Rupert SandersBy Bill Dunlap
October 15, 2004 -- Sometimes it seems that director Rupert Sanders of Omaha Pictures, Santa Monica, likes to do things the hard way. His reel contains a number of spots with striking visuals that have all the earmarks of heavy visual effects work.

StyleWarBy Bill Dunlap
October 15, 2004 -- In Snickers' "President," out of BBDO New York, a series of wild coincidences that start with the eating of the candy bar lead a regular guy to become president of the United States. In "Pony," for Ikea via Crispin Porter+Bogusky (CP+B), Miami, a living room undergoes decorating changes before our eyes, as different price figures are cited (at the most expensive price, you can even include a pony). And Renault's "Couple," out of Publicis Paris, finds a city street populated with people who have flower buds as heads; a man with a opened flower head scoops up a bud-headed woman and takes her into his Renault, causing her bud to open up into a flower too.

Dave MeyersBy Art Smith
October 15, 2004 -- Dave Meyers long ago made quite a name for himself as a music video director, but this year he managed to extend his success to the commercial realm. Meyers, who directs spots through bicoastal/international @radical. media, earned kudos for his Apple iPod ads ("Hip-Hop," "Rock" and "Dance") out of TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles.

Ringan LedwidgeBy Alison Sloane Gaylin
October 15, 2004 -- Work was probably the last thing on Ringan Ledwidge's mind during a recent night out at the movies. Yet as he sat in the darkened theater waiting for the previews to start, he got a super-sized reminder of his chosen profession. "Getting Dressed"—a Lynx spot out of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), London, that won a Gold Lion at this year's Cannes International Advertising Festival—was being shown. "It's out in cinemas now," he says. "And … there it was."

Barbara KoppleBy Alison Sloane Gaylin
October 15, 2004 -- Barbara Kopple, who directs commercials via bicoastal nonfiction spots, spent a lot of time laughing while helming a humor-driven Sprint campaign out of Publicis & Hal Riney, San Francisco. The ads feature school kids whose activities are timed—and billed—like cell phone minutes, and their performances delighted her. Kopple, a noted documentary filmmaker who won Oscars for Harlan County, USA (1976) and American Dream ('91), loved working on the Sprint project's first round of ads, "Red Ball," "Soccer," "New Kid" and "Macaroni Minutes."

SuccessOctober 15, 2004 -- Aselton's most recent project is a European spot, "Naked," for Brylcreem, shot in Prague for WCRS, London. "It was basically about sixty naked Czech guys walking around the streets of Prague," he says. "The Brits love bums. It's an image spot that's going to run on European television and theaters."

Anatomy Of A Spec SpotBy Kristin Wilcha
October 15, 2004 -- On a recent Saturday morning, as the pounding rains left over from Hurricane Ivan beat down on the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y., a DP looked out the front door of his brownstone, wondering how a series of exterior lights could be rigged in the downpour. A decision was made to delay the set-up until the rains let up, pushing back the start of the shoot for three Bacardi ads.

Fredrik BondBy Art Smith
October 15, 2004 -- Swedish-born director Fredrik Bond, who's repped by bicoastal/international Morton Jankel Zander (MJZ), has accumulated numerous awards throughout the course of his successful career, including honors from the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), Pencils from The One Show, Lions at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, and Clio Awards. And, his efforts on a Miller Lite campaign for Young & Rubicam, Chicago, led to an Emmy nomination.

Philippe AndreBy Art Smith
October 15, 2004 -- I am very much enjoying the work I've been doing," says Philippe Andre, a French director represented stateside via bicoastal Villains. "I've been lucky enough to find innovative scripts infused with emotion, and those are exactly the kinds of projects that bring out my passion."

The CronenwethsBy Fred Cisterna
October 15, 2004 -- For us, the challenge is always to integrate product into the humanity of the story," says Tim Cronenweth, who along with his brother Jeff Cronenweth are the directing team known as The Cronenweths. Jeff also DPs spots directed by the two, who are represented by Untitled, Santa Monica. "Oftentimes, when it's cars, there are no people, but we find ways to humanize the cars and make them the characters," Tim adds.