McDonald's "Bring Home The Game"by Stuart Douglas

Stuart's latest in the US gets in the mood for some Superbowl action.

Touchdown! Safety! D-Fence! Running Back! Can't say we know too much about American Football, other then the fact that the upcoming Superbowl next month will probably be the biggest sporting occasion in the US - if not the world - this year.

Stuart's new one shows us the social side of people getting together to watch the big game, and with the average NFL broadcast containing 6 times as much screen time dedicated to shots of players standing around as opposed to game action, it's the perfect occasion to get in some tasty treats.

ON Energy"Connected to Nature" by Borkur

A beautiful, intricate collage of the small things taken granted, courtesy of Borkur

Borkur's latest for the Icelandic natural energy company ON Energy shows us a detailed and precise side to Borkur's burgeoning talents on his continually developing showreel. In precise macro photographic detail, we see close-ups of record players and lamps, waffle makers and iPads, all connected by ON Energy's use of natural energy to power homes throughout Iceland.

The spot ends on a gorgeous wide of an Icelandic fjord with our home cozily lit in the foreground - again symbolising the connection to nature. It's an exquisite first film of 2014 from Borkur in what promises to be a fantastic year for the young director.

School of Swifty

International Man of Mystery™ Tareq certainly does get around - check out previous postings about his eventful FA Cup road trip he undertook for his Budweiser film and a selection of varied Instagrams from his jaunts around the world. 

There's no point trying to guess where he'll end up next. A random set of picture messages we received this week confirmed this fact. There were previous office murmurings that Tareq was stuck in the US, subject to the Polar Vortex goings-on. Some said he had made the trip over there specifically because of the extreme winter weather they were experiencing - Tareq being the man who counts going on Arctic expeditions as a holiday activity of choice. The truth, though, was more bizarre. 

He had found himself at the Taylor Swift Education Center. 

Why was he there? What even is it? An education centre center about Taylor or for Taylor? As in, are there classes about her? Why does it look as though it's situated in an airport?? The smile on his face in the picture above hides many truths we hope to learn when he returns, provided he hasn't signed up to a 4 year degree course on Taylor's smooth subtle pop/country music stylings and writing brutally honest yet catchy break-up songs. 

Let the Sunshine In

"#trippy"

Coca-Cola"Reasons To Believe" by Tareq

Tareq's newest spot give us all a little faith & hope in the new year.

As 2014 begins, "Reasons To Believe" injects a little positivity into our new year proceedings. The film sees singers in the New London Children's Choir singing their version of Florence + The Machine's 'You Got The Love', interspersed with instances of good deed doings from around the world, all with the goal of giving us reasons to believe in a better world.

Tareq captures the kids belting out the song with such joyful gusto that one can't help feel a little bit more cheerful, in a film that can find its roots in the classic "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" spot from 1971. This film forms part of a wider "Reasons To Believe" campaign by Coca-Cola, asking for people to share their own acts of good deeds via the #reasonstobelieve hashtag.

You can see more of Tareq's work over on his reel at the Nice Shirt website 

Some of our recent Christmas work went down exceedingly well with the magazine and its online readers in a poll to find the most-loved Christmas campaigns of the year.

Nice Shirt were the only production company to have two spots in the top ten, with Stuart the only director to have helmed two spots this year's top picks.

Waitrose "The Story of Giving Back" made the Top Ten, despite being not the main focus of Waitrose's Christmas campaign this year (for that, you can see Heston weave his magic here). 

It polled 0.97% of all votes - a relatively small number one might think, but when I tell you that Hungary's rate of inflation remained at a 40-year low of 0.9 percent for the second month running in December, I think we all know the significance of the number. 

Debenhams "Wishes Made Fabulous" came in at a very respectable number three. 

Not quite Christmas Number One on Top of The Pops, but when you're up against the behemoths of Sainsbury's and John Lewis (Westlife and Bob The Builder to continue the Xmas POTP connection), third sounds pretty good to us. 

Waitrose"The Story of Giving Chocolates with a Hidden Surprise"by Stuart Douglas

The last of three festive Waitrose spots directed by Stuart is the most magical; with culinary genius Heston Blumenthal turning wizard master confectioner.

"The Story of Giving Chocolates With A Hidden Surprise" centres on Heston's preparations for his enticing Chocolate Story Box in time for Christmas. It's not your average box of chocolates and Heston is not your average Milk Tray Man - in Stuart's captivating film we see him and his assistants conjuring up delights with mandarin, pistachio and gold leaf, all with lashings of dark chocolate.

Stuart expertly crafts a charming story showing the intricate preparation that goes into making each sweet treat. His beautiful composition and ability to make even a piece of twig look enticing are fully employed. The film combines the wildly imaginative delight of a Willy Wonka-estque story with a portrait of the celebrated gastronomer and his wondrous workings. Licking of lips will certainly ensue.