The commercial begins as the camera pans through a excitedly cheering crowd. One member of the crowd is particularly moved by the cheering, so he strips down to his underwear and runs through the stands onto the field waving his arms in the air. He runs across the field, through the players in the middle of a point, and drops to his knees. The camera zooms in on him to reveal “Forgive me Andrea” painted on his naked chest in red and blue paint while he opens his arms and yells “I love you.” The scene switches to the living room of a stunned woman watching the game with her friends who look at her speechlessly. Andrea gets up from the couch and leaves the room grabbing her jacket on the way. The commercial concludes with the narrator commenting that “love might make you crazy, but finding it shouldn’t” as the camera pans to the television in the living room where the referees are dragging the struggling man off the field and “match.com” appears on the screen.
Agency: Hanft Raboy and Partners Doug Raboy, managing partner/creative director; Sean LaBounty, creative director/art director; Nathan Manske, copywriter; Angelo Ferrugia, producer. Production Company: Independent Media, Santa Monica Peter Chelsom, director; Bob Richardson, DP; Susanne Preissler, executive producer; Lindsey Skutch, producer. Shot on location in Pasadena, Calif. Editorial: Final Cut Carlos Arias, editor; Terressa Tate, assistant editor; Rana Martin, producer; Stephanie Apt, managing director/executive producer. Postproduction: The Mill New York Fergus McCall, colorist. Matt Reilly, visual effects artist/online editor; Colleen Garvey, producer; Luis Ribeiro, executive producer; Connie Griffin, managing director. Visual Effects: Method,Brand New School ,Rob Feng, art director; Rachel Kaminek, producer; Jonathan Notaro, creative director; Kevin Batten, executive producer. Music: Human Composers/sound designers Gareth Williams, Andy Bloch, Morgan Visconti, Lind
The Best Work You May Never See: Diamond, Director Mark Zibert “Finish It” For Terry Fox Foundation
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