Papyrus: Suicide Prevention Campaign
Client: Papyrus
Project: Unfinished Plans
Location: Liverpool, UK
Deliverables:
1x 90 sec brand film [16:9]
1 x 90 sec IGTV cut [9:16]
1x 90 sec square edit
2x 15 sec vertical Instagram Stories
30 high resolution 5K screen grabs
20+ behind-the-scenes photos/video clips
Dead Pixel did:
Pre-production & logistics
Casting
Filming
Directing
Sound recording & mixing
Editing
Quote of the Shoot:
“I was in Game of Thrones you know…”
Brief
Papyrus are the nation’s dedicated young suicide prevention charity.
As a pillar of their latest fundraising campaign, the charity required a short film that would depict the story of a suicide survivor named Mark. It was vital that the video be a raw, emotional and engaging piece of content, based on true accounts, that shares stories from his close friends & family surrounding their unfinished plans together.
The project had a tight deadline, requiring a two week turnaround for planning, filming and post-production, with all footage shot during one day at a single location.
Production
We put the call out for actors and received over 50 self tapes within 3 days. We filtered through each and every audition and after much deliberation we selected 4 talented actors.
We developed a strict filming schedule that would allow us enough time with each actor (coming from around the UK) and minimising the amount of people required on set at once. In addition to our client, we operated a three-person crew consisting of DOP, Director/Producer and Sound Recordist.
Filming took place on a crisp day in Liverpool with each scene shot in a different room of the house. We paid particular attention to lighting and set design creating a feeling of four completely different locations at different times of day. We used the new aputure 300x bi colour LED and lantern for our key light and a nice strong 300D firing through the windows.
All footage was captured using the RED Gemini 5K cinema camera and sigma art lenses.
Press play for a behind-the-scenes look…
Post-production
All content was graded and edited within our studio over the course of one week.
We tested multiple avenues, with and without music, and incorporated atmospheric sound design to create a more real and captivating story.
Once the main film was approved by our client, we produced a series of assets that were tailor-made for each channel - giving Papyrus plenty of content to utilise in their campaign to help increase donations.
For more information about the campaign, or advice from the charity, visit Papyrus | Unfinished Plans
Alternatively, you can visit the Unfinished Plans JustGiving campaign page
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or concerned about someone who could be, please call HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141.
The campaign is collaboration with Hamell Communications and Po.Ke Marketing.
“The film needed to be empathetic, beautiful, emotional and impactful, without looking crass or controversial. The guys helped with script, planning, story boarding and recruited some wonderful actors. The film itself is stunning and the receptions from the audience was lovely to see.”
