New York-based advertising upstart Interplanetary recently tapped Table of Content and Hooligan to help create two spots for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). "Today” (:60) and “Soccer” (:30) were directed by Rick Knief and edited by Eric Carlson.
The brand image campaign serves as a call to action with the promising hope of a cancer cure -- thanks to treatments advanced by LLS. The spots will broadcast on network and cable stations across the nation on donated airtime. Actor Michael C. Hall (Dexter), a Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor himself, narrated the spots.
“The creatives (Bruce Lee, Jill Mcclabb, and Chris Parker) and agency producer Terry Debonis were all open and collaborative throughout the process and a joy to work with,” remarks Rick Knief, director, Table of Content. “And by teaming up with Hooligan, and having TANQ handle all the graphics and visual effects, it was one-stop shopping for Interplanetary.”
"Interplanetary has a lot of great editors and directors in their rolodex, so we were honored that they turned to us for such an inspiring campaign,” adds Eric Carlson, senior editor/partner, Hooligan.
“Today” imagines a day everyone hopes to remember: the day cancer is cured. Big news (not yet revealed to the viewer) sweeps across the city, halting everyday moments in homes, laundromats, diners, offices, gyms and train stations. Crowds gravitate towards TVs, computers and cell phones before the spot’s big reveal: a newspaper headline reading, “CANCER CURED!” The news culminates on a Times Square billboard before the closing montage shows various characters celebrating and embracing with loved ones afflicted by cancer.
Filming “Today,” Knief aspired to capture emotions of an ordinary day becoming extraordinary.
“The vignettes needed to tell the back story of an average day, while at the same time, intrigue viewers leading up to the big news,” he explains. “I shot at 40 frames per second to give the piece a heightened reality. We all want to imagine a day when cancer is cured, what it would be like, and how it will affect us emotionally.”
“Some of these moments could have played out the whole 60 seconds,” Carlson expounds on editing the spot. “I just tried to find little eye movements, or maybe a hand gesture to best capture each emotion. The big-picture goal was communicating the weight of the coming news through all the various reactions before revealing what it actually was. We held it as late as possible to let the quietness of the imagery develop and draw the viewer in.”
"Eric’s knack for finding the best moments and organizing them in a way that allowed us to experiment and explore was critical to making these spots shine,” adds Knief. “It also made for a smooth collaboration bringing Interplanetary into the editing process.”
“It was a fun day for the crew and all of the kids,” Knief recalls. “We shot at 270 frames per second to capture and emphasize the intensity of the kids playing. The languid feeling of the images really allowed for the message, delivered through graphics and voiceover, to come through loud and clear.”
Reflecting on directing a positive campaign for such an important cause, Knief describes it as an experience he and his production team will always remember:
“This job was profoundly close to me both professionally and personally,” concludes Knief. “With myself, and many others involved with this campaign, having lost loved ones to cancer, we all came out of the job inspired with the promising hope for a cure one day.”
Credits:
Client: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
SVP, Marketing Lisa Stockmon
Sr Creative Director: Robert Santangelo
VP, Marketing & Creative Services: Martanne Kaczmarkiewicz
Ad Agency: Interplanetary
Sr Producer: Terry DeBonis
Partner, Creative Director: Bruce Lee
Partner, Creative Director: Jill McClabb
Art Director: Chris Parker
Managing Director: Joe Dessi
Production Co: Table Of Content
Director: Rick Knief
Producer: Michelle Towse
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