This pro bono :30 from New York ad agency Pedone & Partners opens on a close-up of a broken trophy. Supered underneath the statuette is the first sentence of a real-life story: "Angela entered the E.R. at 7:52 pm," …
From the POV of looking through a kitchen doorway, we see an anxious young woman standing next to a small child seated in a high chair.
The camera returns to the trophy, and an accompanying subtitle continues the tale, telling us that Angela’s head was "wrapped in a bloody towel."
Back in our kitchen-doorway perspective, we witness a man peering into the refrigerator, as if seeking something to eat.
The spot switches again to the close-up of the trophy. This time the super reads, "She burned dinner."
The camera returns to the kitchen, where we see the man tensely scratching his head. He stands near the woman, who is talking to him.
Again, cut back to the trophy, and a super stating, "Her husband grabbed the first thing he could find."
Peering through the kitchen doorway, we hear a smash and a scream; the man, enraged, walks in, then out of, frame. His wife crawls into view, across the kitchen floor.
Supers appear on screen in response to this disturbing scene. They state: "She needs us. /And we need you."
The end tag reads: "The Legal Aid Society/help," followed by the group’s Web site address: www.legal-aid.com.
This chilling, articulate case for financially supporting The Legal Aid Society of New York was conceived by a creative team at Pedone & Partners, consisting of executive VP/creative director Tom Cook, copywriter Ted Sabarese, art director Janice Salicrup, director of broadcast/producer Matt Pedone and assistant producer Sari Blumenfeld.
"Trophy" is one of three :30s in this campaign directed by Alison Maclean, who signed earlier this year with Park Pictures, New York, for spot and music video representation (SHOOT, 3/9, p. 7). The package marks the commercialmaking debut for feature filmmaker Maclean (Jesus’ Son).
Jackie Kelman and Jonna Mattingly were executive producers for Park Pictures. The line producer was Justin Pollack. The spots were shot by DP Jim Fealy.
Hank Corwin of bicoastal Lost Planet edited the campaign; Susan Grogin executive-produced for Lost Planet.
Contributors from New York-based Nice Shoes were Inferno artist Tim Crean, colorist Scott Burch and Henry editor Kevin Wade. Sound designer/audio mixer was Tim Barnes of Quakebasket, New York.
The three spots are based on true stories drawn from The Legal Aid Society of New York’s case files. Each public service message is presented in the form of a flashback, with an inanimate object like the trophy playing an integral role. For example, "Wallet," another ad in the campaign, shows a man having a seizure. Due to cuts in Medicaid he can no longer afford to buy his medication. During a seizure, he needs to bite down on something flat—like a wallet—so that he doesn’t chew off his tongue. He struggles to grasp his wallet, which is just out of reach.
The campaign broke last month in New York.
