Hasta La Ideas

A trip down Sony’s memory lane and the life of an Anchor butter kitchen are among adland’s offerings this week.

McCann London created the commercial for the new Sony Xperia Z model, launched at the Mobile World Congress this week. Directed by Tarsem Singh, the ad revisits iconic Sony products through ages, such as the Sony Walkman or handycam. And in nifty timing, considering the ubiquity of all things David Bowie at the moment, the work is set to Bowie’s ‘Sound and Vision’, remixed by Sonjay Prabhakar.

Agency Dare Vancouver has produced an eye-catching duo of ads for the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, which is asking for donations to create more space. The specially designed set provides a nice surprise factor through clever play with perspective, translating the hospital’s need for space in a visual pay-off – and with a touch of ‘Being John Malkovich’ about it.

BC Children’s Hospital Foundation – ‘Hospital Ward’ from thisisdare on Vimeo.

Meanwhile, director Tom Tagholm (through production company Blink) – the director behind last year’s ‘Meet the Superhumans’ for Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage – has teamed up again with visual effects company MPC to produce CHI & Partners’ new spot for Anchor. The commercial is shot from the vantage point of a kitchen table, taking in the centre of the home as it lives through the decades in one sweeping pan. The main challenges during and post production were matching the footage representing different decades to the corresponding era, as well as the changing backgrounds and final grading, according to the team.

And if you ever wondered what it would be like to play paintball in a brand new Audi, look no further. Created by Rubber Republic, this clip for Audi shows two RS 4 Avants with bonnet mounted paintball guns taking over a military aircraft hangar and go head to head in the ultimate paintball duel. Do try this at home.

CR in print
The March issue of CR magazine celebrates 150 years of the London Underground. In it we introduce a new book by Mark Ovenden, which is the first study of all aspects of the tube’s design evolution; we ask Harry Beck authority, Ken Garland, what he makes of a new tube map concept by Mark Noad; we investigate the enduring appeal of Edward Johnston’s eponymous typeface; Michael Evamy reports on the design story of world-famous roundel; we look at the London Transport Museum’s new exhibition of 150 key posters from its archive; we explore the rich history of platform art, and also the Underground’s communications and advertising, past and present. Plus, we talk to London Transport Museum’s head of trading about TfL’s approach to brand licensing and merchandising. In Crit, Rick Poynor reviews Branding Terror, a book about terrorist logos, while Paul Belford looks at how a 1980 ad managed to do away with everything bar a product demo. Finally, Daniel Benneworth-Grey reflects on the merits on working home alone. Buy your copy here.

Please note, CR now has a limited presence on the newsstand at WH Smith high street stores (although it can still be found in WH Smith travel branches at train stations and airports). If you cannot find a copy of CR in your town, your WH Smith store or a local independent newsagent can order it for you. You can search for your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, call us on 020 7970 4878, or buy a copy direct from us. Based outside the UK? Simply call +44(0)207 970 4878 to find your nearest stockist. Better yet, subscribe to CR for a year here and save yourself almost 30% on the printed magazine.

CR for the iPad
Read in-depth features and analysis plus exclusive iPad-only content in the Creative Review iPad App. Longer, more in-depth features than we run on the blog, portfolios of great, full-screen images and hi-res video. If the blog is about news, comment and debate, the iPad is about inspiration, viewing and reading. As well as providing exclusive, iPad-only content, the app will also update with new content throughout each month.