Clemenger BBDO, Wellington and Finch takes out Commercial Best of Show at 2014 Mobius Awards

Hot off the heels of this month’s release of Clemenger BBDO and Finch’s collaboration with NZTA on “Numbers” the highly successful previous campaign “Mistakes” has won Best In Show at the Mobius Awards. The spot was helmed by the highly awarded Finch director Derin Seale.

Says executive producer at Finch and Producer of “Mistakes” Karen Bryson: “Clemenger BBDO, Wellington and the NZTA have a history of making great work together. They approached Derin because of his background directing stunning VFX driven work. To make the ‘pause’ unique and authentic. But as Clemenger, BBDO ECD Duster has said, it is the human emotion and performance that has made the spot so effective and wildly popular. For a TVC out of NZTA to go over 10 million hits on YouTube is unprecedented.

“The success is all down to this great community of collaboration and Derin’s dedication to film craft. He’s great with actors, he grew up on film sets. Literally. So he has a different way of working with talent than a lot of commercial directors. But because he’s worked all over the world on TVC’s he’s able to bring the agency and client along on that journey in a collaborative and strong way. He’s very regimented and careful with post but gives the actors the space they need to work and is able to bring them through a range of performance in a way I haven’t seen before.

“People still gasp at award shows when it is screened. It was made to be seen in cinema, and you always hear a big audience reaction. No one questions the reality of stopping time, or the effects that make it clear that’s what’s happened. I think the world we built is a fantasy, but the feelings, tone and characters are all real. It’s powerful because it moves people through emotion.”

In regards to the new campaign ‘Numbers’, also directed by Seale (above), Bryson says it was great to be asked to come back on this one: “The post production is also a blend of in-camera and VFX, but again, the emotion comes from the actor. The time we spend on the woman’s face at the end takes people through a whole range of different emotions. I think technique works best when the post and effects don’t get in the way of emotion, but take it further.”