David Reviews
 Biting the hand that feeds us since 2002.
Latest Work
    • Dominic O’Riordan joins FamiliaFamilia are delighted to add award-winning director Dominic O’Riordan to their roster.
    • Run, Ruud, run.Heineken and Sonny's Fredrik Bond reunite for this 60" foot chase starring Ruud van Nistelrooy.
    • Thoroughly Decent CoffeeThis excellent ad for posh coffee boffins Taylors of Harrogate shows just how much finesse goes into making great coffee.
    • Bang TV sign US director Rudi SchwabBang TV are extremely excited to have added Rudi Schwab to their roster and it's not just because he's "not a car guy".
    • All aboard.Over three years since its launch, the Apple Watch finally makes an impression.
    • He takes a whiskey drink, he takes a lager drinkThis amusing ad announces Canadian Club's launch of their pre-mixed cocktail range Down Under.
    • A New PerspectiveThis striking ad break for Channel 4 - created in association with the RNIB - draws us into a world that is rarely, well, seen.
    • Top of the food chain.The Mayor of New York City may be surprised to learn he doesn’t run the Big Apple - an eighty-something baker called Edna does.
    • Mark Pellington is ready to Rumble.American filmmaker Mark Pellington has joined Rumble Films for UK representation.
    • The De Blinkks head to Colonel BlimpColonel Blimp have signed award winning photographic and filmmaking collective the De Blinkks to their roster.
    • Nexus Studios sign ChromosphereNexus have signed US-based design and animation studio Chromosphere to their roster.
    • Stars of CCTV.The Adidas Tango Squad launch an audacious raid on Real Madrid's training ground.
    • Horses for causes.The Compton Cowboys are a perfect fit for Guinness's 'made of more' campaign and Henry-Alex Rubin has created a lovely film celebrating the unlikely juxtaposition of urban gangs and equestrianism.
    • Seize the night.Absolut Vodka go back to the beginning with this eye-catching commercial.
    • Greater expectations.'Thor' actor Chris Hemsworth ruminates on what separates good from great for Buchanan’s whisky.

THE BLACK BOX

ALICE:

You know how you were going on about nominative determinism yesterday?

JASON:

Yes?

ALICE:

Well, what about Gerry Human? He's a good example, isn't he?

JASON:

So you're saying, he's a human because of his name?

ALICE:

Well... yes.

JASON:

So what do you think he was when he was born?

ALICE:

A baby, I'd imagine.

JASON:

I can't fault your logic.
Dominic O’Riordan joins Familia

Familia are delighted to add award-winning director Dominic O’Riordan to their roster.

The London-based director won Best Video at the 2015 Ibiza Music Video Awards for The Beach's 'From Above' and won a yellow D&AD pencil and a silver Promax for his contribution to 4 Creative's Paralympics campaign.


CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Heineken
"Share the Drama"		 60s
20 September 2017

Heineken and Sonny’s Fredrik Bond have good form with on-foot capers. With the Champions League underway again, the two reunite for this 60” foot chase. Former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy summons his inner action hero as he evades capture.

The striker adds some new tricks to his repertoire - including blending in with tourists and chucking newsstands. He may be outnumbered, but van Nistelrooy has his own particular set of skills.

One of three new Heineken films, Bond combines ball skills with cinematic flair - just the kind of spectacle a Champions League night can provide. Meanwhile, the lager reaffirm their commitment to Europe’s elite competition in pacy fashion.
Loading the player ...
Taylors of Harrogate
"Coffee"		 30s
19 September 2017

This excellent ad for posh coffee boffins Taylors of Harrogate shows just how much finesse goes into making great coffee... or decent coffee, as the case may be.

We see beans growing into their 'astonishingly magnificent' potential, demonstrated by some great animation and a perfectly over the top voiceover. Images of oozing caramel and sweet berry are equally sleekly shot... which makes the comedy twist all the more amusing.

