Commercials 30


dented the confidence of clients, causing a palpable aversion to more adventurous creative work,” comments HSI. The year’s been tough due to “risk averse clients” says Bare Films in a typical response. And that aversion to risk is evident in the demands coming from agencies and clients before the job has even been awarded. “The expensive endless pitch process is never ending with a lot of agency initiatives which have come to nothing,” comments 2AM. “Pitching standards are exceptionally high,” agrees Picasso. “Seemingly clients would like to see finished commercials before they decide to make them!” And they’re taking longer to make that decision and leaving ever-shorter amounts of time to produce the finished article. There are “shorter lead times,” and it takes a “longer time to confirm a job,” reckons Gorgeous. And, even when a client does confirm it, the tightness of the budget means “procurement [departments are] producing ridiculous cost questionnaires without help from their inhouse TV department,” says Great Guns. The demand that production companies come up with new ways to cut costs can only go so far. “Shooting video with digital stills cameras doesn’t negate the need for quality crew that need to be paid commercials rates. We still need locations, art department, editors etc,” says Epoch. Many production companies are also noting that the middling budget ad is disappearing with only the blue chip and the very cheap now up for grabs. “It has been a case of feast or famine,” comments Independent. “Projects have either been well funded or, at the other end of the spectrum, not properly funded. The former have been highly 


3Partizan


Still at number three, Partizan’s voters note its “exciting, creative work in a challenging climate,” its “investment in new talent” and praise it for being a “very big, well run company.”


4blink


Blink moves up from fifth to fourth in the peer poll for being “consistent in the work it produces,” and for “signing new talent and moving forwards – always.”


5academy


Voters pick out Academy for its “huge range of disciplines and directors” and for producing work that’s “always high quality.”


=6 Knucklehead


Knucklehead makes it to equal sixth for its “consistent, quality work” and because “we bid against them the most, so they must be good.”


=6sonny london


Sonny London picks up plaudits for the “forward thinking vision of managing director Helen Kenny” and its “interesting & exciting talent.”


=8 outsider


“Always interesting” is the comment from one of Outsider’s voters as it edges up one place on the peer poll from last year’s placings.


=8 rsa


“Making an unlikely comeback” is how one of RSA’s admirers describe the company that shone with its Philips Flat TV films this year.


=8 smuggler


New to the peer poll, new to the Commercials 30 and relatively new to the UK, “they just nail it every time” say Smuggler’s fans.


Awards top 10


The ten most awarded commercials production companies


1rattling stick 2blink


3gorgeous


4knucklehead 5partizan


6mjz 7rogue 8mad cow films 9rsa 10passion pictures


Commissions top 10 The ten outfits with the highest number of commercials


1space city 2Hotspur and Argyle 3rsa 4blink


5another film co 6rogue


72am 8nexus


=9 outsider =9hungry man


November 10 I www.televisual.com 5 Peer poll top 10


We asked every commercials production company to name the rival outfits they most respected.


1rattling stick


Last year, Rattling Stick shared the peer poll top spot with Gorgeous. This year, it’s on its own with voters citing its “top quality work” and “great directors” and calling it an “uncontested heavyweight.”


2gorgeous


Just edged into second place after being placed first last year, Gorgeous’s fans pick out its “consistent focus on quality” and its “well crafted commercials.”


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