Write a short summary of what happens in the film

NRMA insurance wanted to illustrate that whilst the visible physical damage of the 2019/20 Australian bushfires fires can be repaired, the mental health implications are often unseen and are much longer lasting. We partnered with Australian Music Artist, Julia Stone, to create a powerful bush poem that recounted her experience of watching the devastation of the bushfires unfold on the TV. She highlights how these bushfires and the survivors were quickly relegated to the back of people’s minds, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. In the film, we turned Julia’s evocative poem into a mesmerising animation that uses a combination of pre-existing and original MRI scan footage that morphs in response to her language, into an infographic of Australia created out of satellite images of bushfires. We incorporated sonic elements from real MRI machines in the soundscape to add depth.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

A year on since the 2019/20 bushfires, suicide prevention charity Lifeline, was still receiving up to 400 daily calls to their dedicated bushfire support line. Following the bushfires, NRMA Insurance donated $2m to Lifeline. Beyond providing financial support, the brand wanted to raise awareness of the deluge of calls Lifeline was receiving. Our brief was to create awareness of the enduring media health crisis this natural disaster had caused, as COVID took over the public consciousness. Our approach to this campaign was dictated by the need to create something with genuine entertainment value to generate talkability (earned media). Award winning songwriter and performer Julia Stone wrote the poem and stars in the content. She’s also a trained mental health counsellor, adding a layer of authenticity. The project launched exactly one year after the end of the Black Summer fires, a poignant date that further increased interest in the campaign.