This stick figure animation PSA shows a mother’s journey from need to strength as she faces life with her infant. We begin by seeing her resources dwindling–a refrigerator that is emptied, money spent on medicine, a home which loses its heat, electricity and phone service. She visits a daycare center which vanishes before our eyes. Similarly so too does a bus she’s about to board with her child.
The young mother arrives at a cafe where she works at a waitress. She is with her infant since she couldn’t get daycare. Her boss points to his watch, signifying that she is late. Her waitress uniform disappears in an instant and she is left with no job.
She then visits the Women’s Center and her pencil outline turns to one made of blue marker pen, signifying a defining change from instability to security. At the Women’s Center she sees people holding up signs representing resources she can tap into–healthcare, food, education, job training.
Back home with food in the fridge, medicine in the bathroom cabinet, our mom then goes on to drop off her infant at a daycare center. She hops on a bus and heads to a computer training class. She eventually lands a job; on her desk is a picture of her baby. She returns home to a happy baby and life.
We then see her taking her infant for a walk in a baby carriage. She comes upon another mother and young girl seated on a bench–they both are drawn in the pencil rendering our initial mom and child were outlined in. The first mom approaches the woman on the bench, reaches out and touches her–the pencil turns to a blue marker pen outline defining both the new mother and child. Indeed paying it forward and helping others is part of the program.
An end tag asks for donations, with a website address–Bethatwoman.org–where we can get more info.
This longer form PSA debuted at the Washington D.C. Area Women’s Foundation’s annual leadership luncheon October 20. The Women’s Foundation is hoping people will take the video viral, get the word out, and get involved. Email, Facebook, and LinkedIn are being mobilized by a base of thousands of the D.C. area’s most powerful women. While its origins are in the D.C. area, the idea is to unleash a wave of philanthropy among women’s groups and people who are impacted by women’s issues everywhere, initiating a national dialogue. The video is powered through YouTube, and will soon be available on the YouTube non-profit channel, which will allow it to link to a current fundraising effort and challenge grant.
The “Be That Woman” PSA was created by RP3 Agency in Bethesda, MD. RP3 Agency arranged the donation of production services from director/animator Candy Guard of London-based Sherbet Productions, known for her simplistic animations and humorous style.
Clean Cuts Music created the original score, which was played by several members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Clean Cuts composer was Chris Kennedy. Cerebral Lounge finished the piece with Stuart Smith serving as editor. Clean Cuts and Cerebral Lounge are owned by Jack Heyrman who donated both companies’ time and talent to the project.
The RP3 creative team consisted of creative director Jim Lansbury, art directors Mike Hrizuk and Luis Erazo, and copywriter Elyse Gibson.
