Grant’s comment: ‘Entertainment! Entertainment! Entertainment! I got as excited to see this on the judging sheet as I did the first time I saw this piece online. Costume design on a hunnid (as the kids say. Do the kids still say that?), out-of-this-world VFX, insane casting. Again, I’ll watch it every time I cross paths with it.’

Grant’s comment: ‘The energy of this piece is great. Had a bit of a “Smack my B*tch Up” music video feel. For a renewal on the brand it’s super important to get the energy right. The editing on this certainly delivers that. I love the timings and clever breaks in the pacing. The commercial also has multiple layers of VFX which the Editor had to also visualise and integrate into the offline which I’m sure took some imagination.’

Rob’s comment: ‘To further highlight my absolute appreciation for KFC’s “Anything for the Taste”. It is hard to not also give Ricky Boyd from Deliverance the Craft Mention for the amazing work he did on Romance Films’ KFC masterpiece. As mentioned above, the timing and interplay between visuals, music and split screen and pacing are sublime. Hats off to you, Ricky.’

Kim’s comment: ‘Again, the nod goes to Kobus Loots for Chicken Licken “Feel The Fire”. Perfect comedic timing and strong sound design brings this piece together seamlessly.’

Dani’s comment: “Chicken Licken scripts are amongst some of those all of us directors salivate over. So, it is always lovely to see someone make the most of every frame. The choice of cast, the captivating details tucked away in each vignette, the deliberately cinematic quality to the storytelling, the deliciously contrasted grade and the overall joy that shot out of our screens when we needed it most gives it that standout quality that had me looking twice. Well done to everyone involved.”

Bridget’s comment: “And humour wins again! This one deserves a special mention for its all-round craft.  The art direction and framing made it stand out on a reel of serially underlit, moody commercials.  It’s an overdue visual feast, beautifully paced and edited to ensure each little punchline finds just the right beat. Quality all-round!”

Judges Comment:
Steph: I am well acquainted with the horrors of building a narrative from found footage, and just for that, this piece deserves a special mention. The narrative arc hits all the notes, whilst the cut builds to its climatic end.
Moses: It left me feeling that maybe sometimes humans don’t suck. It was a fleeting feeling, but a feeling nonetheless.

Judges Comment: “I love how this story was brought to life. Fortunately for Anthony, he had a lot of beautiful elements to work with – from brilliant directing, a stellar performance, incredible art direction and insane cinematography. So, the pressure was on for him to bring it on. The technique was subtle, but it drove the tension in the story, which held me captive. Every cut, long and short, challenged my expectations and the FBI agent in me. I followed the story closely, looking for clues – this case had to be cracked mos. We are made to lean in even closer until the story is brought to a dramatic end by a montage of quick cuts that close the case exceptionally.”

Judges Comment: “It’s hard enough to keep us attentive for 30 seconds. Well, the editor here was tasked with the enormous task of doing it on a 15-minute ad. Kobus managed to tell three simultaneous narratives yet keeping each lead central to the film. There are easier ways of telling this story, but they wouldn’t have had the cumulative effect of narrating three. So big ups to the team!”

Judges Comment: “It is a beautiful execution of a complex category. All areas of storytelling beautiful executed without saying a word.”

Judges Comment: “Special Mention goes to Coronation for the craft in telling a story that unfolds over time. Always hard to get right. ”

Judges Comment: “In terms of craft, one piece stood head and shoulders above the rest. The ‘No Excuse’ spot for Carling Black Label is flawlessly executed across every craft category. Kim Geldenhuys’ direction is considered but not laboured, Gordon Midgely has stitched together the edit to create a really compelling narrative and the music, supervised by Marc Algranti is amazeballs. Yes, I said amazeballs.  It’s also worth mentioning that the audio mix is very well handled. It’s no small thing to balance live sound, dialogue and a vocal music track. This piece really demonstrates how interconnected film craft is and why it’s so important to get every aspect right. ”

Judges Comment: “Also an FCB ad, but I am the only judge, so have to do right by Tristan, who rightfully deserves a Direction mention for some charming performances and Ricky of Deliverance for assembling an engaging story. ”

Judges Comment: “I love the simplicity of this well-handled spot, ‘Scouts’, from Gregg Bailey and the Velocity team. A small budget, a neat idea and all round quality craft makes it very, very engaging indeed. Of course, the crucial moment here is the tricky reveal, which is edited very elegantly and feels completely natural. Good job Anthony Lee Martin from Deliverance. Look out for the particularly minimal use of audio that heightens the feeling of urgency and helplessness – really effective. This spot deserves a special mention, and that has nothing to do with Ashton Kutcher’s tweet. (2.7 million views and climbing)”

Judges Comment: “The Nedbank direction work by Greg Grey is astonishingly beautiful and on a number of occasions I found myself wondering how he’d managed to create and capture such incredible moments on film, working with what must have been a number of different animals and trainers. I was genuinely pulled in for most of the way through. Ricky Boyd’s edit was also stand out; feeling seamless and invisible, which is what helps to keep you locked into the storytelling and to the characters. If I had to point out any faults, I’d say it fell down a little on length, the bridge back to the brand and on the fact that the lead actor is a little too overused, which always impacts negatively on the suspension of disbelief. That latter said, this is a very strong and very well crafted piece from just about every perspective.”