This film is a last goodbye for an Olympic great—a personal story used to tell a bigger brand message.

The film lets us see exactly what Michael Phelps has built his legacy on: a lifetime of going dark and becoming invisible, both literally and metaphorically—a lifetime of training in the relentless pursuit of sporting greatness.

The film is split between an honest portrayal of his psychological and physical journey—cupping, Graston treatments, oxygen chambers, being sick. This is juxtaposed with a shot of an infinite pool as a backbone throughout, which represents his endless pursuit of going dark and becoming invisible to the outside world as he makes his own pilgrimage to his own mecca—the Olympics.

The film work towards the brand message “It’s what you do in the dark that puts you in the light.”

In 2012, Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time, retired from swimming with 18 gold medals to his name. He retired at the top—the most decorated athlete, in any era, across any sport. What followed was a year of public slip-ups, DUI charges and other misdemeanors.

In 2014 he announced he was coming back out of retirement—something he didn’t need to do—putting his legacy on the line to go for gold again.

This is his final farewell to his triumphant yet turbulent career.

The cinematography expresses and complements the idea of “going dark.” The lighting and cinematography throughout the spot aim to depict the solitary existence of Michael Phelps in and out of the water, reinforcing the idea of a lifetime of single-minded training.

Structurally, the cinematography splits into two throughout the spot. We switch between the more intimate physical shots documenting the psychological and physical process and a continuous “backbone” shot of Phelps swimming in a vast, infinite and ever-expanding pool. The singly lit lane represents his relentless, lonely and never-ending pursuit of Olympic greatness.