It’s been said that the major battlefields are in everyday life—such as the classroom, the bedroom, the dancehall and the playground. These are where experiences take place that can leave the deepest emotional scars and help to shape one’s self-image.
In this public service :30 for Concerned Children’s Advertisers, a Canadian group looking to impart positive values to kids, we open on a girl in a school hallway, taking a drink from the water fountain. She looks down the hall to a group of girls who are staring at her—you can feel the tension even though a word has yet to be uttered.
And indeed, when those first words are heard, it becomes clear that we’re in the midst of a negative situation, showcasing just how cruel kids and peer pressure can sometimes be. One member of the group says of the girl at the drinking fountain, "Oh, there she goes. She’s such a loser."
The word "loser" appears on screen and heads straight for the lone girl, smacking her in the face. The next verbal barb is "What a geek." The word "geek" then hits its target, knocking the girl into some nearby lockers, and causing her to drop her books.
The group of girls laughs derisively at the flustered girl on the ground. The laughter becomes tangible in the form of "ha" graphics, which bombard the fallen girl, pelting her as she kneels on the floor to gather her books and papers. She tries to protect herself from the barrage of laughter, and attempts to shoo the words away, but the onslaught becomes unbearable.
Finally, one of the group members sneers, "Get lost." Those two words chase the lone girl down the hallway and out the door.
A supered message appears on screen. It reads, "Words hurt. Don’t be a part of it." Then a small logo for Concerned Children’s Advertisers turns up at the bottom of the scene, along with a Web site address (www.cca-kids.ca).
Aptly titled "Words Hurt," the spot was directed by Linzi Knight of Hero Films, Toronto. (Knight is repped as a commercial director in the U.S. by V12, Santa Monica.) In addition to directing the live action, Knight served as graphic designer/director. The modeling and animation of the words was done by Chris Crozier of Red Rover Studios, Toronto.
A team from Publicis, Toronto, created the ad to address the problem of social bullying and show kids just how hurtful words can be. The agency creative ensemble consisted of creative directors Duncan Bruce and Pat Pirisi, art director Troy McGuinness, copywriter David Daga and producer Angela Carroll.
Danielle Araiche served as executive producer and line producer for Hero Films. The DP was Barry Parrell.
"Words Hurt" was edited by Brian Wells of Third Floor Editing, Toronto. Colorist was Eric Whipp of Manta DSP, Toronto. Audio mixer/sound designer was Ted Rosnick of Rosnick MacKinnon Webster, Toronto.
