Gatorade’s moving short supported by music and sound design
By A SHOOT Staff Report
In this emotionally moving and poignant short film—For The Wind—directed by Lance Acord of bicoastal Park Pictures for Gatorade out of TBWAChiatDay LA, WNBA star basketball player Elena Delle Donne talks about her older sister Lizzie who can’t see, speak or hear due to cerebral palsy. Lizzie, though, is Elena’s inspiration, giving her an inner strength. When Elena first left home, separating her from Lizzie, to play at college basketball powerhouse the University of Connecticut (UConn), she felt a void in her life. So Elena decided to relinquish her scholarship and return home to be with Lizzie.
“Everybody thinks I came back to take care of her,” related Elena. “But she was the one helping me, getting me out of the worst rut of my life. She gives me perspective.”
Elena said of Lizzie, “She saved me.”
Part of that saving grace is Lizzie’s ability to not dwell on what she doesn’t possess but to “celebrate” what she does have. Elena has learned from that as she and Lizzie have a special bond; the two communicate through touch. And one of Lizzie’s great joys is to feel the wind blow across her face. So it’s somehow apropos that Elena was drafted by the professional WNBA franchise Chicago Sky, located in the Windy City. The wind, all it represents and how it makes Lizzie feel, is a big part of this short as we see the two sisters embrace and experience nature’s gusts of beauty.
“She brought me back,” said Elena—to the point that when she returned to basketball, she could again feel a love and appreciation for the game which translated into her earning the WNBA’s 2015 MVP Award. Elena and Lizzie embody Gatorade’s “Win From Within” mantra.
SOUTH Scores
Contributing to the two-minute film was a soundtrack from Santa Monica, Calif.-based SOUTH Music & Sound Design, with audio post provided by mixer Rohan Young of Lime, Santa Monica.
SOUTH’s creative director Dan Pritikin said of the music, “The role of the wind in this film is as important to the story as the characters themselves. Our biggest challenge was to compose a score that not only supported the wind sounds but actually nodded to them through instrumentation. So we began by building our music using wind chimes and affected woodwinds and developed from there. Equally important was for the music to remain understated to allow the power and emotion of the story to take center stage. As most composers will tell you, often this can be the most challenging type of score to write. We are thrilled with how it came out!”
As for the sound design, SOUTH composer/sound designer Robin Holden related, “The biggest challenge for the sound design on For The Wind was to maintain an atmosphere that walked the line between sounding realistic and almost dreamlike at the same time. There are slow-motion shots of wind moving trees and hair, which are contrasted by fast-paced basketball shots, so the wind elements had to be balanced against the sounds of the basketball action. This meant keeping the crowd sounds a little more echoey and distant, and the basketball bounces with a lot of reverb to keep that dreamlike feel.”
TBWA/Chiat/Day LA’s creative team included: Stephen Butler, creative chairman; Brent Anderson, chief creative officer; Renato Fernandez, executive creative director; Mark Peters, creative director; Stephanie Johnson, jr. art director; Paula Henzel, jr. copywriter; Brian O’Rourke, director of production; Guia Iacomin, executive producer; Kathleen Ackel, associate producer; Abigail Weintraub, planning director; and Matt Bataclan, planner.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More