A tennis match appears to be a one-sided affair as a man serves to his opponent. The ball goes right by the man on the other side of the net, who stands motionless.
The next serve hits him in the shoulder. Again he doesn’t move. The third serve is a direct hit in the privates�not even eliciting a wince or even the slightest suggestion of pain.
The camera reveals the man of no reactions to be bruised and battered. A super tells us his physical state, reading, “It’s no fun to be dead.” The next super puts his death into context: “Don’t drink and drive.”
Credits
Agency: Wasserman and Partners Darren Warner, creative director; Lisa Lebedovich, art director; Steve Zaozirny, copywriter; Shelley Stevens, producer. Production Company: Untitled, Toronto Aleysa Young, director; James Davis, Tory Osler, executive producers; Ted Herman, producer; Simon Shohet, DP Editorial: JMB Post Productions Don Macdonell, editor Postproduction: JMB Post Productions Don Macdonell, colorist Sound Design: Wave Productions Craig Zarazun, sound designer Audio: Wave Productions Brandon Edwards, audio post 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
