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Best in Craft awarded to Carbon Films, They and Sinister Studios

This month’s IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards were judged by the legendary Suhana Gordhan, ECD at Duke and Director Greg Rom from Gentlemen Films. Congratulations to Carbon Films, They and Sinister Studios – this month’s epic 3 company win and a ménage à trois of craft excellence!

‘What are the IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards?’ Every month we team up with ad industry leaders to award the finest in South African film and production craft across these different categories: Direction, Editing, Cinematography, Animation and SFX, Online, Original Sound, Sound Design and Final Mix. It’s just another way that we make it ridiculously easy to stay up-to-date with who’s doing the best work in the country.

BEST IN CRAFT (Direction)
KFC Box Meals Campaign ‘Run, Strike, Late’
Carbon Films | Bruno Bossi

Awarded by Suhana Gordhan, ECD at Duke

‘The KFC Box Meals campaign is the kind of joy that demands repeat watching. The director could have overindulged here, milking performances and ‘hamming it up’. I like that restraint was applied and that the actors’ performances gave you just enough to want more. The food enjoyment is not hidden away and beautifully instigates the responses of the people caught in slow motion. Every choice was well considered – from art direction, to wardrobe, to music – resulting in the kind of effortless reward you want when watching a commercial.’
– IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Suhana Gordhan, ECD at Duke.

BEST IN CRAFT (DIRECTION)
Momentum ‘Giant’
They | Alan Irvin

Awarded by Greg Rom, Director at Gentlemen Films

BEST IN CRAFT & CRAFT MENTION (VFX)
Momentum ‘Giant’
Sinister Studio | Christian Van Der Walt & Novak Miler

Best in Craft: Awarded by Greg Rom, Director at Gentlemen Films
Special Mention: Awarded by Suhana Gordhan, ECD at DUKE

CRAFT MENTION (VFX) Judge’s comment: ‘I appreciate the mathematical brain bending that took place in this commercial to achieve the right scale of the Gentle Giant. It’s clear that some serious craft and attention to minute detail went into this piece, ensuring that it was as authentic and yet, as magical as possible.’
– IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Suhana Gordhan, ECD at Duke

BEST IN CRAFT (DIRECTION) Judge’s comment: ‘What I really liked about Alan’s treatment of this story was the level of intrigue he was able to create by holding back on information. That opening shot hooked me and with a wonderfully balanced use of considered visual storytelling and soaring soundtrack he kept me intrigued right until the pay off line. From the cinematography to the smart visual effects, it’s the type of direction that employs many elements to bring the storytelling to the fore. He did an excellent job of focusing on the character’s journey and by so doing, took me on an emotive one.
– IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Greg Rom, Director at Gentlemen Films

BEST IN CRAFT (VFX) Judge’s comment: ‘I felt it would be impossible to separate the direction from the visual effects on this job because they are inexorably linked. For that reason I have chosen Sinister Studios as a joint Craft Best. Sinister was able to seamlessly tie together the tricky challenges that come with scale-sized sets, motion control rigs and large actors. Impressive stuff!’
– IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Greg Rom, Director at Gentlemen Films

CRAFT MENTION (Direction)
Lelive ‘Dear Africa’
Sketchbook Studios | Talya Galasko

Awarded by Suhana Gordhan, ECD at Duke

‘Everything about this work says, “Love your skin”. It is sensual, visceral and a sheer celebration of the beauty of all types of skin. I like that this felt so fresh – like art, and that even the lighting, sound design and wardrobe choices contributed to a wholly sensorial experience.’
– IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Suhana Gordhan, ECD at Duke

CRAFT MENTION (VFX)
Pringles ‘Space Return’
Chocolate Tribe | Rob van den Bragt, Tiaan Franken

Awarded by Greg Rom, Director at Gentlemen Films

‘I always find it exciting watching a VFX spot. It’s sort of like an easter egg hunt in that I try and find the obvious visual effects work that’s been done. I was hugely disappointed when watching this spot because I couldn’t find anything, so I assumed they must have actually landed a spacecraft in the ocean and shot the piece as a documentary. In my experience, the better the effects work, the less you notice it and Chocolate Tribe totally crushed this one. Amazing work.’

– IDIDTHAT Guest Judge: Greg Rom, Director at Gentlemen Films

IDIDTHAT GUEST JUDGES:

Suhana Gordhan, ECD at Duke. Prior to joining Duke, Suhana spent 5 memorable years as the Creative Director at FCB Johannesburg. Gordhan is a Hindu, who learned very quickly that there are no sacred cows in advertising. Some of her accolades include a Black Eagle, multiple awards at the Loeries, Creative Circle Ad of the Year, Pendorings and The Bookmarks, 7 Cannes Lions, a graphite D&AD pencil and 2 Merit awards, and Best of Show in radio at The One Show Awards. She was baptized as a Cannes Juror in 2016 and has served on several of the most prestigious judging panels in the world. She is the former Chairperson of The Loerie Awards and also runs an initiative called Open Chair with Co-Founder, Simoné Bosman; an initiative that creates the space for young women in advertising to have face time with senior female leadership.

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Greg Rom, Director at Gentlemen Films: A talented storyteller, Greg’s forte lies in creating bold, unpredictable narratives across various genres. His award-winning commercial work spans from comedy to strong, dramatic visual executions and his short films have travelled to illustrious festivals across the world.