According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by the year 2050. This film created in partnership with Google, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, United Nations and Tribeca Enterprise–and narrated by Morgan Freeman–identifies this new sea inhabitant.
And sadly, the COVID-19 global pandemic may expedite this terrifying prediction. The WEF recently reported that in Thailand plastic waste has increased from 1,500 tons to 6,300 tons per day, owing to soaring home deliveries of food. In the United Kingdom, illegal waste disposal has risen by 300 percent.
In just a few decades we could have plastic waste swimming in every corner of our planet, decimating entire fish species and ecosystems along the way.
Titled Life Below Water: The Arrival of a New Species, the underwater short has all the elements of a well-crafted, modern-day nature documentary, while it provides a sneak peek into the future of our oceans in a world where plastic pollution continues to increase at its current rate. Tribeca filmmaker Brian Schulz directed the piece.
The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 —also titled “Life Below Water”—and to inspire a new generation of activists to take action. Because if they don’t act, much more than just nature documentaries will transform in our time.
“Ocean pollution has an impact on the food we eat, the air we breathe, land and wildlife across the globe, and our overall health and wellness. Not to mention the wide range of social and economic burdens that will grow steadily as the problem gets worse. Every part of our life is affected by the health of our oceans, so ignoring the problem will prove more detrimental than we can imagine,” said Kate Baynham, associate creative director at Goody Silverstein & Partners.
In the coming months, Life Below Water will be featured at the UN General Assembly, the Tribeca Film Festival, and Advertising Week 2020. The piece will appear next to the work of campaigns from seven other agencies around the world, all of whom, along with Goodby Silverstein & Partners, were selected by the UN, YouTube and Google to create films raising awareness of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
CreditsClient United Nations Frances Simpson-Allen, partnerships lead, sustainable development goals. Google Danielle Landress, Olivia Jovais, product marketing managers; Paul Eyers, Jeff Blankstein, Paula Castro, creative partnerships lead. Tribeca Nina Chaudry, VP production. Agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco Jeff Goodby, Rich Silverstein, co-chairmen; Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer; Hanna Wittmark, Kate Baynham, associate creative directors; Eleanor Rask, art director; Trevor Joplin, copywriter; Ryan Self, design director; Benny Gold, designer; Bonnie Wan, partner, head of brand strategy; Christine Chen, partner, head of communication strategy; Jacob Sperla, sr. communications strategist; Darien Ahn, brand strategist; Leila Gage, head of broadcast production; Tod Puckett, director of film and music curation. Production Spacestation, New York Brian Schulz, director; Chris Bryan, DP; Melanie Paul, Matthew Mills, exec producers; Ellie Cano, production manager; Marni Ellis, postproduction supervisor; Sharika Ajaikumar, editor; Chang Wang, assistant editor. On Location Team Robbie Gonzalez, diving services director; Giovanni Gonzalez, diving services coordinator; Daniel Alamilla, Felipe Ancona, Chuck, safety divers. Editorial Elevel, San Francisco Graham Willcox, editor; Liz Norris, assistant editor; Michael Damiani, director of Elevel; Allison Lambert, post producer. Music Elias Music, bicoastal Jonathan Elias, composer. Sound Design & Mix Lime Studios, Santa Monica, Calif. Joel Waters, sound designer/mixer; Collin Thomas, assistant mixer. VFX Elevel Mike Landry, creative director; Nathan Shipley, technical director; Luke Davisson, motion artist. VFX a52 Jesse Monsour, Pat Murphy, VFX supervisors; Kevin Stokes, John Valle, Flame artists; Andrew Romatz, CG supervisor; Aemilia Widodo, Ariana Ziae-Mohseni, Joe Paniagua, Michael Bettinardi, Josh Dyer, CG artists; Drew Rissman, VFX producer; Kimi Christensen, Patrick Nugent, exec producers; Jennifer Sofio Hall, managing director. Color a52 Color Gregory Reese, colorist; Jenny Bright, sr. color producer; Thatcher Peterson, exec producer; Jennifer Sofio Hall, managing director.
NHS England, M&C Saatchi UK, Director Tom Tagholm Team On PSA Highlighting The Overlooked Signs Of A Stroke
National Health Service (NHS) England has unveiled a multichannel campaign, “Act FAST,” to raise awareness of the individual signs of a stroke and get people to call 999 as soon as they suspect they may be experiencing any one symptom. The push, which is part of the ongoing “Help Us, Help You” campaign, was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.
The campaign depicts everyday situations where everything might seem relatively normal, but where there’s the sign of someone experiencing a stroke.
A key component of the campaign is this :30--directed by Tom Tagholm of Various Films--which sets up the idea that initially, a stroke might not seem like much, highlighting key symptoms: from struggling to use a paint roller, to not being able to smile when watching TV, to slurring your speech when reading a story to your grandchild. The PSA emphasizes that time is critical, ending with the line: “Face or arm or speech, at the first sign, it’s time to call 999.”
Jo Bacon, Group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, said, “We want to ensure people take action on the first symptom, rather than waiting for more conclusive signs. To help them understand that even when everything seems normal, something serious might be happening.”
Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi UK, commented: “This is important work. We wanted to explore that precise moment when your world shifts, quietly yet powerfully, off its axis during a stroke. We highlight how a tiny external moment can actually be seismic—an extraordinary gear change, framed in a really ordinary way.”
Director Tagholm shared, “My Dad suffered a stroke a few years ago and was saved from the worst by acting quickly, and by the work of the NHS. So there’s... Read More