If not golden, silence is at least attention getting in this :30 for New York’s nonprofit Citymeals-on-Wheels, out of Urban Advertising, New York. Indeed a minimalist approach–a virtual still life with nary a sound–stands out in sharp contrast to the spot clatter clamoring for viewers.
The PSA consists of one shot–an elderly woman seated at a kitchen table, her right hand holding onto a walking cane. The strategy is simply to show the isolation and loneliness that many homebound senior citizens endure daily.
“When you’re constantly being hit with hop-hop thumping commercials and Donald Trump barking catch-phrases, there is nothing quite as disruptive as silence,” said Urban writer Jeff Lang, who conceived the spot along with art director Ellen Dedman.
“Our goal was to disturb viewers a little bit, in a way they’re not immune to,” said Dedman.
“The spot is only thirty seconds long but it feels endless, which is precisely the aspect of these people’s lives that we wanted to capture said Mitchell Goldman of Finally Famous Films, New York, who directed the piece.
A voiceover by actress Kathleen Turner finally breaks the spot silence. A member of the Citymeals-on-Wheels board, Turner says of the old woman on camera, “There are 86,400 seconds in her day. These are only thirty of them. Help Citymeals-on-Wheels make sure that New York’s homebound elderly aren’t left hungry and alone.”
Citymeals hopes to gain local airtime and is exploring cinema exposure for “Silence.”
The Urban team consisted of creative director Bernard Urban, writer Lang, art director Dedman and producer Sherri Hollander.
Hillary Cutter produced for Finally Famous Films. The DP was Robert Omer. Production designer was Justine Simonson. The woman on camera was Paddy Croft.
Richard Rosenbaum of Convergence, New York, edited the spot, with Bryce Leysath serving as assistant editor. Kristin McQuillan produced for Convergence. The colorist was Ron Sudel of Nice Shoes, New York. Anthony Erice of Tonic, New York, was the audio mixer. Tonic’s Jun Mizumachi was the sound designer.