Painting a Solid Picture of the Fight
| Advertising, Blog, Feature, Other
In December of 2021, the duo of Jpixx and Roc Solid joined forces once again. With Roc Solid’s tenacious community and determined mission to help fight childhood cancer, and our love for a powerful narrative, we started on a video that would open up their Roc The Holiday Event. This year’s theme was “I Can, I Will”. We’re used to helping organizations bring themes and mottos to a visual medium. But the biggest challenge this time was to also shed immense light on Kierra and her late son Elijah, who passed away from cancer in March of 2020. We definitely felt the pressure to make Kierra proud for sharing hers and Elijah’s story with us. We worked extremely hard to create the promo video for 2021 Roc The Holiday Event.
(If you have yet to see the video please click the link below)
Eric introduced us to the idea of punching a canvas with colorful paint. The end product would be a beautiful abstract piece of art signifying the fight of cancer. The mess of the paint and uncertainty of the amount of splatter off the canvas is another metaphor of how the fight is not easy and it will affect you and those close enough to see it happen. We wanted to hone in on the decision to fight, and how important it is to make that decision. The moment you say to yourself “I Can, I Will” is the moment you put on your gloves.
Before the action, Jon, Jackson, DeLora, and Trey set up an interview with Kierra. Immediately after meeting Kierra, we all sensed her strength and willfulness as she spoke about Elijah. With each break to drink water and take a breath, Ashley prepped more questions. Of course, we wanted to get as much as we could out of the short time we had, but we also just wanted to know more about Elijah. His love for life and his family, the hobbies he had, the toys he played with, and his fighting soul (which he seemingly obtained from his mother).
Then came some b-roll shots. Kierra did a great job taking direction from Jon. Her emotions were raw, and Jon was able to find the exact feeling to be portrayed on camera. Kierra did not hesitate to bring them forth. It was as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Kierra was accompanied by her family. All of them had been there to help her in her fight. The energy of their family and all of the Roc Solid community filled the warehouse. Elijah’s brother and two sisters took turns hitting the canvas with various colors. Meanwhile, Jackson, Trey, and Jon ran around grabbing different angles of each hit and trying to guess where the paint would splatter next. The Roc Solid crew cheered from the sides, and for a second it felt like we were on set filming a scene for the next Rocky spinoff.
It’s a privilege to tell someone’s story, and we are honored to help do it with Roc Solid families. Thank you Kierra and family for your grace in sharing your story and Elijah’s legacy. And thank you Roc Solid for continuing the fight.
Click the link here to see the full video and learn more about how you can help families fighting pediatric cancer. https://fb.watch/bd5iIOXrYe/
