2021's most viewed...

2021 wasn't the easiest year for commercial production, but with close to 2000 films making their way to the coveted Work section of shots, we can't help but feel that the industry made the absolute best out of it.

With everything that's gone on, we can't expect you all to have seen everything so, using the magic of data, we've analysed all of the views through our Work and Craft posts, plus our monthly Showcases, to bring you a list of the clips you couldn't stop clicking on this year.

Here are the Top Ten Most Viewed films on the shots site in 2021:

10. Swyft's supersized sofas

Beautiful Living was created by 20something London and directed by Jara Moravec through Kode London, and tries to fill a "tonal and stylistic hole" that positions Swyft as "the icon of the living room". The 30-second spot is a stylish, fast-paced film featuring glitter, bouncy balls, dogs, parties and kids... all part of one woman's frenetic lifestyle. There's also some specially made over-sized furniture thrown into the mix, too.

See what we said about the spot here.

9. Big Game baby

Throwing its arms open to tots worldwide is Huggies show-stopping brand anthem spot Welcome to the World, Baby, a non-stop, whipsmart introduction to the charmed life of tiny-ones in which the joys of youth are exuberantly listed.

Assuredly directed, as always, by SMUGGLER's Mark Molloy and with a sublime edit from Work Editorial's Stewart Reeves and Trish Fuller, the real stars of the show are the little pickles themselves, displaying a remarkable range of expressive emotions for ones so young. 

See what we said about the spot here.

8. Life's a beach

Uncommon London's two-minute spot, called Someday, features a collection of joyous holidaymakers running in slow-motion along a golden, sandy beach, overlaid with the distinctive gravely tones of former Stooges frontman, Iggy Pop. 

The film was shot through Pulse Films by Sam Walker, who is also the ECD at Uncommon, with the uplifting, dreamlike music which accompanies the film created by Wave Studios. 

See what we said about the spot here.

7. Flying low

The end of last year saw Riff Raff directing collective Megaforce join forces with iconic fashion label Burberry for a brilliantly crafted, beautifully performed and award-gobbling film that saw Burberry-clad dancers navigate falling blocks of ice on the streets of east London.

This year, Burberry and Megaforce were back with a new campaign that once again puts amazing movement and physics-defying dancers at its heart. Called Open Spaces, the two-minute film is a journey through the freedom of imagination. "When we dare to dream," says the press release, "the possibilities are infinite – we discover new realities, we break boundaries and we find the freedom to go beyond limitations."

See what we said about the spot here.

6. Telekom toddling

Capturing your kid's First Steps on film is the holy grail of parenting 'precious moments'. However, the little tykes do like to keep you on your toes as to when they'll be on theirs; a feeling perfectly captured in Saatchi & Saatchi Slovakia's super-fun new commercial for Telekom.

Featuring a toddling lad as he makes those early movements, the spot sees his madcap parents ruin a room in a desperate hunt for a phone to catch it on. With some lovely design choices, delightful performances and a brilliantly timed punchline, this cracker of a spot from Protos Productions director Robert Hloz puts its best foot forward.

See what we said about the spot here.

5. Superhuman situations

With 2012's Meet The Superhumans and 2016's We're The Superhumans, 4Creative not only created a cracking pair of ads, but changed the narrative of how Paralympians were viewed by sports fans; branding the Olympics a mere warm-up to the main event.

Maintaining the high quality, only this time focussing more on the 'human', was this year's Super. Human.; a powerful montage of athletes that combines wit, willpower and wince-inducing imagery. Kicking off with a neon-fulled fever-dream from parasport athlete Kadeena Cox, the film goes on to showcase the self-afflicted regimes of Ali Jawad, David Smith, Ellie Simmonds, Jody Cundy, newly crowned Wimbledon Ladies Wheelchair Doubles Champion Jordanne Whiley, Kadeena Cox and Kylie Grimes, shot with brutal intensity by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young through Serial Pictures x Somesuch.

See what we said about the spot here.

4. T-U-R-T-L-E power

We've seen a chilled out, skateboarding dog, now it's the turn of a fun-loving rollerblading turtle. 

This new campaign for Avanti West Coast trains, from adam&eveDDB London, is the tale of a turtle and its joyous journey as it rollerblades through the streets of London, avoiding the tedium of traffic jams and roadworks and effortlessly escaping to the countryside.

Directed by Tom Kuntz through MJZ London and with VFX from Untold Studios, the spot highlights the ease of rail travel and aims to remind people that travel is about so much more than the destination. 

See what we said about the spot here.

3. One hell of a journey

Asking people to look at refugees from a new perspective is an ongoing challenge for movements associated with the issue, but, for UNHCR's new film showcasing the bravery of Refugee Olympic and Paralympic Team athletes, the angle of intent isn't the only thing that's been altered.

Framed entirely from a knee-down, foot-facing POV, The Journey tells the dramatised story of a female refugee who flees her home to escape conflict and persecution, running all the way to athletic excellence. Working with directing collective Pantera at Anonymous Content, agency Don’t Panic ensured that authenticity and credibility were paramount to the film - attempting as accurate a portrayal of a refugee’s journey as possible by grounding it in real-life stories.

See what we said about the spot here.

2. Surreal sweat

With the tagline, “turn a headwind into a tailwind,” But I Saw You is a wonderfully emotional ad for a Japanese sports drink.

Starring the up-and-coming actress, Nakajima Sena, the ad starts with the young girl walking down a school hallway. Everything seems normal...until she turns around. She pushes through the crowd, and around her, the hallway transforms. The floors become wavy, the walls twist and turn, and papers fly out of empty classrooms. She bursts through a wisteria-strewn lane onto a stage where she and a fellow classmate lock eyes and hands, swinging above the ground. 

See what we said about the spot here.

1. Meena Ayittey's musings on micro-aggressions