First Pencil’s latest car commercial for Omoda blasts into the future

Back with another car ad and hot off the heels of their campaign for Standard Bank, there is no denying First Pencil is having a moment! The team’s latest commercial for Omoda and agency Clockwork Media, directed by Justine Calverley and EP’d by Lebo Mabuela, is a prime example of their ability to merge their technical chops with some laser-infused cinematic storytelling. The ad has beams cutting through the scenes like something straight out of a sci-fi movie (with an added nod to Back to the Future) and the impressive in-camera work leaves you wondering what’s real and what’s not.

2024-09-02T13:47:12+02:00September 2nd, 2024|Categories: Editorial, FirstPencil Editorial|Tags: , , , |

IDIDTHAT Craft Awards April 2024

This month’s IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards were judged by our forever reigning queens Juliet Honey, Creative Director at TBWA Hunt Lascaris and Justine Puren-Calverley, Director at FirstPencil. We bow in awe because wow, this was a particularly tough month with some really strong work! Chicken Licken takes it! Congratulations to the team behind the spot Dave ‘Legs of Thunder’ Mgijimi.

First Pencil’s Justine Calverley crafts heartwarming journey home for Promise Agency and Capitec Bank

Justine Calverley and the team at First Pencil, led by Executive Producer Lebo Mabuela, are quickly cementing a reputation as home runners in the world of emotive storytelling. Their new spot for Promise Agency and Capitec Bank is a heartwarming story with moving performances, something we have come to expect from the team. The pace is stand-out in this commercial that deals with themes of family, love and sacrifice.

2023-11-07T13:01:45+02:00November 7th, 2023|Categories: Editorial, FirstPencil Editorial|Tags: , |

Justine Calverley’s latest car ad is a cinematic fantasy ride on Mars for Toyota

Justine Calverley’s spot for Toyota and FCB Joburg is a big-scale cinematic car ad that seamlessly blends visually stunning locations with VFX. The adventurous spot landed Justine 3rd position in AdForum’s Top 5 Best Directors Worldwide for March and we can see why. We spoke to the First Pencil filmmaker about her approach to the work.

2023-03-23T15:12:57+02:00March 23rd, 2023|Categories: Editorial, FirstPencil Editorial|Tags: , |

She Did That at Loeries 2022 – Directors

The 2022 Loeries Official Rankings were released last week and although we don't think awards and accolades mean everything (they're pretty cool though), they definitely get our attention when they reflect the high level of work being created by some of the talented women and non-binary people in our industry right now. Below we have showcased five of the top-ranked film directors in the country according to the Loeries. Congratulations and here's to seeing a lot more representation in 2023 💪🏾

IDIDTHAT Presents ‘She Did That’ April 2022

SHE DID THAT is a female filmmakers showcase that shines a spotlight on the women in the South African production industry. Although we will only be featuring women and non-binary people, the goal is that it will encourage the inclusion of more underrepresented filmmakers across all production work created by South Africans. This month features Ayanda Duma from Robot, Justine Calverley from First Pencil, and Nicole Maria Ackermann from Romance Films.