The self-awareness (that most coffee will be drunk by tired people in their kitchens, rather than nubile young things on stylised Italian streets) plays well for the brand, and stands out in a sea of trope-heavy coffee ads. Standout work from Erik Morales and Lucky Generals.
Loading the player ...
Bang TV sign US director Rudi Schwab

Bang TV are extremely excited to have added Rudi Schwab to their roster. The company has forged a reputation for filming to notch car work but their new acquisition marches to the beat of an entirely different drum.

As you'll notice when you watch the films we've included below, Schwab has a real flair for creating short, perfectly-formed slices of life with real emotional punch.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...
Apple Watch
"Roll"		 60s
19 September 2017

Since its 2015 launch, the Apple Watch has struggled to justify its existence. Forgettable advertising hasn’t helped matters. Launched during Sunday’s Emmy Awards, this 60” commercial bucks the trend.

While Labrinth’s ‘Misbehavin’ plays through Kilian Martin’s AirPods, the Spaniard turns this train station into a skate park. As Martin fills his trick meter, newsstands and even commuters are drawn to his orbit.

Apple’s spin on the skater film is unsurprisingly slick. Gravity-defying flourishes augment Martin’s impressive board work, while the thud which accompanies Martin’s landing provides a satisfying mic drop.

With Apple fans reeling over the iPhone X's price tag, this gives the third-generation timepiece a boost. Aligning it with the brand’s wireless earbuds also strengthens the product’s worth - and not before time.
Loading the player ...
QUICK SEARCH
Recent Promos
Björk
"The Gate"		 6 mins 49s
20 Sep 2017
Björk is back - with 'The Gate', the first release from her latest album. According to the singer it's a transcendent love song; moving beyond the grief of loss expressed on 'Vulnicura' and into the realm of the ethereal. To capture its mood, long-time collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang has created a radiant, shimmering and unbounded world for Björk to inhabit and suffuse with emotion.
HMLTD
"Satan, Luella, and I"		 6 mins 14s
20 Sep 2017
South London’s HMLTD have a taste for the theatrical. Luckily, the band’s flamboyant style gives LEZ Creative’s Ilona McIlwain carte blanche. Set amongst abandoned buildings and occult ceremonies, this baroque promo for ‘Satan, Luella, and I’ doubles-down on macabre flair. A darkly glam calling card for everyone involved.
Radiohead
"Lift"		 4 mins 07s
15 Sep 2017
For fans of early Radiohead the release of 'Lift' brings their mid-90s sound into the here and now, as fresh and powerful as ever. It's been bumping around in their live performances for years without ever finding a home on a studio album - but finally, it's enjoying a deserved moment in the sun and Oscar Hudson has made a stunning video to go with it.
Young Martha
"Homie (ft Meek Mill)"		 3 mins 37s
12 Sep 2017
Whatever we think of the track, 'Homie' is - as a promo - pretty awesome. Hudson is becoming synonymous with intricate, in-camera pyrotechnics (see his promo for and this lifts his game yet another notch.
Piers James
"Samurai"		 3 mins 07s
12 Sep 2017
Rapper Piers James summons his inner warrior in this lithe ‘Samurai’ promo. Broadstairs turns feudal as a lone samurai throws some menacing shapes. Despite the scenic location, conflict is inevitable. Director Luke Davies and DP Mollie Manning Walker linger on the samurai’s imposing armour. As for the track, James fuses East and West.
Punctual
"Faded Youth"		 3 mins 26s
11 Sep 2017
This nostalgia-suffused promo for Punctual's 'Faded Youth' captures what it is to live in and outgrow a tired seaside town. The film and the grade give it a powerful sense of a place that was once a fashionable holiday destination, and we're drawn to the two young women who - we sense - both feel they don't belong and yet would be fiercely protective of their roots.
Beck
"Up All Night"		 4 mins 25s
8 Sep 2017
