In the battle to keep us safe, sometimes the frontlines are in our own backyards. The latest campaign from McCann New York for the U.S. Army National Guard, “Hometown Heroes,” takes a cinematic approach to show prospective recruits that National Guard soldiers have the opportunity to serve by fighting increasingly dangerous enemies here at home, including fires and floods.
Directed by Henry-Alex Rubin of Smuggler for McCann New York, the two-spot campaign includes this piece, “Fire,” which at the outset looks like a trailer for a new war movie or video game. It’s then revealed that, in fact, what we’re witnessing is a demonstration of the U.S. Army National Guard at work. In “Fire,” we see soldiers battling the growing danger of a wildfire–saving families and protecting their community from danger.
The campaign features actual U.S. Army National Guard soldiers demonstrating the jobs they do while they simultaneously maintain careers, families and even go to school. After decades of conflict overseas, many prospective recruits are looking for a different way to serve their country. McCann New York’s “Hometown Heroes” creatively shows them that they can make a difference and save lives in their own communities by joining the National Guard.
Credits
Client U.S. National Guard Agency McCann New York Sean Bryan, Tom Murphy, co-chief creative officers; David Banta, executive creative director; Sherrod Melvin, group creative director/art director; Josh Grossberg, group creative director/copywriter; Nathy Aviram, chief production officer; James Lawson, producer; Mike Medieros, executive strategy director; Claire Stewart, sr. strategist. Production Smuggler Henry-Alex Rubin, director; Patrick Milling Smith, Allison Kunzman, exec producers; Leah Allina, producer. Editorial Work Editorial Kyle Valenta, editor; Erica Thompson, exec producer. Postproduction Framestore Murray Butler, executive creative director; Nick Fraser, sr. producer; Karch Coon, compositor; Tim Masick, colorist. Music JSM Music Joel Simon, CEO/CCO/co-composer; Sean Hayden, Jason Krebs, co-composers; Jeff Fiorello, exec producer; Norm Felker, Andrew Manning producers.
Tom Tagholm of Various Films directed this moving piece for the U.K.โs Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) out of creative agency MullenLowe UK.
Focused on adult social care, the public service film delves into the world of care providers and how they connect with those they help. We feel how gratifying it is to assist people in daily tasks, the value it brings to their lives--and to the lives of those who provide this special care.
Itโs a special career for people who might not have previously considered the role. Itโs about a fulfilling job that fulfills lives. Thereโs a shared, reciprocal energy that emerges from working together in this way.
Capturing this dynamic and doing justice to this human story grew out of the creatives and filmmaker spending an extended amount of time in this world--long before any scheduled lensing. At this juncture, there were no cameras, just getting to know those involved--sharing tea and chatting, driven by a curiosity about life.
And this facilitated down the line the capturing of real human stories--trying not to get in the way of the natural rhythms of these special relationships as they unfolded. The mission was to recognize and capture all this--and in some cases uncover the significant moments and feelings inside of an apparently normal day. At the same time, the role of adult special care providers isnโt sugarcoated. There are challenges on both sides of the relationship. Yet there is a magic to the seemingly mundane, practical beats in a life--getting from point A to point B, answering emails, shopping, the daily tasks where the connection felt the most vivid and inspiring. One such task was seeing a man in a kitchen, cutting an onion for the first time, experiencing the joy of cooking.
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