly and Noah Marshall allow the action to unspool nicely here, creating a dreamy vibe as various people creep from their beds for a late-night drive. Playful, furtive performances sell the idea well.

However, given the raft of curfews currently in place across Australia, perhaps now isn't the best time to encourage after-hours mischief. Impressionable motorists may risk more than a sardonic look from their partner.
Alias
"The Explainer"		 60s
13 August 2020

Keen to maintain board games' lockdown sales momentum, Alias (Finland's answer to Taboo) present this quirky film shot by Pete Riski after restrictions in Helsinki were eased. Consequently, the ad contains explicit footage of, erm, social undistancing.

It's all down to a bloke who draws anyone within earshot into a vigorous guessing game. Passengers, pedestrians, baristas, and co-workers each chime in with suggestions - not that viewers of any nationality will understand them.

That's because the ad is dialogue-free from start to finish, with a blabbering soundtrack played over Riski's lively visuals. It's a fun way to promote a game where comprehension is key, and only practice will help players achieve just that.
Vision Artists present Nikita Popkov.

Latvian cinematographer Nikita Popkov has joined the Emerging Artists wing at Vision.

V.A. managing director Shade Oshunrinde's global scouting mission search brought her to the capital Riga, where she found an exciting young talent ready for his next career step.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Zoe Koperski joins Vision Artists.

Vision Artists have completed the signing of Zoe Koperski to their production design roster.

Koperski graduated from Falmouth School of Art in 2011 before pondering a career in counselling. She found her true calling in a burlesque bar of all places, displaying an early knack for set design.

She's since added commercials, promos, and art installations to her repertoire, as well as mentoring the next generation of female production designers and artists in her spare time.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
McGuigan Wines
"No Dramas"		 64s
12 August 2020

Australian plonk makers McGuigan ease the tension with these Drama channel sponsorship bumpers directed by Laurence Dunmore. Having flicked through the Big Book of TV Drama Cliches with relish, the brand tee up a series of whodunits, neo-noir thrillers, and sordid affairs before a shift to more hospitable surroundings.

