All Saints – Never Ever

The first music video at TSUNAMI by fashion photographer Sean Ellis. It won the Brit Award for best video in 1998 – not bad for a first-timer. The band became massive following the success of ‘Never Ever’ and the video had a lot to do with it. The styling and look is all Sean’s – his signature work for fashion magazines such as Arena Hommes Plus and VOGUE is outstanding – and he got it onto 35mm film with the help of Oscar-winning director of photography, Freddie Francis and a top live special effects team.

Blur – Music is my RADAR
The first music video by Don Cameron at TSUNAMI. Perfect recreation of the sixties TV studio vibe. Great choreography by Blanca Li and of course, then there’s the track. Setting things in the studio ‘interview pit’ makes the vibe. Just cool. Label: FOOD at EMI.

Moloko – Indigo
A fabulous video for Moloko by Don Cameron at TSUNAMI. Again, Don produces a highly atmospheric and stylish piece melding abstract imagery with traditional interiors – the haunt of an obsessive. Roisin looks wonderful. Label, ECHO Records.

Power privatisation – Star Trek
More work from CDP for Thatcher-boom privatisation, this time for National Power & Powergen. This again is top-drawer creative from that great agency. Apart from just gaining the audience’s attention it seeks to entertain – always the first principle of CDP’s work. With a cast like this though, how could it fail. Captain Kirk and the Star Trek team do sterling work trying to ‘get the power’, while Simon Cadell, the Campaign’s presenter steals the scene.

Sci-Fi Channel interstices
TSUNAMI’s Central St. Martin’s graduate Don Cameron directed a set of 10″ programme interstices (seen here as one sequence) for Sci-Fi Channel. Using fashion, interior design and ultra-modern architectural settings, Don evoked a strange urban vibe heightened by abstract mood music from Matthew Herbert. Much of the film’s visual appeal comes from Don’s wide ranging influences such as Finnish print dresses by Marrimeko and modern/classic European school furniture designers. All this, together with Don’s signature graphic style allied to top quality imagery shot on 35mm film, has produced a unique, stunningly stylised and sophisticated hyper-atmosphere.

Uth
A stunning first outing at TSUNAMI for Central St. Martin’s graduate Don Cameron. Conceived as part of a catwalk fashion show for the launch of UTH fashion brand in London Fashion Week and shot on 35mm film, this is high-style gloss with a darker edge. Featuring stunning interior styling, bondage and sexual jealousy, the film conveys the decadence of the Brit fashion and art scene in 2001. Don’s totally original use of graphic elements underpinned by wonderful atmospheric music from Matthew Herbert make this a truly original and directional piece.

Water privatisation – Handel
Collett Dickenson & Pearce at its best – classic British advertising humour for Water Privatisation from the height of the Thatcher boom featuring Handel’s Water Music.

Red Snapper
Multi award winning music video for WARP Records. The director Richard Anthony produced a stunning result on a very low budget for this ground-breaking record label. It was our first award at TSUNAMI Films.

Cinzano – Tiger’s head
This is CDP again in fine form with the last in the series of Cinzano spots featuring Leonard Rossiter and Joan Collins. Written and directed by Terry Lovelock – famous for “reaches the parts other beers cannot reach” for Heineken – it won Gold at Cannes, London and New York festivals. These were truly special films with Leonard and Joan, both consumate professionals, doing the action right first take in virtually every scene. Pure performance in the best sense. Humour is the hardest thing to pull off. We were home by cocktail time. Pretty rare today.

Barclaycard – Acropolis Now
CDP needed someone very special to present a campaign for Barclaycard VISA. Alan Whicker, the greatly respected journalist primarily famous for his series ‘Whicker’s World’ was chosen. He had previously turned down many offers of commercials but agreed to surrender his advertising virginity because this campaign was perfectly appropriate for him. Creative team John O’Donnell and Paul Collis overseen by CDP’s chairman and creative director John Salmon achieved great success for Barclaycard. Directed by Michael Tuchner (series director of Whicker’s World), the witty and entertaining campaign filmed all over the world ran for 8 years and was rated as one of the 100 favourite ad campaigns of all time by CH4 in 2000. A recent and again appropriate use of Mr. Whicker’s talents is the clever and entertaining Travelocity campaign from ad agency MCBD.

Shredded Wheat – Hotel
The first spot for the long-running Shredded Wheat campaign: “bet you can’t eat three”. Neil Godfrey and Tony Brignull were the creative team and Peter Levelle directed. The star of the piece is, of course, Richard Kiel or Jaws from the James Bond films. He couldn’t eat three!

Shredded Wheat – Botham
“Bet you can’t eat three” – another line from CDP that has entered common usage. Botham, here in his first appearance for Shredded Wheat is the mystery ‘hard man’ in the hotel room. He is still in the campaign today, 20 years later. That must say something for the product claims. Copywriter Malcom Gluck, Art Director Neil Godfrey.

Olympus cameras – Snapshot
Delivering a masterclass in direction and humour, Barry Myers recreated all the atmosphere of a film premiere at The Odeon Leicester Square with hundreds of extras, a great cast and crackling dialogue. George Cole once again misreads everything and everyone. The photographer he mistakes for Bailey coined a phrase which has since entered everyday use – ‘exude, exude!’ Considering acting wasn’t Bailey’s first career, he is fantastic, getting his timings spot on. George Cole though is simply perfect, delivering his lines thick and fast. What a pro. It was pulled off in relatively few takes under Barry Myers’ expert control. And Patrick Lichfield mistaken for Lionel Blair! “Lionel, Lionel – give us a twirl”……..The final line from George Cole – “David Bailey? I thought he only done weddings”, is a witty harkback to the very first Olympus spot from 1978, ‘Wedding Photographer’ written and directed by Alan Parker. CDP on peak form.

