CLIENT
American Red Cross.
PRODUCTION CO.
Believe Media, Los Angeles.
Nick Brandt, director, "Pay It Forward," "EKG" and "Hands"; Steve Beck, director, "Split Images"; Ross Richardson, DP; Gerard Cantor, Luke Thornton and Liz Silver, executive producers; Bridget Blake-Wilson, producer. Shot on location in Los Angeles.
AGENCY
Nerve Inc., Portland, Ore.
Shyam Madiraju, creative director; Mark Radcliffe, copywriter; Eli Shillock, producer; Dena Blevins, art director.
EDITORIAL
Terminal, Santa Monica.
Nicholas Erasmus, editor; Michael Gresch, executive producer, "Pay It Forward," "Hands" and "EKG."
Red Car, San Francisco.
Kerie Kimbrell, editor; Jan Frei, executive producer, "Split Images."
POST/VISUAL EFFECTS
The Syndicate, Santa Monica.
Bob Curreri, colorist; Kevin Prendiville, online editor/visual effects and graphics artist; David Lombardi, CGI artist; Kenny Solomon, executive producer, "Pay It Forward," "EKG" and "Hands."
Radium, San Francisco.
Danielle Ciccarelli, colorist/online editor; Anastacia Feldman, executive producer, "Split Images."
AUDIO POST
POP Sound, Santa Monica.
Zac Fisher, mixer; Dawn Redman, assistant mixer.
MUSIC
Flooded Music, Portland.
Scott Fox and Eric Hedford, composers, "Hands" and "Split Images."
SOUND DESIGN
POP Sound.
Zac Fisher, sound designer.
THE SPOTS
"Pay It Forward" (:60) shows a distraught woman who is rescued and comforted by American Red Cross volunteers. Later, she prepares a home safety kit, and her grateful husband donates blood, which he then sees being used to save a man’s life. That man, in turn, performs CPR on a drowning victim, who is himself instrumental in helping a woman who has lost her home to a fire. The commercials use Pete Yorn’s "On Your Side" as the soundtrack. "Split Images" (:30) shows a split screen where two families are putting together disaster survival kits and formulating disaster survival plans. The spot calls on viewers to do the same, with the help of the American Red Cross. "Hands" (:30) shows four hands appearing—one at a time—on a white screen. The first belongs to Rick, who helped set up a blood drive; the second to Maria, who teaches first aid, CPR and AED classes; the third belongs to Jamal, who helps answer phones calls; and the last to Angela, a Disaster Responder. Finally, the four hands meet and clasp to form the Red Cross symbol, just four volunteers out of "over one hundred million strong." And "EKG" (:30) opens on the familiar beep and the jagged red lines of an electrocardiogram. The viewer is informed that thousands of lives are saved via services provided by the American Red Cross, and that blood drives, relief efforts, food and clothing, first aid, CPR and AED are all made possible by "donations from people like you." The camera then pulls back to reveal that the red lines are not on an EKG; it’s the signature being written on a check made out to the American Red Cross.
"Pay It Forward," "Split Images" and "Hands" broke in April, and "EKG" began airing in May.
