Samir Mallal of Smuggler directed this spot, which is the first in Dell’s “Future Ready” campaign out of Y&R New York and VML NY.
Titled “Beat Again,” the ad tells a touching story, set in the not-too-distant future, of how technology–from networking to cloud storage to predictive analytics software–can lead to the perfect organ donor match for a young girl with a heart defect.
Client Dell Agency Y&R New York Jim Othmer, global creative director; Yuni Son, art director; Tom Jackson, copywriter; Bobby Jacques, sr. content producer. VML New York Hunter Eshelman, creative director. Production Smuggler Samir Mallal, director; Chris Soos, DP; Drew Santasiero, exec producer; John Benet, producer. VFX Framestore Derek Macleod-Veilleux, exec producer; Raul Ortego, creative director/VFX supervisor; Nate Diehl, 3D supervisor; Akira Thompson, Zack Lyndon, Mark Lopez, design; Hieu Phan, Thomas Smith, Ricky Weissman, Denis Kozyres, 2D; Russell Miller, James Dick, Kwan An, Patrick Ross, Tucker Prisco, Seth Gollub, 3D. Editorial Cutters NY Steve Bell, editor; Elizabeth Krajewski, exec producer; Julia Pepe, producer; Casey Swoyer, assistant editor. Post Company 3 Tom Poole, colorist. Audio Sound Lounge Tom Jucarone, mixer.
After losing part of his right leg due to cancer, Terry Fox campaigned to raise national awareness and funding for cancer research by running his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada 42-km daily run, on his prosthetic leg. Fox, who died in 1981, is a national hero. His image will be on Canada’s new $5 bill.
In this two-minute video titled “Finish It,” the Marathon of Hope is recreated. It’s all done in one take, and it features an actor/marathon runner who uses a prosthesis on the same leg as Fox. CGI was deployed to make him look more like Fox. To further ensure the actor represented Fox accurately, not only did the actor and team watch and study many videos of Terry, but Terry’s brothers, Fred and Darrel, coached the actor on Terry’s running style and mannerisms. They also created a copy of Terry’s prosthesis for the actor to use for the shoot.
The message is clear. As the Marathon of Hope now marks its 45th anniversary, we now have the opportunity to “Finish It” for Fox, raising money and awareness to get a cure for cancer over the finish line, completing the work that Fox started. The public service film starts with Fox on the marathon run, eventually joined by a crowd of other dedicated runners from all walks of life who take over the race.
Mark Zibert directed via production company Scouts Honour for Toronto agency Diamond. The video features a never-before-heard version of the song “Courage” from Canadian band The Tragically Hip.
“We wanted to create a campaign that captures the magnitude of Terry Fox’s legacy while driving meaningful action,” said Peter Ignazi, chief creative officer at Diamond. “By revisiting the Marathon of Hope with such care and reverence, we aimed to reignite Terry’s mission and... Read More