'Up All Night' is the latest single to be released from Beck's upcoming thirteenth album Colors. First out last year, the track now gets a fresh lease of life thanks to the trippy promo by directing collective CANADA - and the richly imagined party shenanigans they've created is jam-packed with visual nuggets that make it a pleasure to revisit over and over.
Super Full Moon
"Human"		 4 mins 32s
6 Sep 2017
Animation director Sandra Clua has created a great promo for Super Full Moon which demonstrates the complexity of the human condition rather beautifully. Starting with Ikea-style directions for building your very own person, the freshly constructed being at the film's centre still suffers all the anguish and ennui each of us experiences at some time or other in our lives.
Pentakill
"Mortal Reminder"		 4 mins 39s
7 Sep 2017
If you’ve never heard of Pentakill, you probably haven’t heard of ‘League of Legends’, either. The popular MOBA (that’s ‘multiplayer online battle arena’) game features its own heavy metal group: Pentakill. Think Gorillaz meets high fantasy warfare. Band members include Sona, Karthus the Deathsinger, and - ahem - Mordekaiser the Master of Metal.
Hurts
"Ready To Go"		 3 mins 40s
4 Sep 2017
Thomas James has created a poignant promo for Hurts' new release 'Ready To Go'. A man belonging to the travelling community has his world ripped apart by the death of his wife, and at the wake he expresses his grief on the dancefloor. Choreographer Alexandra Green does a great job of conveying bereavement, underlined by editing which switches between his solitary movements and memories of the couple together.
Ibeyi
"Deathless (ft Kamasi Washington)"		 3 mins 18s
4 Sep 2017
Taken from their sophomore album 'Ash', Ibeyi's latest release 'Deathless' is about resilience in the face of oppression. Their regular promo collaborator Ed Morris interprets the song by showing the twins giving birth to each other over and over, without end. It's a simple and powerful idea. Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Díaz have immense dignity and presence, and Morris has captured this yet again.
Girli
"Hot Mess"		 3 mins 50s
1 Sep 2017
Girli wants it all - the right to be "as messy as a boy" but still look sexy, ie to be the "hot mess" of her new track. It's an exasperating message, not made any better by the accompanying promo in which she aspires to be a ladette but evidently isn't yet ready to let go of Barbie. As her admiring chums tag along, she announces that she's "happy as a woman". Well, Girli, for goodness sake ditch the dressing up box and change your name then.
Nick Mulvey
"Myela"		 4 mins 31s
1 Sep 2017
Nick Mulvey's evocative music is beautifully complemented by Majid Adin's promo for 'Myela'. The song is about the ongoing refugee crisis and Adin himself has firsthand experience of this; having fled from his homeland of Iran and endured the journey across Europe - including time in the Calais 'Jungle' - before being granted asylum here in the UK.
Mastodon
"Steambreather"		 4 mins 47s
1 Sep 2017
Lost sheep in search of a spiritual shepherd get more than they bargain for in the promo for Mastodon's 'Steambreather'. As a sinister guru sucks in the souls of his motley audience, a couple of sneering dudes find themselves caught up in the event with unfortunate results. Fun stuff - and has anyone else spotted that the woman in the alice band is Princess Beatrice in the alternative universe provided by C4's comedy 'The Windsors'?
Kasabian
"Ill Ray (The King)"		 3 mins 40s
30 Aug 2017
Historians may balk at this Kasabian promo, but for everyone else, it’s a king-sized romp. Exhuming Richard III’s bones isn’t enough for Lena Headey’s geeky necromancer… she wants the flesh and blood version. She grants the Plantagenet (This is England’s Michael Socha) a second reign. Naturally, his resurrection occurs in a car park.
M83
"Do It, Try It"		 4 mins 11s
25 Aug 2017
Tony’s Junk Food receives a 2D makeover in this David Wilson-directed promo. While mum and dad turn ‘Do It, Try It’ into a bitter back-and-forth, a boy finds solace in his colouring pens. As is Wilson’s forte, things soon get animated. The boy’s creations wreck everything in sight; frogs croak, fuzzballs bounce, and superhumans clash.
