Using humor as a means to show and combat the plight of child hunger would seem a risky creative proposition at best. Yet in "Tray," a :30 for the Food Banks of Northern California, this unorthodox approach from agency Butler, Shine & Stern, Sausalito, Calif., effectively and poignantly conveys the desired message.
We open in a school cafeteria where a bespectacled young girl—probably a middle school student, who seems a bit klutzy and certainly doesn’t appear to be Miss Popularity—holds a tray full of food. It’s lunchtime circa the 1970s and she’s standing in the cafeteria, surveying the room to find a place to sit.
A seated girlfriend spots her tray-carrying classmate and calls her name, Maria. Clearly happy to see a friendly face, the excited Maria spills everything off her tray and onto the floor.
The seated girl cowers in the face of her friend’s mishap. We hear derisive laughter break out in the cafeteria as the image of Maria, an embarrassed teen with nowhere to hide, reminds us of our own awkward adolescence.
A piece of ruled notebook paper fills the screen, with "School lunch" written near the top. Another sentence appears beneath: "You may not miss it, but every summer, there are kids who do." A male voiceover utters the same message.
The PSA next cuts to a logo of a small milk box—the kind served with school lunches. On the box is written a Web site address. Beneath the box is supered info: "Contact the Food Bank," plus a toll-free phone number (1-800-870-FOOD) and the address that’s on the box of milk (www.summerlunch.org).
The voiceover then urges action to help needy kids during the summer: "When school gets out, make sure no child goes hungry."
Tom De Cerchio of Incubator Films, West Hollywood, directed this and two other similarly themed spots—"Girl & Boy" and "Garbage"—which comprise the Food Banks of Northern California campaign. In "Girl & Boy," two teens are eating their lunch in the cafeteria. When they look up and smile at each other, another lunchtime horror is revealed: The girl has a healthy portion of spinach wedged inside her braces. In "Garbage," a young boy sorts through the lunchroom trash to find (and immediately reinstall) … his retainer.
The Butler, Shine & Stern creative team consisted of creative directors John Butler and Mike Shine, art director Jerry Underwood, copywriter Nicole Michels and director of broadcast production/producer Stephanie Bunting.
De Cerchio’s support team at Incubator included exec producer Tamsin Prigge and producer Angela Sagaser. The DP was Thomas Kloss, with Rob Pearson serving as production designer.
Brian Lagerhausen of FilmCore San Francisco served as off- and online editor. Jon Ettinger executive produced for FilmCore. Colorist was Bob Curreri at R!OT, Santa Monica. Audio mixer was Eric Eckstein of One Union Recording Studios, San Francisco.
David Della Santa and Jimmy Harned of Rebar Sound, San Francisco, served as music composer and sound designer, respectively.
