This spot tells the tale of a dog owner taking his aging best friend on a road trip during which the canine’s bucket list is being fulfilled (eat a shoe, steak dinner, visit an ex-pooch girlfriend), all set to the tune of a Willie Nelson track.
Directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks for agency Carmichael Lynch, Minneapolis, the commercial titled “Dream Weekend” is inspiring a social initiative by Subaru called #MakeADogsDay, an effort to prompt dog lovers to give thanks to their dogs by treating them to special moments.
Credits
Client Subaru of America Agency Carmichael Lynch Dave Damman, chief creative officer; Randy Hughes, executive creative director; Dean Buckhorn, writer/group creative director; Brad Harrison, art director/associate creative director; Joe Grundhoefer, head of production; Brynn Hausmann, exec sr. producer. Production Biscuit Filmworks Noam Murro, director; Shawn Lacy, managing director; Colleen O’Donnell, exec producer; Jay Veal, line producer; Simon Duggan, DP. Editorial Rock Paper Scissors Stewart Reeves, editor; Luke McIntosh, Arielle Zakowski, assistant editor; Angle Dorian, exec producer; Ashley Bartell, producer. Postproduction Company 3 Stefan Sonnenfeld, colorist. Audio BWN Music Carl White, sound designer/mixer; Annie Sparrows, postproduction audio producer. VFX Volt Studios Steve Medin, online editor; Amanda Tibbits, post producer. Music “I’ve Loved You All Over The World” performed and written by Willie Nelson. Venn Arts Jonathan Hecht, music supervisor. Performers Kirk Zipfel, on-camera talent; Zeke Rettman, voiceover; Justin Beere, announcer.
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
