A mother’s personal narrative and a ribbon have become the focal points and inspiration for people to donate in support of children and families served by Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC). With the ambitious goal of raising $1 million by December 31, 2012, the Charity has launched a campaign employing innovative multimedia strategies to unite people around its cause, help them understand the impact its family-centered programs have on improving the health and wellbeing of children and compel them to donate. The campaign’s cross-media elements from DDB Chicago have debuted across America this month, including a :60 animated spot the agency created in partnership with award-winning design and digital production company Thornberg & Forester (T&F).nnUsing a poignant and thoughtful animated approach, the campaign spot conveys the difficult story of a terrible car accident that changed one family’s world forever. Compelled onward through the narrative by a moving red ribbon that represents RMHC, the hard-hitting spot invites donors and supporters to "Give the Gift of Togetherness" to help the Charity keep families together when their lives fall apart. The red ribbon also appears in all campaign elements including on the Charity’s website at www.rmhc.org, encouraging visitors to learn more about its mission, meet some of the families supported by RMHC and understand the significant impact their contribution has on children’s health and wellbeing. "The thought behind the campaign is a simple one — that when you least expect it, your world can very quickly unravel," said Alex Braxton, creative director at DDB Chicago. "And that’s when RMHC so often comes to the aid of families across the country."nn
nClick here to view spot online.nnFor T&F, the project was led by co-founder, principal and director Scott Matz. His team included art director/designer Kyle Miller, designers Kyle Hurley and Frank Pichel and animators Jorge Peschiera, Joe Lawrence, Mike Burgoyne and Ken Krueger. nn"Our friends at DDB Chicago conceived a very thoughtful campaign to elegantly connect images and textures that manifest in sync with the audio story," Matz began. "The ribbon ultimately wraps a special gift, initiating a call-to-action to support Ronald McDonald House Charities by inviting donations… and to get there, we follow Erin Maley’s powerful testimonial.nn"To support the fluid nature of Erin’s story, we designed smart, simple graphics (some metaphorical) and fluid transitions," he continued. "We distilled and refined our storyboards until the graphic language and tone were perfect. We also did a great deal of ‘ribbon R&D’ to compare 2D versus 3D solutions, textures, other physical properties and motion dynamics. Ultimately, our goal was to tell the story in a seamless and clever way, as if the graphics were filmed in-camera as one, continuous journey."nnUpon approval of the final storyboards, T&F animator and compositor Jorge Peschiera took on the role of lead animator, dividing 2D and 3D responsibilities between two teams and artfully uniting the end results. Among many important technical approaches that impacted the final results, T&F artists working in Maxon Cinema 4D exported their 3D cameras into Adobe After Effects.nnAs the deadline for the spot’s delivery and debut arrived, T&F’s team in New York City faced a considerable challenge: Hurricane Sandy. Despite having no power in NYC, Peschiera and T&F producer Kelsey Thomson put in a great deal of extra effort and pulled out all the stops to keep in contact with DDB and deliver the custom :30 version, right on time. nnFor DDB Chicago, along with Braxton, project credits also include executive VP and chief creative officer Ewan Patterson, creative director Alistair Robertson, VP/creative director Nancy Jordon, ACD/art director Pete Pona, copywriter Jeremy Simmons, EVP/director of integrated production Diane Jackson, EP Liat Ebershol, producer Patty Phassos and digital account executive Ashley Bobbit.nnT&F’s credits also include executive producer Elizabeth Kiehner and head of production Javier Gonzalez. For more information on this project, please visit www.thornbergandforester.com.nnAbout Thornberg & ForesternThornberg & Forester (T&F) is an award-winning design and digital production company that exists to bring quality, integrity and innovation to the media landscape. Our team does this by crafting stories and conveying brand messages through the most relevant mediums possible. We challenge ourselves to leverage both creativity and technology, and above all we genuinely listen to the needs of our client partners and respond with the best solutions for you. With conceptual design as our backbone, our headquarters in Manhattan and an outpost in Hollywood, we offer a complete turnkey solution for brilliant end-to-end production through delivery. Many of our clients worldwide refer to us as their secret weapon and it’s time we let you in on the secret: www.thornbergandforester.com. nnAbout Ronald McDonald House CharitiesnRonald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC), a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Through its global network of local Chapters in 57 countries and regions, its three core programs, the Ronald McDonald House®, Ronald McDonald Family Room(R) and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®, and millions of dollars in grants to support children’s programs worldwide, RMHC provides stability and resources to families so they can get and keep their children healthy and happy. All RMHC-operated and supported programs provide a bridge to quality health care and give children and families the time they need together to heal faster and cope better. For more information, visit www.rmhc.org, follow us on Twitter (@RMHC), or like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RMHCGlobal).Roger Darnell DWA for Thornberg & Forester Phone: 1.828.264.8898 Contact Roger via email
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But here’s the thing: This doesn’t mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. It’s where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, we’re on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustain a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketers’ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More