Media Release                             

For Immediate Release 

Volunteers rally for TVC to take Earth Hour message to the world

Earth Hour launches new global TVC, produced with a volunteer cast, calling for people to switch off their lights and take action ‘beyond the hour’

Earth Hour today announced the launch of the new global 2011 television commercial that calls for people to switch off their lights for Earth Hour and take action ‘beyond the hour’. The TVC represents the next phase for the annual ‘lights off’ event – encouraging individuals to take action in their daily lives, and highlighting how much can be achieved when people come together in this way.  

The TVC features a series of images, each demonstrating a different example of a positive action. A cast of volunteers used their bodies to suspend individual ‘pixels’ that together create the powerful images for the ad. Each image shows individuals coming together with the same goal: to take positive action for the planet, beyond switching off their lights.

The concept of the TVC was developed by the creative minds at advertising company Leo Burnett in Chicago and follows the recent introduction of a special Earth Hour logo featuring a plus sign after the “60” – a change that symbolizes a shift in the Earth Hour message this year - that everyone has the power to do more for the planet beyond the hour.

Earth Hour Co-Founder Andy Ridley said, “Earth Hour has grown exponentially year on year since its inception in 2007. We have been overwhelmed by the power of individuals and communities to come together and send a powerful message by switching off the lights. Just imagine what we could achieve if we take this beyond the hour.

“Our 2008 TVC was seen by more than 1.3 million people worldwide. We hope this video, which will be viewed by people across the globe, will drive even more involvement in and awareness of Earth Hour.”

The TVC was filmed by internationally acclaimed Radical Media, creators of the Arcade Fire video The Wilderness Downtown, with creative support from Leo Burnett Chicago.

“Leo Burnett has been proudly involved in the Earth Hour movement since its inception in 2007. The beauty of this campaign is that it sticks to the simplicity of the Earth Hour message, whilst allowing people to think about what else they can do, in their everyday lives, to extend their action beyond that hour,” said Vince Geraghty, SVP Content Architect, Leo Burnett.

Up to 424 individual pixels formed the iconic images of the globe, a light bulb, bicycle and plus sign – all which will send the Earth Hour message to people around the world. During the filming process, each pixel was individually mapped out by award winning director, Greg Jardin.

The TVC was filmed in 40 takes in just 12 hours with 33 crew members and around one hundred volunteers at Sydney’s iconic Fox Studios, on the same stage where scenes for international films such as the Matrix, Moulin Rouge and Star Wars were filmed.

Watch the Earth Hour 2011 global TVC at youtube.com/earthhour, switch off your lights for Earth Hour at 8:30pm Saturday, March 26, and share what action you will take beyond the hour.

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