With a filmography marked by emotional resonance and social relevance, John X. Carey attained his highest profile example of those dynamics coming together in the form of a lauded campaign out of Ogilvy Brazil: Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches.”
In the Dove short, a forensic sketch artist–who formerly worked for the San Jose Police Department–draws women based on self-descriptions and how others describe them. The differences are striking, underscoring that women’s self-image falls short of capturing their true beauty, as more accurately reflected through the eyes of others. The artist never actually sees the women he sketches. His drawings are based solely on the verbal descriptions given to him.
“Real Beauty Sketches” has thus far amassed well over 56 million views on YouTube and back in June won the Titanium Grand Prix at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity as well as an Integrated Gold Lion. The campaign additionally picked up a One Show Gold Pencil, among other honors.
Praise is seemingly universal throughout the industry for the Dove premise and execution. For example, asked by SHOOT to assess this year’s best work, Chris Graves, chief creative officer at Team One, cited a couple of projects, one being Ogilvy Brazil’s Dove. “I loved the Dove ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ for its sheer emotional power and insight,” affirmed Graves.
As for what he liked most in the Cannes competition, Matt Eastwood, chief creative officer of DDB New York, singled out several winning entries, including “Real Beauty Sketches” as “an example of something not just great for the brand but for society.”
Indeed Carey’s work over his still young career exhibits a social conscience and is imbued with humanity. Back when he was with production house The Famous Group, Carey made his first major industry splash with The Anti-Drug program’s “Harlem Elvis” which earned an AICP Show honor in the Spec Spot category. In the spec piece from Draftfcb, New York, we meet Elvis, a young man from the streets of Harlem who tragically lost his mother at the tender age of 16. Elvis extols the virtues of living each moment to the fullest, his infectious optimism inspiring hope and passion in the audience.
Independently Carey directed and edited Illegal (SHOOTonline, 7/6/12), a short featuring touching portraits of undocumented youngsters in America. Illegal also includes interviews with activists, policymakers, non-profit leaders, educators and clergy members. Done for client illegalmovie.org, the short underscores the importance of enacting immigration reform. Illegal was screened at the 2012 Austin Film Festival.
“I’m really not all that political. I’m just interested in capturing human stories,” explained Carey. In that vein, Carey’s credits also include a digital campaign for eBay through Digitas which consists of intimate profiles of people using the popular website service. One spot tells the story of Ed Church who, after 32 years of searching, finds the very same 1958 Harley-Davidson motorcycle on eBay that he bought as a teenager.
New chapter Carey directed “Real Beauty Sketches” during his stay at Paranoid US. He has since started a new chapter in his career, moving over this month to Tool of North America. Carey said of his new roost, “It’s a top-tier production house with wonderful people offering wonderful support.” He hopes the shop’s progressive orientation spanning multiple platforms will continue to open up new creative opportunities for him.
Reflecting back on “Real Beauty Sketches,” Carey credited both Dove and Ogilvy for taking a leap of faith. “There was always the chance the idea wouldn’t work out. But they were willing to be on board and risk that–not trying to change anything if the results didn’t pan out. That’s the commitment you need for this kind of documentary filmmaking based on a social experiment. It shows the potential that can be realized when agencies and brands are open and willing to explore and experiment.”
Casting was also critical. “We used genuine real people, worked with local casting directors, referrals from friends, finding people between jobs. None of them had been on camera before,” related Carey. “There was no makeup, just women as themselves. We filmed for three days and each woman was there every day. The first two days we filmed the women and the strangers describing them. Then the third day we filmed the reveal and that’s when it all fit together.”
Carey particularly remembers Florence when she saw her sketches for the first time. “There was a sense of relief when she saw herself as she really is–that she is more beautiful than she thinks. It was a dramatic moment, very personal and all tied into self-esteem.”
While the off-the-chart success of “Real Beauty Sketches” is well documented, there’s still room for improvement, said Carey. He noted that the experiment didn’t have as much diversity as everyone would have liked. The participants were all “Caucasian people,” he said, expressing hope that the range of ethnicities and skin colors could be expanded in future campaigns.
The Dove fare reflects Carey’s penchant for personal human interest stories. “That’s what brings it all together for me.”
