ABOUT

The Colonie editor Tom Pastorelle recently partnered with Merge on a broadcast and web campaign for Advocate Aurora Health, one of the largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country. The Chicago-based company’s editorial and postproduction services were tapped for a trio of spots by the marketing and advertising agency, which executed a large media buy for the campaign that included local airing during this year’s Super Bowl.

All of the commercials are set to the melody of ‘C’mon, Get Happy,’ the nostalgic theme song from the ‘70’s TV Show, ‘The Partridge Family.’ The lyrics are switched to ‘C’mon, Get Healthy,’ with variations on the verses and tempo underscoring each spot’s message and establishing its tone.

‘Anthem,’ an emotional :60, touches on seminal moments in a couple’s life. It tells the story of a boy and girl who first meet at a football game, become high school and then college sweethearts, marry, have a child, and watch their daughter go off to college, leaving the empty-nesters to begin the next chapter of their lives. Cut to a slow-paced version of the track, the story ends where it began, on the football field. The spot closes with the tagline, “Together let’s make healthy happen.”

"‘Anthem’ was a lot of fun to edit,” says Pastorelle, who cut the spots on Adobe Premiere. “We played with a few different options for opens and endings before deciding to bookend the commercial with the couple back where they first met. We also explored different ways to use voiceover, ultimately discovering that the storytelling was more engaging with just the music and vocals.”


“Cutting a 60-second spot that spans 30-years required making some tough choices,” adds the editor. “One of the challenging aspects of the process was parting with some of director Paul Dektor’s beautiful scenes.”

The lively feel of the :30’s, ‘Cardio’ and ‘Tech’ are a departure from ‘Anthem’s’ touching story. Pastorelle wove together a variety of cheery, light-hearted scenes for the spots featuring diverse groups of people engaging in healthy everyday activities while singing along with upbeat versions of “C’mon, Get Healthy.”

“Hearing so many different voices singing the lyrics really makes the spots feel very inclusive,” says the editor. “However, many of the actors’ vocalizations weren’t in sync with the soundtrack, which made cutting both ‘Cardio’ and ‘Tech’ pretty tricky.”

Pastorelle worked with Assistant Editor Lindsey Fisher, reviewing the footage multiple times to find the scenes with performances that best matched the music and fit the sequencing. After considerable tweaking, including ADR, they were able to align the vocals with the tracks seamlessly.

‘Cardio’ showcases people enjoying everyday activities as they sing along with a lively version of ‘C’mon, Get Healthy.' The spot features people practicing ‘goat’ yoga in a park - while live goats join in on the action. a lady dancing with her dog, a runner taking a moment to check her stats on her ‘smart’ watch, along with other scenarios.

Tech,’ the other :30 in the campaign, weaves together scenes of folks enjoying various activities while using Advocate’s digital health services network to schedule appointments and e-visits, and access tools from where ever their day takes them. The voiceover, “Advocate Aurora offers new ways to connect to your health - anytime anywhere. Together let’s make healthy happen,” helps bring home its message.

After completing the rough cuts for each commercial, Merge’s creatives sat in on the edit sessions, working with Pastorelle to find the best approach to making each spot a simple story with an engaging message.

The editor’s working relationship with the agency’s Executive Creative Director, Michael Matykiewicz goes back over a decade. The ECD introduced him to Kevin Houlihan, Merge’s CCO, which led to the Pastorelle cutting a number of projects for the agency, including some of Advocate’s earlier campaigns.

The Colonie’s talent worked under one roof as a collaborative team through every phase of the project. The company’s full-service approach enabled it to provide the efficient workflow needed to meet Merge’s tight deadline and deliver a compelling campaign.

Jennifer Moody, The Colonie’s creative director, used Adobe After Effects to animate the screens of the multiple mobile devices that appear in the spots and design the motion graphics for all of the end titles. Tom Dernulc finished the commercials on Autodesk Flame with the assistance of Ben Pokorny. The footage required a wide range of fixes, from transforming a high school football field into a large-scale college stadium to removing the hand of a goat handler.

“I always enjoy working with the team at Merge,” adds Pastorelle. “They’re committed to making each spot the best it can be - and we invariably have fun and share a lot of laughs along the way. Collaborating with Merge has always been a rewarding experience and teaming up with them on this job was no exception.” After completing the rough cuts for each commercial, Merge’s creatives sat in on the edit sessions, working with Pastorelle to find the best approach to making each spot a simple story with an engaging message.

The editor’s working relationship with the agency’s Executive Creative Director, Michael Matykiewicz goes back over a decade. The ECD introduced him to Kevin Houlihan, Merge’s CCO, which led to the Pastorelle cutting a number of projects for the agency, including some of Advocate’s earlier campaigns.

The Colonie’s talent worked under one roof as a collaborative team through every phase of the project. The company’s full-service approach enabled it to provide the efficient workflow needed to meet Merge’s tight deadline and deliver a compelling campaign.

Jennifer Moody, The Colonie’s creative director, used Adobe After Effects to animate the screens of the multiple mobile devices that appear in the spots and design the motion graphics for all of the end titles. Tom Dernulc finished the commercials on Autodesk Flame with the assistance of Ben Pokorny. The footage required a wide range of fixes, from transforming a high school football field into a large-scale college stadium to removing the hand of a goat handler.

“I always enjoy working with the team at Merge,” adds Pastorelle. “They’re committed to making each spot the best it can be - and we invariably have fun and share a lot of laughs along the way. Collaborating with Merge has always been a rewarding experience and teaming up with them on this job was no exception.”

CREDITS:
Brand: Advocate Aurora Health
Titles: ‘Anthem' :60, ‘Cardio' :30, and ‘Tech' :30
Type: Commercials - Broadcast /Internet (Integrated Campaign)

Agency: Merge / Chicago
CCO: Kevin Houlihan
ECD: Michael Matykiewicz
CD: Colin Quinn
Copywriter: Lo Trojan
Producer: Laure Irwin

Production Company: Paul Dektor Films / LA
Director: Paul Dektor
Producer: Russel Sher

Editorial Company: The Colonie / Chicago
Creative Editor: Tom Pastorelle
Assistant Editor: Lindsey Fisher
Finishing: Tom Dernulc
Assistant Finisher: Ben Pokorny
Producer: Anne Siwek
Executive Producer: Mary Caddy

VFX/Animation/Motion Design Co.: The Colonie
CD/Motion Designer: Jennifer Moody
VFX Artist: Tom Dernulc
VFX Assistant: Ben Pokorny

Color Correction Company: CO3 / Chicago
Colorist: Tyler Roth

Audio & Sound Design: Chicago Recording Company /Chicago
Mixer/Sound Designer: Eric Cauwels

Music Production & Recording Company: Yessian NY/Detroit
CCO: Brian Yessian
Head of Prod.: Michael Yessian
EP: Gerard Smerek
Composers: Mike Dragovic, Jarrett Farkas