THE DAY I VISITED MY SON

Silver Spike
TitleTHE DAY I VISITED MY SON
BrandUNILEVER
Product / ServiceCOMFORT
CategoryA03. Achievement in Production
EntrantOGILVY & MATHER SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Entrant Company OGILVY & MATHER SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Advertising Agency OGILVY & MATHER SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE
Production Company COLLIDER Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Credits

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

Brief Explanation

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.

Creative Execution

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.