NSPCC – Work

Sensitive storytelling
for child protection

The NSPCC supports millions of children in difficult circumstances across the UK. Over the years we’ve used film and animation to help them speak with young people, covering complex issues like neglect, online bullying, sexual abuse and suicidal thoughts.

THE BRIEF

Lovers have been invited to create dozens of films and animations for the NSPCC over multiple years, campaigns and communication focuses. In some cases the emphasis has been on raising awareness or funds. In others, it’s simply to make a young person feel ok.

Finding the words

Pete’s Story

All Cushty

Wants vs Needs

Elsa’s Story

Online Bullying

Melissa’s Story

Somewhere New

Life’s Complicated

Zipit

Finding the words

Finding the words to talk about sexual abuse is one of the hardest things you can ask a young person to do. The intricacy of the technique used in this animation speaks to the delicacy with which these calls are handled by ChildLine counsellors, a subtle but important signal. Taking a typographic approach meant we were able to visualise how difficult it is to forming the words to talk. As the piece progresses these words appear more easily, capturing the progress the young caller is making.

Pete’s Story

Pete’s Story explores the claustrophobia of an abusive upbringing as well as its long lasting effects. Based on first hand accounts ‘Pete’ talks us through the various ways in which his mother’s abusive side created a nightmare environment in which to try to grow up.

All Cushty

Peer accounts of the dangers of gang culture became the basis of this piece reaching out to parents. When someone you love is involved in a dangerous situation, you need the right mixture of urgent reality check and tangible actions to help them escape.

Wants vs Needs

Neglect is an issue that young people often don't actually realise they're facing, because they think what's happening is normal. Rather than delivering a single viewpoint on neglect, we decided it would be helpful for the young person to hear other young people talking about the difference between ‘wants’ and ‘needs’. This provided a way to gently cover the subject and let the viewer notice the commonly agreed ‘needs’ all young people have a right to have met.

Elsa’s Story

Elsa’s Story takes us on a journey from Eritrea to the UK at the violent hands of her abusive traffickers. This brutally true first-person account was built up through a series of interviews before being retold visually with animation. As with all our animations for the NSPCC, the time-intensive executional process builds a feeling of patience and gentleness around the brave storyteller.

Online Bullying

When bullying takes place online it can fast become a problem that feels completely inescapable. Starting with the proposition of ‘three things to try’ we looked at the nature of confidence itself, which tends to be built up in pieces over time, like blocks. This led to a pixel-based visual approach with which to build our message, also referencing old school gaming as a pared-back problem-solving language, all about overcoming hurdles.

Melissa’s Story

Melissa’s Story, as told by her grandparents, explains the horrific circumstances of her neglect. For this animation we turned to stop-frame to create a heartbreaking, tangible manifestation of the story. The custom score helps tell the traumatic journey Melissa had to go on to escape her cruel upbringing.

Somewhere New

Being alone with suicidal thoughts and feelings can feel like just about the darkest place imaginable. This short film explores those feelings and talks through some techniques that young people can use to lift themselves out of a deeply low place. It’s a message about moving forwards and looking for light.

Life’s Complicated

A lot of the subjects covered by the NSPCC can be serious, but in this campaign they wanted to make clear to older audiences (around the 18 mark) that they have a sense of humour too. ChildLine in particular was suffering from perceptions that it was for young kids only, not young adults. These films helped to shift that view by dealing with older issues.

Zipit

Sexting (sending flirtacious and/or sexual messages using mobile phones) has thrown up a new set of pressures, dangers and complex problems for young people to navigate. The NSPCC took the bold step of releasing an app to help young people think of ice-breaking retorts in potentially awkward exchanges. Our job was to promote the app's functionality and appeal in a series of extremely short (ten second) TV ad spots, built for the Hollyoaks Ad Break.

Sensitive storytelling for child protection

The NSPCC supports millions of children in difficult circumstances across the UK. Over the years we’ve used film and animation to help them speak with young people, covering complex issues like neglect, online bullying, sexual abuse and suicidal thoughts.

Finding the words

Pete’s Story

All Cushty

Wants vs Needs

Elsa’s Story

Online Bullying

Melissa’s Story

Somewhere New

Life’s Complicated

Zipit

A film to launch Google’s new tool

A mythical brand for a beloved festival

Helping tourists discover Oxford’s cultural offer

Finding the words

Pete’s Story

All Cushty

Wants vs Needs

Elsa’s Story

Online Bullying

Melissa’s Story

Somewhere New

Life’s Complicated

Zipit

Sensitive storytelling
for child protection

A film to launch
Google’s new tool

A mythical brand for
a beloved festival

Helping tourists discover
Oxford’s cultural offer