The Square Meter Dominates 2024 Awards Season

Created by agency HeimattTBWA, production company TPF-Tony Petersen Film GmbH and Revolver Films, in collaboration with our team Icon Films Romania, ‘The Square Meter’ campaign for German DIY retailer Hornbach scooped up The Grand Prix award in Film Craft at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Alongside this the project also won two Gold Lions for Achievement in Production and Direction and a Silver Lion in Cinematography.

The award win follows a successful award season for the project, directed by the incredibly talented Steve Rogers, having already swept up a number of accolades at Ciclope, The British Arrows, The One Show and Shots to name a few.

THE SELECTED 2024 AWARDS INCLUDE –

The British Arrows
*Gold: Cinematography

Clio Awards
*Gold: Production Design
*Bronze: Partnerships/Co-Creation
*Bronze: Art Direction
*Bronze: Cinematography
*Bronze: Direction
*Bronze: Music – Original

ADC Annual Awards
*Best of Motion: Film Craft
️*Gold: Craft in Motion / Film / Direction
️*Gold: Craft in Motion / Film / Cinematography
*Silver: Craft in Motion / Film / Use of Music/Sound

D&AD Awards
*Yellow Pencil: Production Design / Short Form / 2024
*Wood Pencil: Film / Cinema Commercials 31 – 120 Seconds
*Wood Pencil: Art Direction / Film
️*Wood Pencil: Spatial Design / Installations

One Show Awards
*Gold: Production Design
️ *Silver: Moving Image / Single
️ *Bronze: Craft / Art Direction

ADC Germany
*Grand Prix: Film & Ton
*Gold: Brand Building / Brand *Communication / Integrated
️*Gold: Brand Building / Brand *Communication / Film / TV & *Cinema
*Gold: Film / Live Action Film / Film For TV & Cinema
*Gold: Film / Live Action Film / Film Craft / Direction
*Gold: Film / Live Action Film / Film Craft / Set Production Design
*Silver: Audio / Music / New Composition for Advertising
*Silver: Audio / Audio Design & Music / Overall Audio Piece
*Silver: Film / Live Action Film / Film for Mobile/Online Media
*Silver: Film / Live Action Film / Film Craft / Camera
*Silver: Film / Live Action Film / Film Craft / Editing
*Silver: Film / Live Action Film / Film Craft / Casting
️*Bronze: Brand Building / Brand Communication / Film / Online Film
*Bronze: Activation / Advertising / Film / Online Film
*Bronze: Activation / Promotion / B2C Action
*Bronze: Copy / Storytelling / Film Script
*Bronze: Audio / Audio Craft / Audio Engineering
*Bronze: Film / Live Action Film / Film for Publishing

Cannes Lions
*Grand Prix: Film Craft / Production Design / Art Direction
*Gold: Film Craft / Direction
*Gold: Film Craft / Achievement in Production
*Silver: Film Craft / Cinematography

ADCE Awards
*Gold: Film & Audio / Craft Direction, Cinematography & Editing
*Silver: Film & Audio / TV / Cinema Commercials
 

Press: Hornbach’s ‘The Square Meter’ Is the “Creatively Chaotic” Awards Favourite

LBB speaks to TPF’s producer Florian von der Heydt and Icon Films Romania’s producers Ileana Anghel and Raul Cosma about crafting the practical-effects heavy spot that just keeps winning awards.

Not many ads can boast being awarded from 11 major awards shows while still being shortlisted for more. Yet Hornbach’s ‘The Square Meter’ is that juggernaut. It has already picked up trophies at the LIA, Clio, Cannes Lions, and the D&AD awards, to (really) name just a few. Directed by Steve Rogers, with production from TPF Berlin and Revolver in Sydney, and production service from Icon Films Romania (part of the Compass Rose group) the spot shines with realised ambition underpinned by craft of the highest quality. Commenting on the spot winning a Film Craft Lion this year, jury president Prasoon Pandey, ad filmmaker at Corcoise Films India, said: “It is not often that one gets to see all the cinematic arts come together so perfectly like synchronized swimming, to turn a DIY subject into a film with magical intrigue.”

Producer Florian von der Heydt says that the creative ideas grew bigger and evolved from the original brief once director Steve Rogers got involved. To realise the scale of the ambition, Florian turned to Icon Films Romania as he was aware of the company’s reputation for facilitating the “sometimes creatively chaotic nature of these collaborations” and because the team is “well-versed in the processes of large-scale international productions.”

The grand concept behind the spot is ‘Every square metre deserves to be the best in the world’ and this was translated quite literally in the production and the set design as it was decided at least one dimension of each room had to conform to that measurement – a significant challenge for the construction and departments. Pre-production lasted three and a half months while building the sets was a two week process, according to Icon Films Romania’s producer Ileana Anghel and Raul Cosma. The team at Icon is no stranger to complex and craft-rich productions, a subject we previously explored in our ‘craft renaissance’ series.

 

Read the full interview: https://www.lbbonline.com/news/hornbachs-the-square-meter-is-the-creatively-chaotic-awards-favourite

shots Awards EMEA 2024

Congratulations to the Carlsberg “Curious Beginnings” team on winning Gold at shots Awards EMEA 2024 in Use of Music (Licensed) category!

