In honor of International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on 4 April, Grey for Good, the philanthropic arm of Grey Group Singapore, teamed up with DanChurchAid (DCA) to launch a momentous campaign. Entitled #ClearThePitch, the campaign drives support for creating safer communities, free of dangerous remnants of war such as land mines, unexploded ammunition and cluster bombs, in post-conflict zones all around the world. The centerpiece of this effort is a powerful film made by Great Guns and Cutters Tokyo, together with a number of other fantastic partners.
Conceived by Grey for Good and DCA to begin tackling this devastating problem affecting millions of civilians in over 60 countries around the world, everyone behind this campaign is proud to advance the public dialogue around a major issue that gets very little media attention.
To change this, the integrated #ClearThePitch campaign builds an emotional link to one of the world's biggest sports: soccer. It's a universal sport and is played on streets, fields, playgrounds, parking lots and many more places. Due to remnants of war such as land mines, cluster bombs and unexploded ammunition, in many parts of the world, playing soccer on fields can be extremely dangerous... especially for children.
The #ClearThePitch film directed by James Teh puts this into dramatic perspective. Starting out as what could well be a brand film by one of the big soccer suppliers, it features balls from around the world. The soundtrack is the iconic football hymn "You'll Never Walk Alone," which is sung by fans in stadiums around the world to back their teams. The track was reinterpreted in a highly emotive acoustic version by artists at Yessian Music in New York. As viewers are wondering which product this is all about, the film takes an unexpected and disturbing turn, revealing a child with a missing limb, asking the audience whether they saw the bomb amongst the balls. He points out a cluster-bomblet, which actually looks much like a ball – making clear just how nasty the problem is.
The core messaging is simple: Help DCA clear the pitch and create safer communities. With #ClearThePitch as the call to action, the http://clearthepitch.org website provides additional information and facilitates donations.
"It is sad to know this is still happening in our advanced world," said Timo Mitsuaki Otsuki of Cutters Tokyo. "When do you have a chance to be part of something? Something where you can help to make a change for a great cause? It was a no-brainer when Grey Group Singapore approached us. We are very proud of the help we were able to provide. Now, we wish that everyone receives the message and that all of us will make an impact together."
Creative Credits:
NGO and Brand: DCA Mine Action
Client Team: Richard MacCormac, Nikolaj Søndergaard, Christian Sophus Ehlers, Anne Kristine Erhardsen, Camilla Tollstorff Ardilsø, Mulle Juul Korsholm, Anne Mousten, Tobias Juhler Maureschat
Agency: Grey Group Singapore (via Grey for Good)
Executive Creative Director: Till Hohmann
Creative Director: Antonio Bonifacio
Managing Director: Konstantin Popovic
Copywriter: James Dickinson
Art Director: Luis Fabra
Senior Executive Producer: Brendan Cravitz
Agency Producer: Lauren Rilley
Account Manager: Rasyiqah Rahman
Digital Lead: Suresh Ramaswamy
Digital: Karishma Menon
Film Production Company: Great Guns
Executive Producer: Laura Gregory
Producer: Mathew Alden
Line Producer: Ann Suthida Sihasavetra
Director: James Teh
Director of Photography: Sinthop Sophon
Production Designer: Nattachai Kitjanawanchai
Editing and Post-Production: Cutters Tokyo
Executive Producer: Timo Otsuki
Producer: Shumpei Negami
Editing Supervisor: Ryan Mcguire
Colorist: Ben Conkey
Colorist Assistant: Toshiki Kamei
Online/Finish: Dr. Yu
Online Assistant: Tomomi Ogawa
Music and Sound Design: Yessian Music, New York
Composer/Arranger: Michael Dragovic
Sound Designer/Mixer: Jeff Dittenber
CCO: Brian Yessian
Song: "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Press and Image via: http://darnellworks.com/cutters/ctp16.htm