[vimeo 35907310 w=860&h=484]
30 seconds of images. A fresh electro pop soundtrack. 12 sports and dozens of promising young athletes filmed in Montreal at the facilities of McGill University, UQAM, Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf and Tennis Montréal.
When you break it down, the concept is really simple, but what a result when you watch it! This short video, created by digital agency TP1 and produced in collaboration with Outan, delivers the adrenaline rush felt by athletes in the thick of the action, while also sending the essential message that true success in sport comes through hard work and fair play – not doping.
Made to support an awareness campaign by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the challenge for TP1 was to underline the main message without being negative or preachy. “The video had to be emotional, to highlight the athlete’s passion for sport and to promote core values like teamwork, respect and personal achievement. We also wanted to feature many different kinds of sports. But all of this had to be expressed within a short period of time,” explains Grey Recanati, producer, TP1.
The video had to set and maintain a certain thrilling rhythm, and so the choice of music and editing would play a very important role in the production process. Finding candidates for the clip would be easy as Montreal has great diversity – the city is overflowing with athletes from all cultures and abilities, and with so many universities, the variety of sports represented is astonishing.
Outan began the process by taking short demos of individual sports, while Nicolas Leupi started composing the soundtrack. Once production really started rolling though, it quickly became obvious that editing would also play an important role.
“The video has an internal rhythm,” adds Karim Mallem, art director, TP1. “It starts with athletes approaching their mark. We see the athletes performing and then we watch them savour the moment once the effort is done. But the video also transitions between different sports. As the volleyball player jumps to serve, the editing then cuts to a tennis player making contact with the ball. These rhythms are what deliver the video’s punch.”
Punch, indeed. In fact, this viewer so enjoyed the experience, I was disappointed by how short the video was.
The clip, which premiered during the 2012 NHL All Star Game in Ottawa this past weekend, successfully rallied together members of Montreal’s elite sports community and truly inspired the artists working on its production. A momentum that will undoubtedly be passed on to the international and national sports organizations that will embrace and promote WADA’s “Say NO! to Doping” campaign.
Credits
Client: Word Anti-Doping Agency
Agency: TP1
Creative director: Patrick Williams
Art director: Karim Mallem
Motion design: Amélie Tourangeau
Account director: Jan-Nicolas Vanderveken
Agency producer: Grey Recanati
Production company: Outan
Producer: Patrick Chevrier
Director: Benoit Vermandel
Production coordinator: Vincent Vermandel
Director of photography: Patrick Peris
Editor: Phillipe Pinard
Colorist: Benoit Marcoux
Postproduction: Post Modern
Music composer: Nicolas Leupi
Thank you to McGill University, UQAM, Collège Jean-de-Bréboeuf and Tennis Montréal.