GOLD: USE OF MUSIC (LICENSED)

Production Company: Magna Studios
Director: Sam Pilling
Production Services: Icon Films Sofia

London International Awards 2024

Congratulations to our Entity Films Slovenia team and everyone involved! Their short film “Your Glasses” for Fielmann was awarded Bronze for Production & Post-Production / Cinematography at this year’s London International Awards!

BRONZE: PRODUCTION & POST-PRODUCTION / CINEMATOGRAPHY

Production Company: Anorak Film
Director: Joanna Nordahl
DOP: Erik Henriksson
Production Services: Entity Films Slovenia

Ciclope Festival Awards 2024

So thrilled “The Hero” spot for Coca-Cola was awarded Gold & Silver at this year’s Ciclope Festival. Huge congratulations to our team Stillking Prague and everyone else involved. This is so well deserved!

GOLD: POST-PRODUCTION / VFX
SILVER: ANIMATION / CGI

Production Company: Partizan, Landia
Director: Antoine Bardou-Jacquet
Production Services: Stillking Prague

Press: The Allure of Compass Rose’s Backlots

From Paris to New York to the Wild West, LBB speaks to Compass Rose’s Pavla Burgetova Callegari and James Hatcher about the group’s impressively varied backlots and why productions benefit from physical locations, even in the age of virtual production.
 
Hollywood isn’t the only place to find film backlots. Trying to land a combination of high-quality backlot sets, experienced crews, and favourable budgets seems impossible until the backlots in Compass Rose’s group are seen. From a Roman setting to the streets of Paris, a western saloon or a mediaeval castle, and the feel of London and New York can all be found among CR’s network of backlots, totalling 30 across the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Spain. TV hits like ‘Wednesday,’ filmed in Romania, and the second season of ‘Interview with the Vampire,’ filmed in the Czech Republic, have already made use of the backlots in these countries. Etsy and Coca Cola spots made use of the backlots in Romania and Bulgaria to stand in for France and the US, respectively.
 
 

Parisian Street in the Czech Republic

New York and/or London set in Bulgaria

Venice in Serbia

Western style set in Romania

Fort Bravo-style set in Almeria, Spain

Press: Chasing Spring in 24 Hours with Entity Films

LBB speaks to Jernej Krivic, MD at Entity Films, about how a location scout captured the spring season in Slovenia and its neighbours – Croatia and Italy – in just 24 hours.
 
 
While northern Europe is keenly awaiting the arrival of spring, over in the south the air is starting to lose its chill and the previously bare landscapes are taking on shades of green against expanding daylight. 
 
Slovenia, and the wider Adriatic region, still tends to fly under the radar when it comes to productions though it has played host to some of the biggest TV shows in recent years – Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time, and Citadel – alongside multiple prestige commercials. 
 
 
 
 
 

Press: Charlie Hey’s Love Letter to South Africa

Stillking Cape Town executive producer and managing director, Charlie Hey, chats to LBB’s Tará McKerr about life in South Africa and how the country’s cultural vibrancy has shaped his relationship with the production industry.

Charlie Hey has been swooning over the film industry for 25 years now. He started off in Cape Town, beginning as a production runner and then coordinator, followed by five years spent freelancing in London. Upon returning to Cape Town, he scaled the production ranks to where he is today, heading Stillking Cape Town office, part of the Compass Rose group. Charlie doesn’t describe himself as creative, but he absolutely is. His innovative approach to problem solving is one of the reasons he’s an industry veteran.

Charlie has shot all over South Africa. From barren desert and sand dunes to tropical jungle and pretty much everything in between – there are few people better suited to tell us what the country has to offer for producers. Whilst you might visit for the plummeting waterfalls with over 3,000ft drops, or escarpments wonderful enough to leave you stunned, Charlie reckons you might stay for something much closer to the ground. For him, it’s the people that make the place what it is.

In this interview, we delve into Charlie’s upbringing in apartheid South Africa, his unexpected entry into the production industry, and his deep affection for the country’s landscapes, culture and food. We find out about his memorable shoots and reflections on how production has evolved over time. He’ll even let you in on where to find an untouched paradise just over an hour from Cape Town and where to slurp some beer in South Africa’s oldest pub… 


Read the full interview: https://www.lbbonline.com/news/charlie-heys-love-letter-to-south-africa

The British Arrows 2024 Awards Winners

Huge congrats to our Icon Films Romania team and all the wonderful clients, cast and crew on winning Gold & Bronze Awards at The British Arrows 2024.

 

GOLD: CINEMATOGRAPHY
Hornbach “The Square Meter”
Production Company: TPF x Revolver
Director: Steve Rogers
Production Services: Icon Films Romania

BRONZE: PRODUCTION DESIGN
Amazon “Moving In”
Production Company: Somesuch
Director: Nick Gordon
Production Services: Icon Films Romania

Super Bowl 2024

So proud to share our Super Bowl 2024 spots by our incredible teams Stillking Films Prague and Icon Films Romania.

GE “Beautiful Law”
Production Company: Anonymous Content 
Director: Frederic Planchon 
DOP: Khalid Mohtaseb 
Production Services: Stillking Prague 

 

Etsy “Thank You, France”
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson
DOP: Nicolaj Bruel
Production Services: Icon Films Romania