Channel 4 and Twentieth Century Fox to Make TV History with Daring Live Ad Break Stunt

Channel 4, in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox and their media agency Vizeum, today announce a world first broadcast stunt never before attempted live in a TV ad break. On Sunday 18th December, Hollywood stuntman Dave Grant will free fall from almost 100 feet at a speed of over 50mph live on air, in celebration of the UK theatrical release of Assassin’s Creed on 1st January 2017.

The highly ambitious feat is a bold homage to the iconic ‘Leap of Faith’ jump featured in the film – when Michael Fassbender’s character ‘Aguilar’ free fall dives from the top of extremely tall structures. The film’s Director Justin Kurzel opted for real life stunts in place of CGI wherever possible and the ad break has been created in celebration of this.

Michael Fassbender said: “The action sequences in the movie are shot in an old-school fashion, shot in geographical locations with real people, with very little CGI or special effects. In the movie Damien Walters performed a record breaking Leap of Faith from 120 ft. unassisted by wires and ropes, which was amazing to see. I’m very excited that Dave Grant will be doing 100 ft. Leap of Faith live on television next week.”

Dave (Stuntman from the film) is one of only a handful of stuntmen capable of performing a free fall from this height meaning jumps such as this are rarely attempted, even on film sets. The ad will be filmed outdoors at Millennium Mills, a derelict flour mill in Newham, London where there will be many variables for Dave to overcome on the night, including negotiating the dark, winter weather conditions and jumping live on national television.

The dramatic 100 second ad break, produced by creative company The Outfit, will air at approximately 9.10pm during Channel 4’s critically acclaimed drama Humans, when viewers will also be treated to an exclusive first look at footage from the film.

10 second teaser ads will appear on air from Wednesday 14th December across Channel 4 and E4 and will build anticipation for the event using the straplines No harness. No CGI. No Going Back. Viewers will be encouraged to join the conversation on social media using #C4LeapOfFaith

The live action will be directed by Matt Askem whose credits include The London 2012 Paralympics Closing Ceremony, three Take That live tours and in the commercial world the Range Rover Sport Launch featuring Daniel Craig.

Cameron Saunders, Managing Director UK Theatrical, Twentieth Century Fox said: “Assassin’s Creed is going to be the event movie of 2017, with nail-biting, never seen before breathtaking action sequences. What better way to bring a taster of this adrenaline to audiences throughout the UK than this daring live Leap of Faith? There’s plenty more where this came from when the movie releases on January 1.”

Angus Mitchell, Agency Principal, Channel 4 said: "We’re incredibly excited to be making TV history with Twentieth Century Fox by attempting something no other broadcaster has ever dared to. This innovative idea was developed through 4 Sales’ creative arm PL4Y and is the perfect way to celebrate and showcase the fantastic stunts in the film. It also marks a long and successful relationship with Twentieth Century Fox, delivering a truly unique and highly engaging experience for Channel 4 viewers.”

Charlie Read, Founding Partner, The Outfit said: “In a world of CGI film action sequences we wanted to pay homage to the use of real stunt action sequences used in the film. By recreating a Live Leap of Faith, we wanted to give the audience an insight into the skill and thrill of real stunts and get people excited about the theatrical release of the film.”

Lin-Sze Teh, Business Director, Vizeum said: “In bringing the Assassin’s Creed franchise to the big screen from the console, we wanted moviegoers to reappraise the franchise and connect with the central character’s story. With raw physicality a central theme, we knew that a live stunt of this magnitude was the only way to demonstrate this and capture the nation’s attention at a fiercely competitive time of year.”

The partnership was negotiated by 4 Sales, Vizeum’s sister agency The Story Lab and Twentieth Century Fox.

This pioneering activity builds on 4 Sales’ legacy for industry leading, award winning live ad break innovations including the ad break takeover which saw BRIT Award-winning singer Sam Smith’s London Roundhouse performance streamed live on Channel 4; the interactive music TV ad that launched Ed Sheeran’s new album in which viewers could choose which track he played and the live twitter battle that allowed viewers to switch between debut performances of band Years and Years’ brand new single.