Project Overview: Have you ever faced a daunting challenge that seemed insurmountable, casting a shadow over your life for years? The American Cancer Society (ACS) gala introductory video delves into the theme of overcoming such monumental obstacles. Crafted to set the tone for the event and ignite anticipation among the guests, the video is a testament to the power of resilience and hope. Its impactful storytelling, drawn from personal experience, led to its remarkable recognition with a Mid-America Emmy Award.
Challenges: The ACS left the this video idea completely up to me. Knowing that their event had something to do with "Race for the Cure",
I started thinking along the lines of a runner racing around a track. As I thought this out race track idea out, it sounded a bit typical and to-be-expected. I then transitioned to a person running through some dark woods.
Approach:
Script: This was the first project I had ever written. How was I to write from the perspective of having Cancer when I had never had it? To gain insight, I remember hearing a singer talk about the importance of writing music from you very own experiences—then it clicked for me. Although I've never experienced cancer, I would write about my own health journey with chronic pain and Lyme disease. This proved to be quite powerful! The thing all health challenges have in common is mental or physical pain, uncertainty and fear of what is to come.
Shoot: The first day, I hired a lovely actress named Aerial to act as the cancer survivor. She took this role seriously as she ran countless stretches in the August heat: through the woods, open fields and up Cahokia mounds. I used my tripod, gimbal to track Aerial as she ran and drone for the overhead shots. The following week I scheduled some time at SLU to get Aerial hooked up to a chemo IV, show her MRI and going over the results with the doctor.
Edit: All good edits start with a complementary music track. I needed a track that would start out subtle and allow a voice over to stand out, then gradually build up to a crescendo. Normally I hire voice over artists to narrate, but since this was a script about my experience, I knew I could give it the right tone.
Results: I presented the video to the ACS team and they were blown away. When the video played at the gala in front of 300-400 people, you could hear a pin drop in the silence. With my goal being to set the tone, for the event, I believe it was very much achieved. What do you think? Does it speak to any challenges or hurdles you've had in your life?
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