Autism Speaks and the Ad Council have launched a public service campaign out of BBDO New York (Autism Speaks’ creative agency partner) designed to encourage parents to recognize and learn the early signs of autism by visiting www.autismspeaks.org/signs.
The centerpiece :60–which recently debuted on broadcast and cable programming as well as Autism Speaks’ social channels–deploys 3D and stop-motion animation inspired by the story of a child named Jacob and his experience living with autism. Jacob did not speak until he was four years old. The animated scenes communicate the signs of autism through metaphors, including lack of eye contact, sensitivity to light, repetitive behavior and delayed speech. The world featured in this PSA was built from scratch by Lobo Productions, and inspired by elements of interviews with Jacob. As example, some of the featured creatures are reflections of Jacob’s real toys.
Credits
Client Autism Speaks Agency BBDO New York David Lubars, chief creative officer, worldwide; Greg Hahn, chief creative officer, NY; Matt MacDonald, executive creative diretor; Mark Anderson, creative director/copywriter; Bianca Guimarães, associate creative director/art director; Whitney Collins, sr. producer; Melissa Chester, executive music producer. Production Lobo Productions, Brooklyn, NY Guilherme Marcondes, director; Loic François Marie Dubois, creative executive producer; Aron Matschulat Aguiar, producer; Alexandre Elaiuy, Vince Vennitti, DPs; Eliza Flores, associate producer; Marcelo Righini, type designer; Carolina Azevedo, digital creative director. (Toolbox: Maya, Nuke) Music/Sound Human New York Audio Post Corey Bauman, mixer.
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
