Best of Reel awarded to The Upstairs Ludus and Morgan Dingle from Your Girlfriend

Every month iDidTht.com teams up with an industry leader to award South Africa’s best in Film Craft. Thanks to the legend himself, Xolisa Dyeshana, for being our Guest Judge. If you don’t know who Xolisa is, well tbh, we don’t see the brightest future for you in advertising, but in short: Chairperson of the Creative Circle/Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Joe Public/Former Chairperson of The Loeries/named one of the Top 6 People To Watch In Advertising by Finweek/Seriously, Google guys!

BEST OF REEL:

BEST OF REEL: Toyota Aygo ‘Make your Mark’
Your Girlfriend | Morgan Dingle
(Direction Craft)

BEST OF REEL: Blaqboy Music ‘iWalk Ye Phara’
Upstairs Ludus
(Offline, Grade and Online Craft)

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

SPECIAL MENTION: Mahindra ‘The Wanderer’ (Directors Cut)
they | Alan Irvin
(Direction Craft)

SPECIAL MENTION: Siemens ‘FABRIC’
FirstPencil | Justine Puren-Calverley
(Direction Craft)

SPECIAL MENTION: Netflix ‘Boxer’
7 Films | SJ
(Direction Craft)

SPECIAL MENTION: Hansa ‘Escape’
Patriot Films | Anton Visser
(Direction Craft)

Judges comments by Xolisa Dyeshana, Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Joe Public

BEST OF REEL: Toyota Aygo ‘Make Your Mark’ by Morgan Dingle from Your Girlfriend – Direction Craft
My pick for this month’s Best Of Reel for Direction this month goes to Morgan Dingle and Your Girlfriend for this lighthearted and beautifully directed piece. I particularly enjoyed the believable performances, the shooting style and the concept of this work. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, just like the car its advertising, but it packs a punch and I think it will resonate strongly with its intended audience.

BEST OF REEL: Blaqboy Music ‘iWalk Ye Phara’ by The Upstairs Ludus – Offline, Grade and Online Craft
Congratulations to Ludus on a beautifully crafted music video for one of the most popular songs in Mzansi at the moment. The offline, grade and online on this piece are stunning because they have managed to straddle that fine line between too stylised and too raw, and they strike that balance beautifully.

SPECIAL MENTION: Mahindra ‘The Wanderer’ by Alan Irvin from they – Direction Craft
This is a charming piece, beautifully shot and quite different from the car advertising we’re used to, which is usually about a list of features with little to no attention paid to the story. So well done to they Films and Alan Irvin.

SPECIAL MENTION: Siemens ‘Fabric’ by Justine Puren-Calverley from FirstPencil – Direction Craft
This piece, whilst not being a traditional commercial is a beautiful idea and it’s beautifully shot. It’s very easy to switch off or for the mind to wander when looking at very technical type of visuals, but this one kept my attention till the end.

SPECIAL MENTION: Netflix ‘The Boxer’ by SJ from 7 Films – Direction Craft
A wonderful story beautifully told through the lens and capturing some genuine moments. I really enjoyed watching this and I was pleasantly surprised to see what they were actually advertising in the end.

SPECIAL MENTION: Hansa ‘Escape’ by Anton Visser from Patriot – Direction Craft
It seems this was the month of lighthearted work and Hansa really showed up with this piece. For a brand we haven’t seen in a while, I thoroughly enjoyed this and it made me appreciate and understand the new direction that Hansa is going in.

About Our Judge

iDidTht Craft Awards Guest Judge: Xolisa Dyeshana, Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Joe Public

Xolisa Dyeshana is Chief Creative Officer and partner at Joe Public. His passion lies in the world of creativity and it’s evident in the many accolades he’s received, both locally and internationally. Xolisa is the Chairperson of the Creative Circle – the highest decision-making body for advertising creativity in South Africa. He also served as Chairman of The Loerie Awards, South Africa’s premier advertising awards show. He has won numerous creative awards from Cannes Lions, D&AD’s and One Shows to Loeries. He opened the 20th annual Design Indaba Conference, along with Pepe Marais, in 2015. Xolisa has also been named one of the Top 6 People To Watch In Advertising by Finweek. He has judged many awards shows around the globe including The Cannes Lions Awards, The Bees Digital Awards, The John Caples Direct Awards and much more.

He is passionate about creating social change through advertising and he’s been part of many industry committees set up to help young people from underprivileged backgrounds gain access to the industry. Xolisa was one of the creative minds behind the creation of Brothers For Life, one of South Africa’s biggest and most successful behavioural change campaigns.