Directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks for agency Merkley+Partners, this modern wintry love story takes place in the middle of a severe snowstorm as a boy tries to convince his father to drive him (in his Mercedes-Benz C-Class with 4MATIC all-wheel drive) to meet his first date at a movie theater. When they arrive and go inside, as expected, the theatre is totally empty. Despondent, the boy walks past his father and back out into the storm, his first date having not materialized. But then, heroically, through the heavy flakes of snow, the lights of an approaching Mercedes-Benz GLE appear in the distance.
The online :90, which has a :60 version for TV, is driven in part by the song “Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan. Originally sung by Billy Joel in 1997, it was also covered by Adele in 2008. The version in “Snow Date” was performed by the group Sleeping At Last.
Credits
Client Mercedes-Benz USA Agency Merkley + Partners Andy Hirsch, chief creative officer/chairman; Eddie Van Bloem, group creative director/copywriter; Saks Afridi, group creative director/art director; Alex Kobak, sr. producer; Gary Grossman, director of broadcast production. Production Biscuit Filmworks Noam Murro, director; Simon Duggan, DP; Shawn Lacy, managing director; Rick Jarjoura, exec producer; Jay Veal, line producer. Postproduction Work Editorial Stewart Reeves, editor; Sari Resnick, editorial producer; Erica Thompson, editorial exec producer. VFX MPC New York Chris Bernier, 3D lead; Rob Walker, lead compositor; Ashley Burns, shoot supervisor; Sophie Hogg, VFX producer; Camilla De Biaggi, VFX exec producer; Justin Bruckman, VFX managing director. Music “To Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan; music supervision by Sleeping At Last. Music Supervision Venn Arts Jonathan Hecht. Sound Design Brian Emrich, sound designer. Audio Post Heard City Phil Loeb, 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
