IMG CORPORATE FILMS & COMMERCIALS

Jody Cundy Pt II
Client: Channel 4/Sainsbury’s
Agency: Drum
Series 2 of 3: 10 x 90 second films with Sponsored Title Sequences

Following the first award-winning series in which 10 Paralympic Athletes were introduced by someone close to them, in this series we hear direct from each elite athlete themselves – in this case the five time Paralympic Gold Medallist track cyclist Jody Cundy MBE.

The short films make up a series of intimate snapshots of each athlete’s personal, often solitary, training worlds - the long days, weeks and months spent training to be the best in the world. In each evocative and visually striking film, the athlete gives a candid insight into their innermost thoughts and training rituals as they prepare to compete for their country on home ground at London 2012.

These films were broadcast multiple times on C4, More 4, and online on Youtube, 4OD, www.channel4.com/paralympics/sainsburys and Sainsbury’s websites between now and the 2012 Games. They are a key part of their ambition to make their Paralympics coverage the biggest event in C4’s history, make household names of a series of athletes and promote Sainsbury’s sponsorship of the Paralympics.

Hi Everyone,
 
I’m Michael and I’m the Archive Researcher for IMG’s Corporate Films & Commercials department.
 
So, what does an Archive Researcher actually do? Well, sport is renowned for its ability to evoke certain moods or emotions; for moments that amaze us and that lead us to believe that anything is possible; for shots that share a story and that are both powerful and intriguing. And it's my job to make use of the vast IMG Media archive to find specific moments like these that best convey the message our clients want to share. That and drink a lot of tea.
 
Here’s an example that everybody remembers - 'that' chip by Tiger Woods at The Masters, Augusta. You may not necessarily know it was in 2005, or that it happened on the 16th hole on the final day of the tournament. But what you will remember and appreciate is that isolated moment - the tension as the ball slowly rolled across the green, the growing, expectant buzz of the crowd. And the impact of that euphoric moment when the Nike swoosh logo on Tiger’s ball finally disappeared in to the hole after what seemed an eternity. Nike realised the full potential of such a moment and probably couldn’t believe their luck - using just the footage as it was broadcast, their next television commercial had just made itself. It’s moments like this that have the power to become totally accessible and transcend language itself; their universal appeal means you don’t have to be a massive sports fan to be captivated by such enthralling moments.
 
Besides tea drinking, many of my working hours are spent trawling the IMG Media archive for standalone moments like the one above. Depending on the nature of the project, we may only have thirty seconds or less to convey a message, so it’s vital to pick out only the most evocative shots to convey the atmosphere that makes these moments so special.
 
Where I really earn my crust, though, is when I get sent more abstract - but very specific - requests to enhance the mood of a film. For example: the beaming smile of an individual crowd member, rippling reflections of sunlight on the sea’s surface, shafts of light breaking through the clouds at daybreak, a big close-up of spray off the bow of a yacht, and a slow-motion shot of a chequered flag fluttering against a blue sky. Where to start?!
 
Another big challenge is identifying sportsmen and women in Motorsports or Skiing, where they speed across screen in the blink of an eye and are completely covered up from head to toe. Whilst a lot of the time I’m able to slow the footage right down to look at it frame by frame, there are instances where it can still be incredibly difficult to find the person you’re after. It’s amazing how similar two different people can look if they’ve happened to have made that old embarrassing faux-pas of turning up to an event dressed in the same helmet and overalls as someone else. And then there’s the complexities of copyright clearance to consider, as well as the need to be flexible and regularly adjust the research to suit an ever-shifting creative brief. In short, it’s a challenging role at the best of times.
 
Over the next few months, I’ll be using this blog as therapy to provide more of an insight in to just some of these aspects. In the meantime, I’ll also be sharing some of my more unexpected finds – the funny bloopers and unbelievable moments – via the CF&C twitter page.