An elderly woman, brightly clad in red sweats, does stretching exercises in the comfort of her living room. While the workout in this :30 titled "Stella" may seem a bit tame, a voiceover by MTV’s Kurt Loder explains that our senior citizen flexes some powerful political muscle.
"Stella Mason is a dangerous element, according to the government of China," relates Loder. "She’s causing trouble and they can’t stop her."
We see Stella painstakingly goose-stepping back and forth in front of her couch. At one point, the viewer hears her breathy counting, but see only the empty living room, as it takes some time for her to painstakingly march back into the picture. "Stella is a member of Amnesty International," continues Loder. "Stella knows when she writes a letter to the president of China, innocent Chinese citizens might not be arrested and tortured that day. And if enough members write in, maybe they’ll be set free."
As we then witness Stella determinedly completing some weary jumping jacks, Loder concludes: "Join Amnesty International during our fortieth anniversary and pressure human-rights abusers to stop what they’re doing—right from your home."
A graphics tag then imparts its own message, starting with a freeze-frame-like, bright-colored cutout of the woman in mid-jumping jack form, and altering into a series of boxes strung across the screen, each containing a word: "You," "Me," "Us," "Join" and "Act." Next the Amnesty International logo appears, accompanied by a toll-free phone number (1-800 Amnesty) and Web site address (amnestyusa.org).
Two other :30s in the campaign similarly show Steffanie and Oren engaging in mundane activities: the former waiting at a laundromat for her clothes to finish their spin cycle; and the latter looking through his refrigerator for a snack. Steffanie’s Amnesty International membership makes her "one of the most feared women in Bangladesh." And Oren is a thorn in the side of Columbia’s president.
The fourth and final spot is a :60 combining the stories of Steffanie, Oren and Stella.
Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners, New York, conceived this campaign, which shows how everyday people can make a difference via a simple brand of political activism: letter-writing and sending e-mails.
The agency team consisted of creative director Logan Wilmont, copywriter Ryan Blank, art director Mike Hahn and producer Michael Engleman.
Engleman noted that the spots’ subtle use of humor added to their overall impact. "In the past, Amnesty International has done PSAs that were very grave and serious in tone. These are more accessible in their humor, while still taking issues seriously."
The public service package was directed by feature filmmaker Tamara Jenkins (Slums of Beverly Hills) via Los Angeles-based Independent Media, a shop specializing in handling select longform directors for spot assignments. Susanne Preissler is Independent’s principal/ executive producer. Line producer on this job was David Marcellino. Hubbert Paczanowski served as DP.
John Zieman of Zap Edit, New York, edited the campaign. Sandra Dillon and Elyse Hanan were his assistant editor and executive producer, respectively. Zap’s Maury Loeb served as online editor.
Colorist was Scott Olive of Tape House Editorial, New York. Audio mixer was Joe Vagnoni of Photomag, New York.
Graphics were done by a team at Tröllback & Company, New York, comprising creative director/designer Antoine Tinguely, 3-D artist Chris Haak and producer Meghan O’Brien.
Music was composed by Malcolm Francis via Popular Beat Combo, New York.
