Cannes Contenders: The Works
How will Australia perform at Cannes this year? In the lead up to the Festival, Campaign Brief will be showcasing the work we hope will impress the judges…
The Works
Marine conservation organisation Sea Shepherd has a small and vocal base of committed supporters but they have struggled to grow awareness of their activities and as a result funding, beyond the passionate community. They wanted to raise awareness of Sea Shepherd outside of its traditional support base and highlight the barbaric way whales are slaughtered. We created the ‘Ultimate Death Scene’ using the talent of renowned Australian actor David Field. In the deliberately shocking video, Field recreates what it’s like to be pursued until the point of exhaustion, shot with an explosive harpoon causing massive internal injuries, dragged violently to a ship and then shot some more before taking up to an hour to die. With no paid media the video was posted on the social channels of Sea Shepherd branches across the world and directed viewers to the UltimateDeathScene.com microsite, which contained further information, behind the scenes footage, and an opportunity to donate.
The Works
MND is a progressive terminal neurological disease with no known cure or effective treatment. People living with the disease progressively lose the use of their limbs and the ability to speak, swallow and breathe whilst their mind and senses usually remain intact. We secured Australian musician, actor and comedian Tim Minchin and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) to perform a special recording of the Crowded House hit ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’. During the performance various sections of the orchestra gradually fall silent, highlighting the physical impacts of the disease metaphorically through the deteriorating performances of the artists. Once Tim Minchin falls abruptly silent, viewers are asked to donate to hear Tim and the SSO play on.