WEBSITE

I'm sick of this blog, so going to get a website up. Teaching myself HTML is easier than trying to upload a JPEG to this thing.

- Thompson

The Film Festival

On Saturday the 20th we had the film festival. We had a few stressful days before trying to get it all finished, but we got there in the end. We will upload all our work for the festival when we can figure out how to get our work on here, for some reason it wont let us.

The brief for the festival was "to make Whitley Bay the next prime filming location for all Hollywood directors."

We were given the brief nine days before the event so we really had to work fast to come up with the ideas, shoot the film and mac up all the print ads.

After looking at what all current film locations had to offer we then compared them to Whitley Bay. We discovered that Whitley Bay had most of the key things a film location needs. Iconic Buildings/Structures; recognisable coast line; a unique lighting that only the North East can provide etc...

So we thought what is holding Whitley Bay back?!?

The answer we felt, was that no good directors had come to show off it's full potential.

After we had come to this conclusion we set out to evoke an emotional response from directors in a creative way.

We posed as wannabe film director and writer and went about making our own film, which was RUBBISH!! But that was the idea. We would make a film that looked so bad, but, it showed off the landmarks of Whitley Bay. The short film was broken up by snippets of interviews of the "writer" and "director" who clearly had no idea about anything.

In the closing frames of the film the "director" is seen bragging about his film, oblivious to the fact it is terrible. Then in the top right hand corner text appears and says:

"FILM WHITLEY BAY.

We have the locations...

... Now please,

we need some decent directors.

After we presented our idea, we were questioned on it, Which was slightly daunting. A load of film buffs poking holes in your ideas. But we blagged our way through it.

Then we watched the pitch from Cravens.

After we had both pitched the audience of advertising and film buffs voted for the winning team. We just managed to pip the creative team from Cravens and won the coveted Whitley Bay tea cosy. We were really chuffed and had a wicked day. A good experience that will only motivate us more.

- Jamie

Hello All

Just checking in to say we haven't died, we got given a live brief a few days ago to be presented to 50 odd film festival heads on Saturday. Been a mad rush, so we're shooting a 2 minute cinema spot and mac'ing up a press campaign today.

Howay Man

It's not letting me upload our scanned images from our book. Pissing me right off. Trying everything!

Y&R/Mother

What a trip.

London was once again, a superb outing. After crits at RKCR/Y&R with Thom Whittaker and Danielle Noel and 2 at Mother with Paddy Fraser, Freddy Mandy and Tim Mcnaughton - we are chomping at the bit and are motivated more than ever to get down London.

Here's some of our notes that we took:

RKCR/Y&R Thom & Danielle

Chewits: Headlines don't match with strategy. Think of more things to do when chewing (mouth training/exercise?). Gurning kids at school discos on pills?

Jif: Nice line, executions aren't very interesting. Too safe. Idea not coming through. Keep product - go mental. It's like a waxwork lemon - plastic surgery for lemons?

Lilt Zero: "Caribbean Vogue" idea much better than ''Kick Back" . Once again, go a bit mental. Stop being safe! Fashion shows ran by Rastas?

Twiglets: Nice line, pictures are a bit forced. Get across the fact that they're fuckin minging, yet really moreish. Push truth more. Don't want it, but you eat anyway. Vanity concious snack.

Innocent: Nice, like idea of drinking a unicorn.

Water Aid: Nice idea, bring it more to life. Get people excited, free ticket? Tunnel take over? Free water, rewarding - make an event of it?

Tipp Ex: Glad you turned it on it's head, facebook - there's more in it, keep looking!

To summarise: The guys said it was a good overall book, keep writing strategies. Think bigger, don't hold back madness. Lateral thinking. Too many FMCG's though. BIG 5. Things your Mam would buy. If it's dark, make it dark.

Mother Paddy Fraser/Freddy Mandy & Tim Mcnaughton

Chewits: (Paddy) Do something different. Same execution pretty much 3 times. Tone of voice funny, so do something really funny. Headline's not working, get back to truths. Unexcpected.

(Freddy & Tim) Hard to show in scamps. Don't rely on executions. Headlines don't help.

Jif: (P) Have direction in mind, art direction. Kind of an obsolete product. Need more of a reason why to buy instead of fresh Lemon. Get back to the product. Cover up product, can ad be used for anything else? If yes, change it. Lemon accuracy?

(F & T) Abit contrived. We don't want to see ads that could run, want to see madness (which works). More visual campaign.

Lilt Zero: (P) Interesting, the way we have focussed on sugar getting you hyper - instead of the usual 'weight loss' way of thinking. Steer clear of cliche'd headlines 'chilled out' etc. Make visuals better and more intersesting. Perhaps use a characters? Nice because nobody else is doing it.

(F & T) Too much going on. Animals not right, especially if using already chilled out animals to show lilt making people more chilled.

Twiglets: (P) Not right. Get shot of 'tastebuds'. Interesting product, weird as fuck - get back to your research (truths, benefits & insights). Plant a cow for Beef Trees (haha, fuckin class).

(F & T) Stick with truth's. Twiglets are really wierd, so be really fuckin wierd with ads.

Ravioli: (P) How do you bring to life the premise of Ravioli running the show. Ravioli is behind the gread minds of the mob?

(F & T): Push as many iconic images as possible

Innocent: Brand is strong, cover up product, could it be anything, cover up product could it be anything else? Set up a problem. Think out propositions.

Water Aid: Studenty, leave it out!

Brilliant trip, it really helped. The guys we went to see were all spot on and we really appreciate them taking the time out to see us!

Next we have NEW YORK on the 29th, going to be a fuckin beast. Trying to get into Droga 5 at present, amongst others.

We will be back in London a couple of weeks after that (unfortunately we're proper skint)!!

Cheers

Thompson and Jamie

Just a little did you know fact...

Imagine you are standing on a street corner in New York. A Japanese tourist comes up to you and asks you what the 'Block' was called. You would admittedly look at him strangely and tell him that where he was was at the corner of 5th and Main. "No, but i want to know what the Block is called" he repeats. You assure him that Blocks don't have names, roads have names, the Blocks are the unnamed spaces between the named roads.

Interestingly , if you found yourself lost in Japan and you went up to a Japanese man and asked him what the road you were on was called he would look at you very confused. "Well this is Block 19 and that is Block 18...?" he tells you. You see in Japan, Blocks are named, and the roads are the unnamed spaces between the named Blocks. So a typical address in Japan is House 23, Block 19, District 3 etc..

Also if you were a post man in Japan it can sometimes be very confusing where houses are as they don't follow any real number system, at least not as we know it.

In Japan the first house built on a plot of land would be house number 1. Then the second development would be house number 2 (house number 2 doesn't have to be near house number one at all, it can be the complete opposite side of the block).

Sometimes we assume that different cultures act, think, do the same things as we do. I think sometimes we take that for granted.

- Jamie

(By-the-way, if you don't believe me google map it)

Some Contact Details

If anyone wants to get in contact here are our Facebook details. Feel free to add us. London next Wed, need to do some graft this week get it all drawn up ... then Road trip!