Campaign For Childsavers

About

Studio108, the full-service production, editorial, and audio company, recently joined forces with Burford Advertising to create an inventive series of two-part, cross-platform spots for Childsavers, a non-profit dedicated to helping children with developmental and emotional issues.

“The idea was very innovative,” notes Studio 108 director, Jack Hartmann. “The first component is a TV spot that sets up a story about a child facing a specific challenge - such as dealing with the loss of a parent, abuse, etc. Then, at the end of the TV spot the viewer is prompted to go to childsavers.org to see the rest of the story. The long-form website spot opens with the TV commercial, and then continues – in the same documentary style - following the child’s progress and their interaction with Childsavers as the organization helps them get their lives back on track.

“We were attracted to the project because it raises awareness of an important issue,” notes Hartmann, “At the same time, it gave Studio 108’s creative team an opportunity to work on an innovative concept that bridged the gap between tradition television and the Internet to create a single cohesive message, which was a first for us.”


The two-part spot allows the message to reach broadcast television’s expansive audience within the timeframe of a traditional 30-second spot – and then the tie-in to the webs spot provided the time needed to tell the whole story. The four two-part spots, ‘EllieTV’/’EllieWeb,’ ‘MichaelTV’/’MichaelWeb,' ‘JennyTV'/’JennyWeb,' and ' ‘LutherTV'/'LutherWeb.’


Studio 108’s full-service approach to production, editing, audio mixing and music allowed its team to meet the challenge of a tight deadline and limited budget. Director Jack Hartmann, DP and editor Graham Copeland, and producer Ula Wozniak worked as a unit, carefully planning the logistics of the production.

Hartmann directed a total of 33 scenes for the four spots in a single day. The interviews with the therapists were shot at Studio 108 in its in-house studio on the second day, and a third day was dedicated to shooting interior and exterior scenes with the kids at three locations in Richmond.

“We familiarized ourselves with the locations, explored different options, and blocked out shots ahead of time, so that we could make efficient use of our time on the day of the shoot.”

“Each spot had a very personal message so we really immersed ourselves in these stories to get our heads into the characters. Directing children presents its own unique set of challenges,” adds Hartmann. “ And we knew we’d only have time for a few takes of each scene, so putting them at ease was key to getting natural performances. And, although creating that relaxed atmosphere and making the kids comfortable took a little time upfront, it worked: We shot almost three-dozen scenes and wrapped seven-minutes ahead of schedule.”

Efficiently planning the logistics of a shoot during the pre-production phases of the project, enabled Hartmann to focus on directing – and getting compelling performances and beautiful cinematography. Studio 108 used two cameras to create a documentary-like feel. DP Graham Copeland lensed the wide shots with the Canon 5D and Anna Kolantis operated the B-camera, a Canon 7D, fitted with close-up lens.



Hartmann is skilled at capturing the small moments that make a story resonate with its audience. He added depth to the campaign with intimate shots - such as a glimpse of a child peeking through the stair railings as she witnesses a violent altercation between her mother and her mother’s boyfriend and a POV shot of a violent father chasing his son down a hallway.

Studio 108’s concept-through-completion approach affords its team the opportunity to bring their aesthetic sensibilities to every phase of the project. Graham Copeland brought the trained eye of a DP to his role as editor, manipulating the color grading of the footage to reflect the mood of each vignette as the story unfolded. The company also provided audio post production services for the project in their Pro Tools 8 suite.

“I used a de-saturated color pallet at the beginning of the spots when the dramatic and negative elements of the story are revealed, and then progressively transitioning into warmer tones, as the child’s situation take a turn for the better,” says Copeland.

“This campaign gave Studio 108 an opportunity to bring a truly inventive concept to life, and work with a world-class agency,” adds Hartmann. “Doug Burford is in the advertising Hall of Fame for a reason. He knows how to get the most out the collaborative process when working with other creatives and makes each project the best it can be.”

Credits

CREDITS:
CLIENT: Childsavers: PROJECT Four Broadcast TV/Internet Spots:
TITLES: Length: ‘Ellie/TV,’ ‘Ellie Web’ ‘Michael/TV,’ Michael/Web,’ Jenny/TV,’ Jenny Web,’ Luther/TV,’ Luther/Web.’

AGENCY: Burford Company Advertising/Richmond
Copywriter: Doug Burford
Agency Producer: Ashley Burke

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Studio 108/Richmond
Director: Jack Hartmann
Director of Photography: Graham Copeland
DP/B Camera: Anna Kolantis
Producer: Ula Wozniak
Gaffer; Nick DiMartino

EDITORIAL COMPANY: Studio 108/Richmond
Editor: Graham Copeland

AUDIO COMPANY: Studio 108/Richmond

Technical Info

Studio 108 used two cameras to create a documentary-like feel. DP Graham Copeland lensed the wide shots with the Canon 5D and Anna Kolantis operated the B-camera, a Canon 7D, fitted with close-up lens.