When you think about boats, think again: gHO launches Amnesty’s first spot shot in Australia
gHO Sydney has launched Amnesty International’s latest TVC and the first one ever shot in Australia.
Bringing the topical issue of Asylum Seekers into the spotlight, Sebastien collaborated with both Amnesty and gHO In order to deliver credibility and sincerity to the TVC.
gHO creative director Renee Murray chose Luscious International’s director Sebastien to bring this hard-hitting and confrontational TVC to life.
Crucial to this TVC was getting the right performance from the actors. Sebastien actually started his career in Los Angeles as an actor. Given his personal hands on acting experience, Sebastien has a unique sensibility to the acting process and as a result draws out genuine and captivating performances.
Murray explained: “he performances were so important to this shoot and I honestly don’t feel we would have got near the performances we got without Sebastien. With his experience in acting he was able to pull the best out of our actors”.
Says Sebastien: “it was a challenge bringing in real refugees for the casting and hearing their stories and having to make them revisit their pain for the performance, although this was beneficial for me as a director to understand the complex nature of this topic and how best to portray it on screen.
“Although I like all styles and look to balance my work, I’m definitely drawn to darker themes and concepts. I find the stakes are higher in those types of scripts, which often makes for a better story.”
To see Sebastien’s latest reel or meet him contact Luscious marketing director Teall Barnes on +612 9326 3400 or teall@luscious.com.au
10 Comments
It’s a bit heavy-handed I think. The rug-pull technique reminds me of this one, which I reckon was done better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Zsd1ZdSkw
This one was also good. Shot in Australia over 10 years ago.
The issue just isn’t going away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW8U_xIHErk
Australian Amnesty International campaign about refugees, shot in Australia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwNnI90uRuo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Jvq5_yFBk
It will be great if this spot manages to stop people referring to refugees and asylum seekers as boat people, hopefully it will.
Yes, of course, that is the major issue here, the fact that we call them asylum seekers and not boat people.
It is an unashamedly confronting spot and one that demands attention. If it moves one person to change their perception on the current plight of asylum seekers, then it has worked its socks off. The idea is “think” – the technique must be persuasive to allow that idea to breed.
10.24 – heavy handed? With respect to animals that is a bad comparison.
Good switch. Good work.
What cheer squad writing these comments?
Is this article supposed to be a blurb for the ad or a ‘This is Your Life’ intro for Sebastien?
Terrible forced performances and about has heavy handed as a concrete fist. It has the emotional range of an armpit. I’m with 10:54, WWF did it better and with more nuance a few years ago.
NEXT?