What do you say to parents who just had a child with Down syndrome? You can say almost anything, but the only bad word you can say is the one that begins with the letter “S.”
Titled “The ‘S’ Word,” this video is at the center of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society’s “Anything But Sorry” campaign created and produced by FCB Canada. The video features people with Down syndrome sharing alternate things to say to these new parents–using every inappropriate phrase they know except “sorry.” The point is that the most inappropriate thing to say to parents of a child born with Down syndrome is “sorry” and that the birth of every child should be celebrated.
The current campaign is the follow-up to last year’s “Down Syndrome Answers” which was Canada’s most-awarded campaign in Cannes (2017) with 10 Lions and made FCB Canada the most-awarded Canadian agency in Cannes (2017).
Credits
Client Canadian Down Syndrome Society Agency FCB Canada Nanci Crimi-Lamanna, Jeff Hilts, chief creative officers; Marty Hoefkes, sr. copywriter; Michael Morelli, sr. art director; Cody Sabatine, Gira Moin, art directors; Joseph Vernuccio, copywriter. Production FCB Canada Elias Campbell, director; Stephen Mcloughlin, DP. Editorial Rooster Post Production Chris Parkins, editor; Joey Whitelaw, assistant editor; Melissa Kahn, exec producer. Casting Jigsaw Casting Shasta Lutz Telecine The Vanity Andrew Exworth, colorist. Online Fort York Ernie Mordak, Flame artist; Melissa Vasiliev, assistant Flame artist; Armen Bunag, producer. Music Grayson Matthews Mark Domitric, music producer; Igor Correia, music supervisor; Brian Bernard, sound engineer; Ben Swarbrick, Laura Titchner, sound designers; Sharon Yokoyama, producer; Nicholas Shaw, project coordinator.
FCB Health New York, an IPG Health company, and SAFE Project have joined forces to create “The Snowball,” a short film that spotlights winter as a common catalyst for dangerous increases in alcohol consumption. In collaboration with creative studio LOBO, “The Snowball” combines a compelling visual metaphor with cutting-edge animation and a haunting soundtrack from Billie Holiday.
As millions embrace “Dry January,” the onset of colder, shorter winter days still leads to an uptick in alcohol misuse, which can lead to liver cirrhosis and other medical maladies and dangerous consequences for one’s life. Speaking to casual drinkers, “The Snowball” visually illustrates how anyone is at risk of becoming addicted to alcohol during this time of year when external climate variables can lead to excess consumption, even if the drinker does not immediately realize it.
Making good on the metaphor, the film follows one man as a quick liquor run gradually devolves into a full-blown addiction as a snowball gradually grows beside him, engulfing his whole life and eventually causing his demise. Set to the tune of Billie Holiday’s “Everything I Have Is Yours,” the film’s pathos is drawn from the sonic integrity of Holiday’s original recording maintained in the sound design as well as the singer’s tragic battle with substance abuse.
This entirely animated film was created using a hands-on, collaborative process rooted in traditional animation techniques, with every aspect of the artwork creation, design, and craftsmanship crafted entirely by human hands. AI-driven tools and processes were brought in during the animation rendering stage, helping the film achieve a distinct visual style that would have been difficult to achieve through... Read More