Laucan
"Wait for the Impact"		 3 mins 51s
25 Aug 2017
While an asteroid blazes overhead, three Londoners choose different ways to spend their last day on Earth. Whether it’s a boxing gym, a dance studio, or a mosque, director James Heaphy captures serenity in dire circumstances. Laucan’s falsetto won’t be to everyone’s taste, but there’s still pleasing heft to this doomsday scenario.
Jay-Z
"Bam (ft. Damian Marley)"		 6 mins 12s
24 Aug 2017
This affectionate documentary-stroke-promo has two Billboard stars for the price of one. Accompanied by their latest track, Jay-Z and Damian Marley stroll through Kingston’s Trench Town as they discuss life, community, and music. It’s an engaging ode to the island’s musical heritage - of course, Jay-Z has albums to shift.
Mr Jukes
"Leap of Faith (ft. De La Soul & Horace Andy)"		 3 mins 07s
23 Aug 2017
Newly-shorn Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman continues his psychedelic rebirth as Mr Jukes with ‘Leap of Faith’. Following his barbershop mystery tour, Strange Beast’s Parallel Teeth now takes Steadman, De La Soul, and Horace Andy on an interstellar trip. Propelled by the track’s upbeat groove, geometric rockets and flowing blobs combine to delirious effect.
J. Views
"We Moved"		 3 mins 15s
23 Aug 2017
This luminous promo for J. Views' 'We Moved' sees an animated manifestation of fear destroyed by the positive energy generated from joyful dancing. Intentionally designed to be hopeful in dark times, the promo enhances fan footage sent in from about the globe to create a cohesive, universal performance.
Tee Grizzley
"Teetroit"		 2 mins 51s
21 Aug 2017
The 1967 Detroit riot saw the Motor City break down over five days. Fifty years on, the city’s social and economic struggles continue to influence writers, filmmakers, and musicians alike. Now Tee Grizzley’s ‘Teetroit’ coincides with the theatrical release of Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘Detroit’.
Logic
"1-800-273-8255"		 6 mins 59s
18 Aug 2017
Logic is known for his celebration of diversity, standing out in a rap scene which remains steadfastly conservative on certain issues (just check the YouTube comments...). This promo from director Andy Hines takes a serious tone, given the song is named after the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's phone number, and tackles a boy struggling with intolerance towards his sexual orientation.
Mashrou' Leila
"Roman"		 4 mins 07s
18 Aug 2017
This intriguing promo for Lebanese band Mashrou' Leila explores Middle Eastern feminism. The daring film uses traditionally dressed Arab and Muslim actresses in unexpected ways to celebrate the progress and history of the region, as the song deals with its distant past. At the climax, the women walk into the sea to represent the change they're striving for in society. A compelling slice of culture which makes us want to know more.
Bruno Mars
"Versace On The Floor"		 5 mins 36s
16 Aug 2017
Zendaya stars in this sultry promo for noted smoothie Bruno Mars's 'Versace On The Floor'. The world is bathed in purple and gold, light glinting off sequins and jewellery and giving everything an appropriately luxurious feel as the 80s inspired track glides along. We especially like the perspex-topped piano, a vintage touch which really fits Cameron Duddy's carefully-crafted aesthetic.
P!nk
"What About Us"		 5 mins 21s
17 Aug 2017
This promo for 'What About Us', directed by Georgia Hudson, brings a sheen to the darkness of inner city life. We see tightly choreographed routines carried out in parking lots, all-night diners, and on the street, before escaping into the desert as the sun comes up. P!nk's powerful vocals are on full display here, as she laments 'all the happy ever afters' that never came to fruition.
Recent Promos
David Reviews - Lovely Lenzie Ltd, Woodbourne House, Seven Sisters, Lenzie, G66 3AW. Telephone: +44 141 776 7766. Editor: Jason Stone.