Directed by Joseph Paul, “Big Crow” paints a world where scarecrows are terrified of crows. This is the first short film produced by DROOL Productions, which was founded by director Freddie Powell and EP Genevieve Sheppard.
DROOL initiated “Big Crow” as a passion project, reinvesting in the creative process.
“Nobody questions scarecrows. They have been ruling the roost for over 100 years. What happens when the crows get revenge?” asked Paul. “We wanted to make a project that pushes the work we love: playful with a high level of craft.”
Powell added “We make a lot of ads. So it’s just nice to put something out there that people have no idea why it exists but they’re happy it does. Sometimes all you need is a bunch of trusted partners, some Kodak film you’d wanted to test out, and a massive field.”
CreditsProduction Company DROOL Joseph Paul, director; Freddie Powell, Genevieve Sheppard, exec producers; Heeva Hamed, producer; Natasha Duursma, DP; Ayesha Linton-Whittole, production & costume design; Tabitha Mei-Bo Li, hair & makeup. Richard Cooke, animal handler; Elliot Janks, scarecrow. Editorial Trim Editing Joseph Henshaw, editor; Lucy Glyn, offline producer. VFX/Postproduction Untold Studios Tom Iggleston, VFX exec producer; Ella Glazer, VFX producer; Alex Grey, VFX supervisor; George Rockliffe, VFX lead; Lucas Girault, VFX artist. Sound Design Sam Ashwell, Marcin Pawlik, sound designer. Music Michalis Anthisn, composition; Olivia Ray, sound producer.
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