Olympus cameras – Snapshot
One of a long-running and extremely funny CDP campaign for Olympus, this was George Cole’s second outing for the brand. Playing it just like his character in Minder, George hit it off perfectly with David Bailey who, as usual, gets the putdown at the end. Great work came from having very sporting stars such as George Cole, David Bailey and Patrick Lichfield allowing themselves to be the butt of gentle humour albeit unwittingly delivered by George’s character. Roger Woodburn directed.

Metropolitan Police – If
A terrific film for Metropolitan Police Recruitment. CDP had already done a considerable amount of highly effective and award-winning press and poster work for its client the COI. This spot – one of three – was a real breakthrough at the time (mid 80′s) dealing as it did with issues such as domestic abuse, race, drink related violence and internal police disagreement which are just as relevant today if not more so. And all with a raw energy, delivering authenticity and intelligent objectivity by using the famous Kipling piece ‘If’, juxtaposed with well acted examples of scenarios faced on a daily basis by police officers. Writer Indra Sinha (famous for his Amnesty International press and poster ads.) and Art Director Neil Godfrey made an inspired choice of director in Roger Lyons who is sadly no longer with us. Roger’s inspirational energy had already delivered for many glossy and sexy brands, but he showed an unusually mature and commanding ability on this job. What might he have gone on to?

Land Rover – Dam Rover
A stunning first film in a campaign for Land Rover. This epic spot was directed by David Garfath and is credited with bringing much needed success to an iconic British brand. With backing by the London Symphony Orchestra playing Eric Coates famous ‘Dam Busters’ theme, the Land Rover really did winch itself up the incredibly sheer dam face under its own power. No CGI. It was very scary sitting in the cab, but the stunt driver did in order to keep the front wheels in a straight line! Creative team Graham Fink and Jeremy Clark, agency CDP.

Kestrel – Outback
Terry Lovelock wrote and David Ashwell directed this very funny spot with voiceover by Leslie Phillips. Kestrel was a new brand and Terry (“reaches the parts other beers cannot reach”) Lovelock felt nothing could beat the authenticity of shooting on location in the lager centre of the world – Australia. Actually it was a small stage at Shepperton on a rainy November afternoon. I’m not sure how ‘right on & PC’ this would be today, but it’s certainly gentle and above all, entertaining. CDP, 1985.

Historic Royal Palaces – Dudley
This dramatic and highly atmospheric spot for The Tower of London was a very early example of Tony Kaye’s great ability as a director. Originally planned to be one day in a studio plus a night shoot at the Tower, it ended up stretching over nearly three days. Tony’s relentless pursuit of perfection wore the crew and agency out but the results prove the worth of his effort. This is the kind of relatively small spending client that CDP always seemed to be able to find a special voice for. Based on terrific copywriting and execution the commercial was a very ‘modern’ take on a very old product.

Radio Rentals – Love Scene
The first one in a highly successful campaign for Radio Rentals, ‘Love Scene’ lovingly based on Wuthering Heights was directed by Barry Myers. The spots ran for five years and transformed the third of three competitors into the first. Agency CDP.

Hamlet – The Wall
Another famous Hamlet commercial from CDP and directed by Graham Rose. The sheer range of settings allowed by the unchanging but flexible campaign strategy allowed for consistently entertaining executions from the legendary CDP creative department. No one can ever say ‘well it was easy doing these spots’. Filling the football stadium with what looks like a crowd of 50,000 at an international with just 250 extras was no easy feat. And all before the days of effective CGI.

Hamlet – Pink Shiny Dome
What with ‘Photobooth’ and now this one, people will think CDP had a thing with baldies. This spot was another award winner in arguably the most successful and certainly the longest running campaign the agency produced. Directed by Graham Rose, the music is seemingly played ‘live’ by the Jazz trio in the room. Striking the match on the bald pate was a spot of complete unscripted inspiration.

Hamlet – Photobooth
Undoubtably one of the most famous commercials ever made (voted ‘Ad Of The Century’ by a special jury at Cannes in 1997 sponsored by Leo Burnett and rated 8th best of all time by CH4 in 2000) the Hamlet ‘Photobooth’ ad won more gold awards for CDP than almost any other. Written by Rowan Dean and art directed by Gary Horner, the ad features actor Gregor Fisher in an adaptation of a piece he had earlier written and performed himself. The spot was virtually the lowest budget production ever made by CDP and was immaculately directed by Graham Rose. The commercial is still used at creative workshops and presentations all over the world as a ‘yardstick’ for economy and delivery of brand success based on the classic CDP formula combining consistancy of strategy (Hamlet started on TV in 1966) and pure entertainment. Virtually everyone on the sreet today can recall the spot, which is amazing since it last ran on TV in 1991 and at the cinema in 1999! Widely circulated as a ‘Viral’ today, it has achieved legendary status.

Colman’s – Jarvis
A wonderful recreation of 1920′s bright young thing snobbery by creative team Mike Everett and Paul Smith and directormeister Paul Weiland for quintessentially British brand Colman’s Mustard. Agency CDP.