2/4/2017
Matthias Hoene directs adidas’ environmental film with the environmental non-profit Parley For The Oceans, featuring professional cliff diver, Anna Bader.
When jumping off the cliff’s edge, professional cliff diver Anna Bader is not concerned about her own health; she is concerned about the health of our oceans.
Plastic waste is growing exponentially throughout our world. Unfortunately, most of our plastic waste ends up in our oceans. Scientists predict that if current pattern don’t change by 2050 there will be more plastic waste in the oceans than fish.
Adidas has made it their mission to clean up our oceans. The German sports company has a long history of environmental outreach and their partnership with the New York based non-profit, Parley, is one of many campaigns they have created to fight ocean pollution. Adidas and Parley came together to create a special limited edition line of shoes and sportswear that is made from recycled plastic waste.
Adidas and Parley introduced their partnership back in 2018. Their mission was straightforward but they wanted a powerful announcement. – so adidas hired director, Matthias Hoene, to direct their release video.
Hoene is a UK based director whom frequently works with the Los Angeles and New York based production company, Miniac Films. Miniac is a hybrid production company and creative shop that specializes in creating dramatic narratives with high production value. Miniac has worked with Hoene on several other branded content productions, but their work on the adidas and Parley for the oceans campaign captured a unique story.
Enter Anna Bader. Anna Bader is a professional cliff diver. Bader currently lives in Germany with her husband and two children. In addition to being a top competitor in her sport, Bader is passionate about the health of our oceans. The oceans are the beating heart to cliff diving, and Bader knows that the health of the oceans directly relate to the longevity of her sport. Bader’s love for the ocean goes deep, and she wants to make sure her children are able to enjoy their magnificence as well.
The adidas x Parley For The Oceans campaign told the story of Bader as she prepared for a dive in Hawaii, the birthplace of cliff diving. Miniac and Hoene shot the piece as a documentary, emphasizing the training and discipline that go into Bader’s practice. Miniac and Hoene painted Bader as more than just a cliff diver; she is also a mother, a teacher, a normal girl from a small town in Germany who is exceptionally talented in her sport. The film then widened its lens to highlight the central theme of their piece: ocean pollution.
It was not a difficult location scout for the Miniac team, simply because of the pervasiveness of the problem. Plastic waste can be seen littered along the shores of numerous beaches in Hawaii, where Hoene and the Miniac FIlms team shot the piece. The accessibility to plastic waste was, and still is, quite jarring. Yet, Hoene’s ability to capture the gravity of the situation while integrating Bader’s story weaved a hopeful thread throughout the piece. This is not a hopeless cause. Together, through personal cognizance and with the help from global brands like adidas and Parley, we can end plastic waste in our oceans.
Adidas and Parley’s partnership is just the beginning in the fight against ocean pollution. Their campaign raised awareness, and their product directly reduced plastic ocean waste. All in all, adidas x Parley For The Oceans is a huge success.
Read more about the project here. The film was also featured on LBB and AdAge.
Check out the final spot to the Miniac Films and Matthias Hoene spot, Dive: featuring Anna Bader, here.
