Xfinity and its agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P) are unveiling “The Big Questions” campaign that aims to push against the category status quo of internet and mobile network providers. The work raises questions designed to resonate with audiences, and then offers the answers, courtesy of Xfinity’s engineering prowess.
Directed by Tom Noakes of PRETTYBIRD, the campaign’s playful films include this spot titled “Hide & Seek” in which a woman returns home as well-known characters from the entertainment world–including Emily from Emily in Paris and the title character from Ted–scatter and hide throughout the house as a voiceover asks, “With so much great entertainment out there, wouldn’t it be easier if you could find what you want, all in one place?” The answer being Xfinity’s best-in-class content aggregation technology.
Credits
Client Comcast Brand Xfinity Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners Jeff Goodby, co-creative chairman; Jim Elliott, executive creative director; Jon Wolanske, Ryan Tovani, creative directors; Sean Smith, associate creative director; Maria Sousa Machado, sr. art director; Claire Stokes, sr. copywriter; Jim Haight, director of production; Stephanie DeNatale, executive producer; Nick Goldsmith, sr. producer; Jackie Nelms, producer; Kelly Evans-Pfeifer, deputy director of brand strategy; Adam Arola, group strategy director; Lyniece Hill, brand strategist; Maren Severtson, group communication strategy director; Taylor Yada, sr. communications strategist. Production Company PRETTYBIRD Tom Noakes, director; Kerstin Emhoff, co-founder/CEO; Suzanne Hargrove, VP/exec producer; Jeanne Stawiarski, exec producer; Tracy Hauser, director of production; Maura McCoy, bidding producer; Michaela Johnson, line producer; James Brown, DP; Michael Salven, 1st assistant director; Rosanna Pandolfo, production supervisor; Kelly Smith, production designer. Production Services Company, Bulgaria. B2Y Alexander Kananov, Ivan Ivanov, service producers; Ivanina Burneva, production manager; Todor Chapkanov, 1st assistant director. Editorial Cabin Lucas Baynes, editor; Adam Becht, managing director; Liz Lydecker, director of production; Michelle Dorsch, head of production, LA; Britt Carson, exec producer; Alex Hooker, producer; Ginna Schilling, associate producer; Brian Raess, Erin McCaffrey, assistant editors; Joe D’Ovidio, Lawrence Ng, cutting assistants. VFX Framestore James Razzall, U.S. president integrated advertising; Aron Hjartarson, executive creative director; Alex Thomas, VFX supervisor; Pete King, exec producer; Adam Foster, sr. VFX producer; Jamie Runkle, Diego Bonora, Cydney Wong, Jose Alvarado, associate producers; Timothy Crabtree, compositing supervisor; Brian Creasey, CG supervisor; Maria David, VFX coordinator; Evan Langley, Vasco Cerqueira, Paul Krist, Christopher Halstead, compositors; Glenn Teel, Toby Brockhurst, Flame artists; Taylor Hodgson-Scott, CG animation; Joey Sila, Kevin Baker, CG lighting; Aidan Merryman, CG FX; Omar Taher, CG generalist; Kaho Horiuchi, CG modeling; Meg Pangiochi, CG rigging; Rebecca Teichner, Sean Dollins, CG layout; Menelaos Peristeridis, Benjamin Walant, Nick Hiatt, Steven Messing, digital matte painters; Jake Sadowsky, VFX editor. Framestore Melbourne Glenn Melenhorst, VFX supervisor; Ineke Majoor, VFX producer; Samantha Thrupp, head of digital production; Adela Popescu, line producer; Joe Murphy, production coordinator; Nijesh Sidharthan, CG look dev; Keristan Casey, Aedan Staats, CG modeling; Damien Rogers, CG rigging; Purab Singh, CG tracking; Keith Meure, paint roto; Nick Tripodi, CG animation; Luke Flanagan, CG layout; Drew Wood-Davies, Jon Ossitt, Andrew Dunkerly, CG lighting; Matt Omond, compositor. Sound Design & Mix Lime Studios Joel Waters, audio engineer; Kris Huayta, assistant engineer; Susie Boyajan, exec producer; Cassie Underwood, producer. Music APM Music
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
