Title | THE DAY I VISITED MY SON |
Brand | UNILEVER |
Product / Service | COMFORT |
Category | A03. Achievement in Production |
Entrant | OGILVY & MATHER SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE |
Entrant Company | OGILVY & MATHER SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE |
Advertising Agency | OGILVY & MATHER SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE |
Production Company | COLLIDER Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Eugene Cheong | Ogilvy/Mather Singapore | Chief Creative Officer |
Nicolas Courant | Ogilvy/Mather Singapore | Executive Creative Director |
Andre Laurentino | Ogilvy/Mather London | Global Executive Cretive Director/Unilever |
John John Skoog | Ogilvy/Mather Singapore | Art Director |
Fabio Montero | Ogilvy/Mather Singapore | Copywriter |
Damon Cameron | Collider Australia | Director |
Rachel Ford Davies | Collider Australia | Executive Producer |
Catherine Warner | Collider Australia | Producer |
Rahul Gupta | Ogilvy/Mather Singapore | Managing Partner |
Owen Dowling | Ogilvy/Mather Singapore | Planning Director |
Justine Hazlett | Ogilvy/Mather Singapore | Agency Producer |
Mel White | Ogilvy/Mather London | Global Managing Partner |
Loren Lourens | Ogilvy/Mather London | Business Director |
Jodi Shelley | Ogilvy/Mather London | Global Planner |
Yves Geisenberger | Unilever | Global Brand V.p. |
Shuchi Suri | Unilever | Global Brand Director |
Mothers put themselves under a lot of pressure to be a good mom. To show them they shouldn’t worry about being perfect, we made a film about 2 real mothers: The mother of an Astronaut and the mother of a prisoner. And we captured their emotions on their way to see their sons. But we never revealed who was the mother of which son leaving the viewer guessing and demonstrating that, whatever the circumstances, no one can tell the difference between 2 mother’s love.
The objective of the film was to demonstrate nobody can make the difference between the mother of an astronaut and one of a prisoner. Casting was therefore the main challenge. First, we needed real people that would accept to give their feelings towards their mothers. Ask a convicted felon to talk about his mum in front of a camera! Then we needed to convince their mothers to express their own feelings towards their sons. It’s easier when you have a successful son. Then, we needed 2 families with similar, social, geographical and educational backgrounds. In order to stay true and not give away whose mother was whose by the way they dressed or the house they lived in, we needed to choose the right angles to shoot and the right outfits from their own wardrobes. Add all the uncertainties linked to the documentary approach: we had to deliver a very precise story and point of view but in the most unscripted manner. The film entirely relied on the people and their answers to very intimate and sensitive questions. But that was the easiest part: Shooting in a state prison or in a space research center contains many obstacles, as there are lots of sensitive elements you’re not allowed to film and getting authorizations is a struggle.