McGuigan may not be the first product to mine drama for laughs (see More Than, Skoda, et al) but Dunmore's moody, quicksilver photography catches the eye and ensures the brand's casual outlook lands. Should pique the interest of drinkers who lean more towards wine o'clock than wine collecting.
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On This Day
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Restaurant
"Food Fight"		 60s
14 Aug 2007
Has a food fight ever looked so good? In a posh restaurant diners representing the competitors in a new reality show begin to hurl food at one another. The depiction is entirely in keeping with the grandeur of the restaurant as food majestically flies across the room creating quite beautiful destruction.
VW
"Like A Golf"		 30s
14 Aug 2009
Various people are shown seeking a car or comparing a car with the VW Golf. But, as the super at the end asks, why drive something like a Golf when you can drive a Golf? This is that rare beast... a car ad which feels like it could be very effective.
Nike
"Hyperize"		 2 mins 30s
14 Aug 2009
A gorgeous piece for the American footwear giant which combines basketball and a music track with some beautiful photography. This outcome makes DAVID wonder why pop promos and TV commercials don't just merge... ad breaks would be much more fun.
Johnnie Walker
"The Man Who Walked Around The World"		 6 mins 20s
14 Aug 2009
There's an astonishing performance from Robert Carlyle in this captivating ad for Johnny Walker in which he tells the history of the brand. Not only does he get through a lengthy monologue in one take, he times his walk to perfection to grab the props. Brilliant.
Coca Cola
"Grandfather"		 60s
14 Aug 2013
Coca Cola is using an interesting approach in its bid to persuade us that their drink isn't an unhealthy as we might assume. In this ad from Argentina - for example - it's suggested that our consumption of sugary drinks poses no risk provided we try to emulate the healthy activity of our grandparents.
Back Me Up
"Drone"		 40s
14 Aug 2016
Whether you regard them as remote control playthings or the humble kite's nefarious upgrade, drones have caught the public's imagination. Plundering the drone's potential for mishaps is this lovely ad for insurance app Back Me Up. One of four ads for the e-insurer directed by Chris Palmer, this execution does a swell job of communicating the outfit's sympathy for when life's foibles get the better of us.
Nike
"Sister Madonna Buder"		 63s
14 Aug 2016
Nike once again flummox Oscar Isaac in the voiceover booth - this time by introducing Sister Madonna Buder a.k.a. the 'Iron Nun'. No, don't worry, she isn't the latest addition to cinema's ever-increasing roster of superheroes - eighty-six-year-old Buder is a triathlete with a spry attitude to the whole mind, body, and soul business. Another engaging distillation of the sporting brand's universal message of boundless endeavour.
Starbucks
"Coming Home"		 60s
14 Aug 2019
This smartly-designed film for Starbucks emphasises the universal allure of a good cup of coffee. The brand cultivate a unifying atmosphere - exploring the various incarnations of their cafes and take-home products alike - and the result is an ad with a surprisingly homey feel... as much as a multinational chain can seem homey, at least.
Nando's
"Gooch"		 10s
14 Aug 2005
Another in this series of short ads prepared specially to run with Channel 4's cricket coverage has a member of the Portuguese team talking admiringly about former player Graham Gooch who, like he, had a magnificent bushy moustache.
Ladbrokescasino.com
"Shark Tamer"		 40s
14 Aug 2008
We are told the story of a man whose need for thrills led him to take greater and greater risks in his dalliances with sharks. If only he'd known about ladbrokecasino.com then he could have got the same excitement by losing his savings and his house instead of his life.
Nicorette
"The First Week"		 30s
14 Aug 2009
A man aiming to quit smoking struggles to shake the habit. This is illustrated by showing a pack of cigarettes literally stuck to his hand. All his efforts to discard it fail until he uses the advertised product and is finally able to let go.
Weetabix
"Where's Nigel?"		 40s
14 Aug 2009
A very amusing ad purports to show how Weetabix Minis are made. It's a nice touch to shoot it on a set with a very low ceiling as it helps create an Alice In Wonderland feel about the factory where they minimise the giant weetabixes to get them to the right size.
Currys
"We Can Help"		 30s
14 Aug 2009
An amusing ad for Currys has an overweight man getting a bit carried away as he joins in with an exercise programme he's chanced across on TV. Indeed, he gets so enthusiastic that his bouncing around causes his telly to crash to the ground.
McDonald's
"The M"		 30s
14 Aug 2012
All the way through the Olympics, McDonald's were unable to show any of their food in their commercials because it would have been like soaking all the wholesomeness in trans fats so they're making up for lost time with this ad that quite literally focuses on the food like they've never done it before.
BBC One
"Autumn Drama"		 40s
14 Aug 2012
Now that the Olympics are over, the BBC is making the case for people to stay tuned because of their marvellous array of dramas. Although this trail is made up of clips from the programmes, it's put together in an impressively dynamic fashion and we thought it merited inclusion at our illustrious web site.
Ripper Street
"After The Olympics"		 30s
14 Aug 2012
This trail explicitly acknowledges that the end of the Olympics is likely to leave a void in people's lives. And what could help to maintain the feel good factor engendered by the Games? Why a drama about Jack the Ripper of course? What replaces murderously hard-won medals better than malignant murders.
Murder
"POV"		 30s
14 Aug 2012
Another of the trails the BBC is using to remind its audience in the wake of the Olympics that there are more strings to their bow than spirited medal-winning performances by plucky Brits. A new series called 'Murder' marks the directing debut of Birger Larsen - the man behind Danish hit The Killing. Can't wait.
Old Jamaica Ginger Beer
"Bear Joke"		 20s
14 Aug 2012
Another joke from one of the elderly West Indians with mischievous glints in their eyes. This chap has had a go before but his accent is so thick that we couldn't make it out so it's a relief to discover that this time we can identify the joke... it's a hoary old favourite but you can't have everything.
Aldi
"Mayonnaise"		 20s
14 Aug 2012
A little girl with ginger hair reveals that her mum likes the own-brand mayonnaise as much as she likes Hellmann's. She then produces a badge made for her by her brother that says 'monster'... she apparently believes that it says 'angel'. Another winning addition to an excellent series.
Back Me Up
"Inside Horse"		 30s
14 Aug 2016
Insurance app Back Me Up depict another silly scenario to show it's useful to have something to lean on when the effluence hits the fan. A man engrossed in his laptop is given a fright by a horse helping itself to the fruit bowl, resulting in a milky keyboard. Given that he and his more enthusiastic partner live in a high-rise, you can understand his consternation - though the advertised app means he can relax about one thing in this situation.
Back Me Up
"Snake"		 30s
14 Aug 2016
Insurance app Back Me Up depicts another terrific scenario to show it's useful to have something to lean on when the effluence hits the fan. A tourist decides to nab a selfie with a snake charmer's reptile - which is never going to be a good idea - and the cut to the local A&E is done with sublime economy. A great reminder that the e-insurance app can be a more beneficial addition to one's phone.
Back Me Up
"Zorb"		 40s
14 Aug 2016
Ineptitude always looks funnier at a distance, and this chap's strenuous efforts to cross the sea in a zorb (pretty much a hamster ball for humans) are well captured in this Back Me Up ad. We observe this inflatable odyssey in all its glory before the VO informs us that a new kind of app-based insurance provides us with protection from misadventures instead of leaving us adrift.
Talk Talk
"Daft Stuff"		 30s
14 Aug 2017
It's giggles all round in this fly on the wall ad for Talk Talk. The residents of 9 Merwick Street guffaw, chortle, and chuckle their way through amusing videos online, all streaming smoothly courtesy of the broadband provider's totally unlimited fibre plan. The documentary style works well for the brand, giving them an air of authenticity and trustworthiness.
Marks & Spencer
"School"		 40s
14 Aug 2017
A lad starting his big-school career addresses his parents in this charming ad for M&S. The kid can't promise to do everything perfectly - lost property and post-PE uniform mishaps are universal experiences, after all - but he's going to give it his best shot. This film carries on the brand's 'Spend it Well' campaign, positioning Marks and Sparks as part of pivotal life moments.
McDonald's
"Chicken Legend"		 30s
14 Aug 2017
The British are notorious for our love of an underdog, from Susan Boyle to Leicester City, so perhaps it's no surprise that McDonald's have given their latest 'Chicken Legend' the Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards treatment. We see a canoeist who isn't quite ready for his big race pausing to fix his glove before he sets off... losing his oar in the process.
On This Day
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David Reviews - Lovely Lenzie Ltd, Woodbourne House, Seven Sisters, Lenzie, G66 3AW. Telephone: +44 141 776 7766. Editor: Jason Stone.