Title | FINISH YOUR HOMEWORK |
Brand | UNICEF & THE EU |
Product/Service | NOT FOR PROFIT / CHARITY |
Category |
A04. Production Design / Art Direction |
Entrant
|
MUTANT Antwerp, BELGIUM
|
Idea Creation
|
MUTANT Antwerp, BELGIUM
|
Production
|
HAMLET Brussels, BELGIUM
|
Post Production
|
HAMLET Brussels, BELGIUM
|
Credits
Odin Saillé |
Mutant |
Creative Director |
ShiQi Ji |
Mutant |
Account Manager |
Emilie Kino |
Mutant |
Account Director |
Jonas Marysse |
Mutant |
Art Director |
Frank Schouwaerts |
Mutant |
Design Director |
Ruben Van Maldeghem |
Mutant |
Copywriter |
Write a short summary of what happens in the film
The EU and Unicef launched a joint appeal to policy makers: keep as many schools open as possible for as long as possible. This appeal was launched through a gripping film. The closure of schools forced parents to deal with a new situation. For many parents, the combination of telework and home education is a trial-and-error process. That’s why our film keys into the familiar tutorial videos with tips on how to solve a problem in a few simple steps. But instead of seeing a bite-size video, the viewers are confronted with the facts in a very direct and impactful way. The clickbait-style design contrasts sharply with the serious topic of the video. So we could strike a nerve with politicians and policy makers and ramp up the pressure to keep the schools open, always in safe circumstances.
The film sparked a debate and was featured in numerous news outlets.
Cultural / Context information for the jury
Schools across the globe were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This
violates one of the most basic children’s rights: the right to education. More
than 897 million children worldwide were faced with the consequences, both
in the short and the long term. Because for many children in a difficult home
situation school not only means education but also, and more importantly, a
safe haven. In the long term children who are deprived of access to education
are at greater risk of child labour, criminality or situations of child abuse.
Tell the jury about the production design / art direction. You may wish to comment on choices, challenges or effects.
The film opens with a light-hearted ‘five simple tips to help children with their homework’. But it soon becomes clear via the change in tone, that the film is illustrating the gripping reality of how school closures have exposed children to vulnerable and untenable situations they should not be finding themselves in. We wanted to work precisely on the perspective of the child always at the centre of the scene: how do they feel about a situation? How do they see and hear the situation? The choice to film each scene in only one shot is to put ourselves on their level in order to get as close as possible to their visions and put the spectator in their situation as much as possible. All scenes were built from scratch to create a super realistic and gripping environment and reality that was impossible to ignore.