Spirits were lifted by a package from Sean Wilson, a friend and former colleague at ResMed, containing the finished promo video we shot over 3 days last November. I left ResMed shortly after the shoot's completion -- does 'philosophical differences' cover my marketing manager reading from the ResMed Corporate Guidebook not once but TWICE in an effort to crush my creative rebelliousness? -- but relish the memories of working with such a patient visionary as Mr. Wilson.
At the time I joined Sean's creative team, he and Art Director Mark Ryan had successfully pitched print ads of a man and woman on a motorcycle that germinated from the product's name, 'Liberty'. I brainstormed with the team to create a narrative, and then wrote a fully realized script. Sean and I were in creative lockstep from day one; this included a shared belief that we'd bypass dialogue (thus eliminating translation costs) for a rousing, rock'n'roll soundtrack that complemented the story's boomer-targeted message.
The sad secret of sleep respiratory therapy is that the bulk of patients (almost exclusively overweight men) are forced to wear a hideous-looking mask to bed every night. How to combat such a horror show? Put him and his hot wife on a motorcycle and watch them escape the city for a gathering of friends at a picturesque beach house, with the promise of passion over the next horizon. It's THIS promise -- not technological wizardry -- that makes a man strap on such a gadget every night and keeps a wife or partner from running terrified at the sight of it.
This may sound like an easy concept to digest ... but it required continued force-feeding to ResMed's timid marketing folks who, shockingly, were resistant to visually represent the product's lifestyle benefits. (These people believe twirling, 3-D images of scary-looking devices are enough to appeal to Mr. and Mrs. Mask Wearer ... sigh.)
Sean and I continually talked up the viral marketing possibilities of such a gorgeous video ... so, if you like what you see, please share it with others who may dig watching a leather-clad husband & wife roar out of the Sydney CBD and through majestic Australian scenery.
Some photos I took during the shoot:
