A gentle woman’s voice seems to be reading aloud a love letter—perhaps to either her dear departed partner or a long-lost friend. The only visual is an empty wooden bench, alone on an outcropping before a breathtaking waterfall. Soothing otherworldly music is in the background.
"I miss you. I miss the sound of your voice, our late-night conversations. No one knows you like I know you," says the voiceover quietly, as the camera slowly moves back from the bench, showing us the waterfall’s size and majesty. "I’ve tried to call you, but there’s no answer. But I’m ready to try again, if you are."
The ethereal voiceover’s heartfelt affirmation takes an unexpected turn as the signoff says it all: "Love always, God."
A male voice intervenes as the scene of nature’s splendor fades out and is replaced by a white screen. A United Methodist symbol fades in, accompanied by a graphic treatment of words echoed in the voiceover: "Our hearts, our minds, our doors are always open. The people of the United Methodist Church." Below this text appears a Web site address: www.unitedmethodist.org.
"Waterfall" is part of a three-spot campaign directed and lensed by James Collins of bicoastal MacGuffin Films for Nashville-based ad agency The Buntin Group. The premise of "Treehouse" is similar, as the voice of an adult man speaks yearningly of his desire to be able to talk to and offer advice again to his son or daughter. The visual is an abandoned kids’ tree house, viewed slowly from many angles. Again, the voice turns out to be God’s.
The third spot, "Baby," offers a slight conceptual departure from "Treehouse" and "Waterfall." In it we see a young girl sleeping as her mother’s voiceover tells of being overwhelmed by the challenge of raising the child in today’s world. The church is then offered as a place where this single mom can get help and support.
The creative ensemble at Buntin included vice chairman/chief creative officer Kerry Graham, who served as writer; art director Jason Skinner; and senior VP, broadcast production Anne Birke, who was agency producer on the package of commercials.
Collins’ support team at MacGuffin Films included executive producer Michael Salzer and producer Mark Kovacs. The spot was shot on location at the Roswell Mill Falls, Roswell, Ga., by Collins.
Steve Cox of Outback Editorial, Atlanta, edited the campaign. Colorist was Steve Parker of Electric Transfer, Atlanta.
Audio mixers on "Waterfall" were Leonard Wolf of Wolf Music, Nashville, and Patrick Belden of Belden Sound, Atlanta.
