Barnardo's: Believe In Me [case film]

Credits & Description:

Client: Barnardos
Product (Service): Barnardos
Agency: Fcb Inferno London, United Kingdom
Entrant: Fcb Inferno London, United Kingdom
Idea Creation: Fcb Inferno London, United Kingdom
Media Placement: John Ayling & Associates London, United Kingdom
Production: Rattling Stick London, United Kingdom
Production 2: The Mill London, United Kingdom
Chief Creative Officer: Owen Lee (Fcb Inferno)
Creative Partner: Al Young (Fcb Inferno)
Head of Strategy: Chris Baker (Fcb Inferno)
Senior Art Director: Jack Walker (Fcb Inferno)
Senior Copywriter: Ali Dickinson (Fcb Inferno)
Business Director: Jonny Ray (Fcb Inferno)
Senior Account Manager: Hestor Manning-Marsh (Fcb Inferno)
Agency Producer: Charlotte McConnell (Fcb Inferno)
Head of Broadcast: Jason Ayers (Fcb Inferno)
Chief Strategy Officer: Giles Hedger (Fcb Inferno)
Director: Sara Dunlop (Rattling Stick)
Producer: Ellie Fry (Rattling Stick)
Synopsys:
Brief Explanation
The following film is shot in one take, and inspired by true events.
We open in an empty bar. Glasses line the tables. Smoke rises from ashtrays. A fruit machine plays in the corner. A 14-year-old girl steps into the room. She knows this place well. This is where her dad drank. She takes it all in, but rather than tears in her eyes, we see resilience.
Set to ‘Joy Division - Atmosphere’ she begins to exorcise her past through gymnastics. Using every inch of space, this is her stage to show the world what she’s made of.
Her backstory is emphasised with titles “I am not my dad”, “I am not the fear he’d come home”. But as the story progresses, so does her determination; “I am free”, “I am alive”.
We see a powerful portrait as she looks to camera. A title appears: “BELIEVE IN ME”.
Execution
The children had never acted before, and this was the first thing we asked them to do. One 2 1/2 minute performance, flawlessly executed, and get it right in the first 30 minutes.
These long format films weren’t in scope of the project, but after explaining the ambition to our director, she changed how we approached the entire shoot to make it happen. We’d shoot it all as one shot, live to the music, and we wouldn’t tell the client (just in case we didn’t get it).
Working closely with the cinematographer and choreographer was essential, but the real moment of magic came from our director’s interaction with the children. She talked them through their backstories before turning over. Sensitively. But without holding back. She knew they needed to know the real stories behind their performances.
This is how we ended up with our final long format films.