David Field has been pursued until the point of exhaustion, shot with an explosive harpoon causing massive internal injuries, dragged violently to a ship then shot some more before taking up to an hour to die in agony.
It was The Ultimate Death Scene, in which the Australian actor played the whale, created by The Works to build awareness about the reality of whaling today, for not-for-profit marine conservation organization, Sea Shepherd, to encourage donations so it can continue to campaign and take direct action to help bring whaling to an end.
Jeff Hansen, managing director from Sea Shepherd Australia explained, “The slaughter of these beautiful and majestic Whales is horrifying, it needs to stop now. No one will ever know the pain and suffering these playful, gentle giants go through from the time the explosive harpoon ripped through their bodies to the time they drew their last breath in a red sea full of their own blood. One thing is for sure, Sea Shepherd will do whatever it takes to ensure no more whales have to endure pain and suffering at the hands of these whale butchers.”
Field is not a first-timer when its comes to gruesome film scenes. He has starred in Chopper, Two Hands, and most recently the Channel Seven mini-series, Catching Milat.
Recreating man’s inhumanity to man is work for Field. His part in this film was also personal, “The cruelty inflicted on whales is shocking and while most people abhor whaling I think many don’t realise just how brutally these sea mammals are butchered. As a supporter of Sea Shepherd I want to bring this barbaric practice to the attention of as many people as possible in the hope that we can get it stopped.”
Paul Swann, creative partner at The Works noted too, “Those who care about marine wildlife really feel something deeply when they see whaling taking place, we sought to harness this feeling to generate the maximum impact. The idea of a human experiencing what a whale does combined with a graphic execution will come to life across video, social, radio and print.”
The video is available on Sea Shepherd’s website and YouTube channel and is supported by cinema, television and print. A radio spot, which is also voiced by Field, will air shortly on Southern Cross Austereo radio stations.
A microsite featuring behind the scenes footage and a donation page has also been created.
More than 25,000 whales have been killed under the guise of scientific research and commercial purposes by Iceland, Norway and Japan since the International Whaling Commission (IWC) enacted a moratorium on all commercial whaling.
The IWC does not have the capacity to enforce the moratorium. Sea Shepherd, guided by the United Nations World Charter for Nature, is the only organisation whose mission is to enforce these international conservation regulations on the high seas.
Credits:
Creative agency: The Works
Creative partner: Paul Swann
Creative leads: Adam Bodfish & Leo Barbosa
Digital strategy director: Damien Hughes
Planner: Leo Hennessy
Head of digital production: Dave Flanagan
Content production manager: Tristan Drummond
Senior digital designer: Kim Sanders
Social media strategist: Vanessa Hartley
Social community manager: Anna Lai
Project Management: Catriona Heaphy, Gillian Snowball & Juliette Hynes
Director: Tony Prescott
Director of production: Robert Morton
Post production: Method Studios
Sound: Nylon Studios
Twitter: @SeaShepherd_Aus #UltimateDeathScene
