This short film is the centerpiece of a campaign created by Publicis New York for CoorDown, Italy’s national organization for people with Down syndrome. Titled Not Special Needs, this digital film was directed by Wayne McClammy of Hungry Man. The work, which deploys well-timed comedy, is designed to help change perspective and perceptions about people with Down syndrome–they don’t have special needs but rather human needs such as friends, jobs, love, respect and so on.
The film stars Lauren Potter, the popular actress with Down syndrome who played the role of Becky Jackson in Glee, and John McGinley, best known for his role as Dr. Perry Cox on Scrubs, and whose 18-year old son Max has Down syndrome.
Andy Bird, chief creative officer, Publicis New York, stated, “The term ‘special needs’ is a euphemistic way to speak about persons with disabilities and their needs. The reality is people with Down syndrome do not have different or special needs, although they may sometimes meet those needs in different ways, they have the same needs as all of us… jobs, friends, love and simply the need to be seen and treated equally.”
Credits
Client The Coordination of Associations of People with Down Syndrome (CoorDown) Agency Publicis New York Andy Bird, chief creative officer; Luca Pannese, Luca Lorenzini, executive creative directors; David Green, copywriter; Jen Wang, art director; Tim Ayers, director of integrated production operations; Jakub Popadium, sr. integrated producer; Scott Jones, lead AD technical developer; Dara Mao, interactive developer; Lisa Bifulco, chief production officer; Chris Muldoon, producer; Marc Legana, editor; Rachel Rauch, music producer. Production Hungry Man Wayne McClammy, director; Kevin Byrne, exec producer/managing partner. VFX/Puppeteering Legacy Effects Editorial Rock Paper Scissors Rana Martin, Eve Kornblum, EPs; Christjan Jordan, editor; Pieter Viljoen, assistant editor; Dani DuHadway, producer. VFX/Post Shed Billy Hobson, colorist; Paul O’Shea, Miles Essmiller, Phil Man, VFX. Music, Sound Design & Mix Beacon Street Studios, Venice, Calif. Andrew Feltenstein, John Nau, composers; Leslie DiLullo, exec producer; Kate Vadnais, sr. producer; Rommel Molina, mixer/sound designer; Vivi Rojas, mix assistant.
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
