Hamlet director, Jara Moravec, and agency, Lucy, have achieved what so many campaigns against male suicide have tried to do. They have created a PSA in which the viewer genuinely inserts themselves. They have created a PSA that feels real because everyone has been there. Everyone has been in a situation where they were unable to ask someone what was wrong. The use of titles not only allows the commercial to reveal what its two people are thinking, to make the frustration of the situation palpable, it also overcomes the problem of having the scenario “acted”. Acting doesn’t always work well.
The campaign, Reading Minds, was created for The Flemish Centre for Suicide Prevention based on two observations. The first is that men experiencing mental health issues feel isolated and don’t feel able to seek help to talk about their problems. The second is that men who sense that another man is suffering often do not feel comfortable making the approach to see if they need help. It urges men to seek help and anyone close to someone they think is not alright, to ask. It is running on the centre’s social channels and website.
Gwendolyn Portzky, director of The Flemish Centre for Suicide Prevention, commented, “This campaign is an important starting point for us to encourage men to recognise mental health problems in themselves or in men in their environment faster and to tackle them more actively. This crucial step towards recognition, openness and social support can protect men from possible suicidal thoughts or attempts. We also hope to be able to contribute to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health problems in men.”
Jara Moravec added, “What drew me to this spot was its rawness. Solitary characters in one space, without any music, the story unfolding there and then. We often battle our demons in privacy but I wanted to keep a note of the “happy world” out there somewhere. Bring a patch of light into darkness. That’s why we hear a track called Happy day from me to you – happy and sad at the same time. Because life sometimes feels like driving through a carwash.”
The Flemish Centre for Suicide Prevention is the Flemish Government’s partner organisation that was founded in 2013 for the prevention of suicide, and is affiliated with UGent, the University of Ghent.
Credits
Client: The Flemish Centre for Suicide Prevention
Project Lead: Anne Ballon
Agency: LUCY
Creative Directors: Iwein Vandevyver & Laurent Dochy
Creatives: Ruben De Praetere & Yves Van Hacht, Catherine Hermans
Account Director: Thomas Vuerinckx
Managing Director: Jonas De Wit
Production Company: HAMLET Brussels
Director: Jara Moravec
Executive Producers: Ruben Goots & Jason Felstead
Producer: Robin Paul
Post-Producer: Dominique Ruys
Director of Photography: Sander Vandenbroucke
Editors: Jara Moravec & Steije Hillewaert
Music: Happy Day From Me To You by Sir Victor Uwaifo (on Carwash)
Sound Design: Samuel Jurkovič
Colour Grader: Xavier Dockx
Image Post-Production: Xav & Coco
