For a moment, you cannot help but sympathize with the man who stands outside a grocery store to find that its automatic sliding glass doors won’t open for him. As he peers through the glass, a voiceover asks, "What if suddenly the doors didn’t open—doors to places to work?"
We then see an empty basketball court, with guys in the distant background staring through glass gymnasium doors, unable to get into the facility to shoot some hoops. The voiceover continues, "Doors to places to play?"
Next we see a woman who’s frustrated because she cannot open the front door to a house. It appears as if she’s locked out. "And even places to live," the voiceover goes on.
Finally, these scenes are put into perspective, at which point we realize that we are identifying with the mentally retarded. The voiceover relates, "This is what the world often feels like to people with developmental disabilities."
We then see the supermarket doors open and the gym become accessible. "That’s why since 1957, ARCA has been opening doors for Albuquerque’s most vulnerable citizens—doors to new opportunities," the voiceover says, at which point we see the man working in the supermarket, pushing carts and putting price tags on shelf merchandise.
"[Doors to] new experiences," continues the voiceover over a scene of the gym rats playing a fun game of basketball.
"And even new places to call home," the voiceover notes, as the earlier shut-out woman is shown inside the house.
The voiceover urges, "Give to ARCA and help us to open another door."
The ARCA logo appears on screen, accompanied by the slogan, "Opening doors," a phone number and a Web site address (www.ARCAOpeningDoors.org). The spot concludes with the woman’s smiling face, as she’s happy to have finally found a place she can call home.
ARCA offers job placement and development skills for those with disabilities, residential services such as assisted and supported living, foster care and adoption programs for medically fragile children, literacy instruction, and respites/relief support for families caring for relatives with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The nonprofit organization operates 100 residences and serves more than 400 individuals daily.
The on-camera talent in the spot consisted of real people who have benefited from ARCA services. Titled "Doors," the :30 is part of a branding campaign for ARCA created by Rick Johnson & Company Advertising, Albuquerque, N.M. The agency team consisted of VP/creative director Sam Maclay, copywriter Adam Greenhood and art director Steve Hinckle.
"Our goal was to demonstrate the struggles that many mentally disabled people are faced with every day," said Greenhood. "To communicate what ARCA does, we thought the visual power of having closed doors opening would be memorable and poignant."
The spot was directed, shot and edited by Michael Oleksinski via Albuquerque-based Sterling Productions, Rick Johnson’s in-house production arm. Oleksinski is a freelance helmer. Sterling Grant Jr. executive produced for Sterling Productions, and served as agency producer.
Colorist was Steve Franco of Video Post & Transfer, Dallas. Audio post mixer was John Wagner of John Wagner Studios, Albuquerque.
