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Sydney Production house The Feds, with M&C Saatchi, is working within the Socceroo's training camp in the first stage of a major campaign timed to launch just before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The campaign is spearheaded by a commercial featuring Socceroos Tim Cahill and Lucas Neill taking on a team of wild animals.

Filmed in South Africa and Australia by French director Thierry Poiraud and posted by BUF, Paris (Avatar and Batman) the commercial took over 200 people from three continents to finish. Working closely with the director, Australian cinematographer of Lord of the Rings, Andrew Lesnie created a backlit pitch, lit only by the headlights of cars and trucks.

"On paper, the commercial seemed impossible to film," says M&C Saatchi executive creative director Ben Welsh. "The Socceroos, backlit, playing football against a team of incredibly dangerous animals. We were lucky to gather together some truly talented individuals who literally didn't stop working."

"I remember seeing 'Kick It' years ago," says writer Andy Flemming. "It was the first ad that reminded me why I loved football. We wanted to make a landmark football ad, a celebration of how far it's come in Australia."

The animal team comprised of real animals filmed in South Africa, mixed with photorealistic animals painstakingly created over three months in Paris.

The campaign includes print and outdoor posters and a fully interactive website, allowing visitors to 'break in' to the training camp themselves.

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