Young & Rubicam Group, with the creative executive direction of Vicky Gitto, and Filmmaster Productions present the new 30″ commercial for Progetto Itaca – association of volunteers in support of people who suffer from mental diseases – whose aim is to reinforce the project of integrated communication in order to demobilize the public opinion about the mental disease. The campaign is called “Silent Film” and it is a real silent film. It was previewed on Saturday October 20 at the Ex Ansaldo Area in Milan during the ItacaLive 2012 event.
A very important project for a good cause which involved the best of the Italian advertising (creativity, production, direction) and Thomas Trabacchi, among the actors most active in the cinema and TV industry not only Italian but also International one. He was the only Italian actor to play with Dustin Hoffman in “Barney’s Version” movie.
The new TV campaign is set between the end of twenties and the beginning of thirties and create the typical atmosphere of the silent film. The main character is sad and abandoned, he can’t express his uneasiness, his thought is communicated through posters, from his mouth no word comes out. Time passes by and the situation does not get better till when he realizes that the only way to solve it is to talk about it. “To talk. Talking is the first step to feel better”. The word breaks the silence, the silent film becomes a talking film.
To follow faithfully the concept of the campaign created by Young & Rubicam Group, the director Marco Gentile used cinema techniques of the silent films inspiring by the masters of the Berlin school such as Fritz Lang and Ernst Lubitsch and also by the directors of the American cinema such as David Wark Griffith.
The obsession of details and the elegant style of scenography and costumes created a result incredibly faithful to that period also thanks to the great interpretation of Thomas Trabacchi, who with his professionalism made this project special. The actor adopted the acting technics of that time which required mime emphasis, exaggeration of facial expressiveness and of corporal movements because the emotional message and the aim of the director could reach the public.
Marco Gentile explained “The commercial is an inspiration to the filmography of German expressionism. We used typical technics of the silent films where the scenes were shot with a fixed camera, the sound didn’t exist and the use of light was totally different. In postproduction we worked on the light and added a shelled film and optics used in the sixties to make the effect more incisive. I am very happy to contribute with my work to such an important cause as Progetto Itaca and to have had the involvement of everybody to obtain this beautiful product. Special thanks to Thomas who was able to play perfectly my idea of the main character through his great professionalism and devotion.
Thomas Trabacchi says “I feel myself fortunate to have the chance of taking part to the ad for Progetto Itaca, which looks after mental diseases, problem that regards more and more people in our country. The aim of the campaign is to invite people talking about their problem, people who are suffering usually don’t ask for help. If only one person in a million found the courage to communicate thanks to the message of the ad, I would be very proud of it. From an artistic point of view I think that a beautiful product is born from the collaboration with Marco Gentile. I regard Marco very highly and his way to work on the set and the encounter with him was special. He is a person of rare sensibility, and with great cinema capabilities and I think that he has all the potential to tell his stories at the big screen.
Silent Film wants to communicate with people who suffer or with anyone who has got someone diseased. In addition Silent Film wants to communicate that it’s free to call the listening line of Progetto Itaca and talk with the volunteers of the association.
The ad is planned to be on air on the major TV networks in the first quarter of 2013.
Credits
Client: Progetto Itaca – associazione no profit
Agency: Young & Rubicam Group
Group Executive Creative Director: Vicky Gitto
Creative Director (copywriter): Dario Alesani
Creative Director (art director): Umberto Mauri
Account management: Chiara Bergamaschi
Press Office: Burson-Marsteller
Manager: Francesca Osella
Account associate: Gioele Grisetti
Cdp: Filmmaster Productions
Executive producer: Lorenzo Cefis
Producer: Elena Marabelli
Communication director: Francesca Marchi
Press Office Manager: Silvia Giorgi
Director: Marco Gentile
Leading Actor: Thomas Trabacchi
Post Production: Post Atomic
Producer: Jacopo Bonfanti
Off line editor: Tommaso Bianchi
On line editor: Davide Lo Vetro
Sound engineer: Eddy Fortini
Musical composition: Ferdinando Arnò
Disclaimer: Young&Rubicam Group, Burson.Marsteller, Filmmaster Productions, Post Atomic in support of Progetto Itaca pro bono – no fee will be given to the companies for their support of the initiative.
