The Fall
01.
Data from Biotest showed that many transplant specialists are unaware of the dangers of cytomegalovirus (CMV). Many failed to spot the signs and symptoms early, giving potentially fatal consequences for patients.
Our objective was to show the devastating impact CMV can have on patients, especially in a transplantation setting, when patients are at their most vulnerable.
A patient’s personal account of his heart transplantation journey, and the experience of contracting CMV along the way, gave the inspiration for our film: The Fall – a simple and elegant metaphor of our hero’s journey.
To bring the metaphor to life, we filmed a ballet dancer underwater to mimic a slow-motion continuous fall, symbolising the feelings of impotence and free-fall that CMV can have on an already vulnerable patient. Shot in a day and graded to give a cinematic feel, the entire piece took just three weeks from interview to sign off, demonstrating the agility of both the client and the agency.
02.
03.
From dozens of patients surveyed, our hero’s story stood out. So much so that we used the interview transcript to create a treatment around the narration. In other words, we looked for substance before landing on a specific execution style. The role of the execution was designed specifically to bring the content to life.
Whilst telling a patient story through a metaphor is not new, the way the film was shot is truly unique. Shot in a closed swimming pool during lockdown with the crew consisting of only the ballet dancer, the director and a runner – and under strict COVID regulations – the film was storyboarded in great detail so that artwork could be created prior to filming to enable accurate scene matching. The execution was choreographed from the storyboard through to final output. All footage was rotoscoped and chromakeyed to give a completely distinct look and feel.