The blood spilled in war is something all of Aotearoa shares, regardless of our own personal histories. As the primary broadcaster of Anzac Day content each year, Māori Television wanted to get people thinking about that shared history, and Anzac Day’s relationship to their own lives. Creative agency Goodfolk answered the brief with a compelling short-form documentary, The Blood We Share.
“When we started researching this project, we were very conscious of the fact that Māori and Pakeha experiences of New Zealand’s war history are very different,” said Goodfolk CD Mark Easterbrook.
“But we also knew that Anzac Day gives us the opportunity to reflect on what we share, as well as our differences. The idea grew from there.”
The resulting concept involved finding two descendants of soldiers who served at the Somme – one Māori and one Pakeha – and asking them to donate blood as a way of honouring those who had come before.
This coming together of two histories was then represented symbolically in a painting featuring two blood-red circles coming together to form an Anzac poppy.
Knowing that the story would need to be told with sensitivity and care, Goodfolk turned to Alison Farmer and Simon Clark of FarmerClark. “Alison has an amazing ability for drawing stories out of people,” says Easterbrook, “and Simon knows how to capture human moments in an intimate but respectful way.”
Ian Howard, head of marketing and brand at Māori Television, said: “It’s not often I’m lost for words, but at the end of the first creative review, I knew I had seen something special.
“What Goodfolk and FarmerClark produced is so much more than an ad campaign – it’s a compelling piece of storytelling that perfectly reflects our inclusive perspective on modern day Aotearoa. I couldn’t be prouder of the end product.”
CREDITS
Māori Television
Head of Brand and Marketing: Ian Howard
Brand Manager: Te Amohaere Tapene
Brand Manager: Helena Dunn
Goodfolk
Creative Director: Mark Easterbrook
Art Director: Rory Dunleavy
Copywriter: Matt Halliday
Senior Designer: Natasha Vermuelen
Client Services Director: Jason Linnell
Account Manager: Britta Sisam
Creative Services Manager: Emma Thompson
Cultural Consultant: Inia Maxwell
Farmer Clark
Director: Alison Farmer
DoP: Simon Clark
Post-production
Editor: Julian Currin
Colourist: Pete Ritchie
Audio: Clive Broughton, The Factory
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