The Works Creates the ‘Ultimate Death Scene’ for Sea Shepherd

By Erik Oster 

Independent Sydney agency The Works enlisted the help of Australian character actor David Field to film the “Ultimate Death Scene” for non-profit conservation group Sea Shepherd, which “uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas.”

Field performs a one-man death scene, personifying the last moments of a hunted whale. The actor’s intense, wordless monologue is followed by the message, “The whaling industry claim that a whale dies within minutes. The truth is, they are first pursued to the point of exhaustion. Then shot with an explosive harpoon causing massive internal trauma. They are then violently dragged to a vessel, and shot some more. Before finally dying alone in their own blood.” Following the message (and his performance), Field appears briefly to express his support for Sea Shepherd. It’s a harrowing, difficult to watch refutation of the idea that the whaling industry attempts to minimize whales’ suffering. The online video will be supported by social media (with the hashtag #UltimateDeathScene), print and radio components.

While the International Whaling Commission (IWC) enacted a moratorium on all commercial whaling, 25,000 whales have been killed by Iceland, Norway and Japan since its enactment, with Sea Shepherd working with the United Nations World Charter for Nature in an attempt to enforce the international conservation regulations.

“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,” Field said. “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.”

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“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,” added The Works creative partner Paul Swann.

Credits:

Agency: The Works
Creative Partner: Paul Swann
Creative Leads: Adam Bodfish, Leo Barbosa and Mark Harricks
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 and Juliette Hynes

Director: Tony Prescott
Director of Production: Robert Morton
Post Production: Method Studios
Sound: Nylon Studios

Twitter: @SeaShepherd_Aus  #UltimateDeathScene

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