This spot promotes Trojena, a new global destination for mountain tourism situated in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. Front and center in this piece from McCann New York is NEOM’s wondrous outdoor skiing for professionals and amateurs alike. The community offers adventure, ski runs of various difficulties (including the uphill sojourn depicted in this spot), breathtaking views (NEOM mountain ranges, golden desert sand dunes, blue waters of the Red Sea) and a model for environmentally sustainable tourism.
This journey to new heights was directed by Ian Ruschel of JOY Films.
Credits
Client Trojena/NEOM Agency McCann NY Sean Bryan, Tom Murphy, co-chief creative officers, North America; Pierre Lipton, Shayne Millington, co-chief creative officers, NY; Rafael Segri, Kiko Mattoso, VPs/creative directors; Eduardo Quadra, art director; Paul Wood, copywriter; Aaron Kovan, EVP, chief production officer, North America; John Hilmer, executive producer; Erica Yahr, chief strategy officer, NY; Whitney Alexander, VP, strategy director social & mobile. Production JOY Films Ian Ruschel, director; Ali Azarmi, managing director; Nima Safari, Andreea Gurbina, post producers. Editorial NO6 Chris Van Dyke, editor. VFX Mathematic Emeric Samier, Fred Brandon, lead artists. Graphics Landor/JOY Films Music KOM Phil Kay, composer. Audio Post Heard City Dan Flosdorf, engineer.
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
