POL’s film for Save the Children is difficult for a viewer to watch. In that it follows a long line of charity advertising. But it shows a different kind of person in need. A survivor. It comes from a brief that was as simple as it was complex: Raise as much, or more, money as the previous campaigns, but do so while portraying children in the way they deserve; as tough, resilient humans.
The campaign reminds people that they are saving survivors, fighters, and optimists; saving their dreams, their future, their imagination and their friendships.
The film is underlined by a new and haunting version of Destiny’s Child’s 2001 hit song, Survivor, written by Beyoncé, and its open ending emphasises the harsh truth that in all too many cases, survivors can’t always save themselves – which is emphasised in the tagline.
“For years, fundraising communication has followed a tried-and-true formula – depicting the recipients of the aid as symbols of a situation, crisis, or problem. This type of communication is the norm for a reason: It does, in fact, raise money. A lot of money. So why try to fix something that’s not broken?” explained Anette Bellika Finnanger, creative at Pol.
While effective in reaching the end goal of raising funds to provide people with the help they need and deserve, traditional fundraising communication sometimes comes with a bitter aftertaste. It furthers a distance between the viewer and the cause, coming across as exploitative. That’s what’s broken about traditional fundraising communication, and that’s what we set out to change.”
The film is the first based on a freshly developed platform by Pol, a different fundraising communication for Save the Children.
Shooting took place in Lebanon, a country that has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world. It was produced by Swedish production agency, B-Reel Films, with director, Tomas Jonsgården, and was in development for a year. It is now live in Norway, the Netherlands, and Lebanon, with many more markets to follow.
The second film in the series has been produced and will launch in 2023, focusing on the importance of the life-changing psychological first aid Save the Children has been, and still is, providing for millions of children in need all over the world.
Credits
Creative Agency: POL
Art Directors: Anette Bellika Finnanger, Pia Lystad, Sara Hødnebø & Marius Aasen
Copywriters: Rikke Sofie Jacobsen & Emil Hafslund
Account Director: Petter Bryde
Account Manager: Shirin Marlene Pakzamir
Planner: Simon Karlsson
Designers: Benjamin Rodgers, Andrea Engum & Ole Jakob Bøe Skattum
Production Company: B-Reel Films
Director: Tomas Jonsgården
Producer: Magnus Åkerstedt
Executive Producer: Anisa Dzindo
Cinematographer: Joe Saade
Production Designer: Issa Kandil
Costume Designer: Beatrice Harb
Casting Director: Rita Gergess
First Assistant Director: Toufic Khreich
Service Production Company: Good People
Service Producer: Chantal Haber
Editor: Gregers Dohn @ Edisen
Post Production: Framestore, London
Lead VFX Artist: Paul O’Brien
VFX Artists: Darran Nicholson, Jon Berridge & Judy Roberts
Roto artists: Joe Forder & Lucy Lawrence
Colourist: Jean-Clement Soret (Company3)
Executive ProducerP Anna MacDonald
Producer: Jake Saunders
Production Assistant: Charlene Faure-Berichi
Music: Ohlogy
Survivor, Written by Knowles, Knowles & Dent
Arranged & performed by ARY & Harpreet Bansal
Produced by ARY & Ohlogy
Courtesy of Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia, Downtown Music & BMG Scandinavia
Music supervision by Jenny Aubert & Goran Obad @ Ohlogy
Client: Save the Children
Linda Sinac, Brand Marketing & Communications Director, Netherlands
Sarah Clifton, Fundraising, Marketing & Partnerships Director, Netherlands
Ingrid Svendsen, Fundraising & Marketing Director, Norway
Klaus Damlien, Head of Marketing & Digital, Norway
Luca Kleve-Ruud, Head of Creative & Content, Norway
Shireen Makarem, Advocacy & Campaigns Manager, Lebanon
Baraa Shkeir, Documentation & Information Management Officer, Lebanon
