Save the Children: Most Shocking Second a Day

Save the Children: Most Shocking Second a Day

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“Most Shocking Second a Day Video,” directed by UNIT9’s Martin Stirling, gains 21 million views on YouTube in only 5 days.

UNIT9 partnered with Save The Children UK to create a compelling short film to help raise support for the victims of the war in Syria.

The film asks a difficult question: What if the conflict in Syria were taking place in London?

“We wanted to make something which would resonate on a global stage which felt contemporary and relevant to modern audiences,” says director Martin Stirling. “This directly fed into our creative treatment which became framed by the ‘one second a day’ device.”

The short film tells the story of a child affected by war, supported by a stunning performance from a talented young actress named Lily. “She gave one of the best performances I’ve ever seen,” says Stirling. “That’s why we kept the effects and technical aspects in the background.”

The video depicts the tragic impact violence and terror has on a child's life if civil unrest was to breakout in London.

“Logistically it was incredibly challenging, we had two days to shoot what is essentially over 60 different scenes,”

explains Stirling. “Each lasting only one second.”

children

“It’s been a pleasure working on something worthwhile, with a client who trusted our skills and allowed us to craft something with a freedom not often afforded.”

says Stirling, of working with Save The Children UK. He believes every member of the crew worked with passion and dedication, and it shows on screen.

This short film has been awarded ADWEEK Ad of the Week and Creative Review Ad of the Week. It has risen to the top of Ad Age Viral Chart, landing Creativity Pick of the Day.

savechildren tweet

UNIT9 is proud to represent Don't Panic London London following the success of “Most Shocking Second a Day.”

“Warning: You will not be able to forget this 90-second video… No one-second-a-day video you’ve ever seen, or are likely to see, will have the impact of this ad…”

Slate

After three years of conflict in Syria, international attention about the issue had waned. The devastating humanitarian crisis engulfing Syria’s children was being ignored.

To shed some light on what was still happening and to force audiences to put themselves in the shoes of these children, we created a shocking short film to help raise support for the victims of the war in Syria. The video earned over 21 million views on YouTube in its first five days, with more than 43 million views to date. The video, set in a dystopian London, shows the tragic impact that violence and terror can have on a child’s life.

“We wanted to make something that would resonate on a global stage and feel contemporary and relevant to modern audiences. That’s why we took the conflict in Syria and placed it in London.”

Martin Stirling

A major component of the video was finding the right talent. But after a long search, we captured a stunning performance from a talented young actress named Lily who helped tell the story of a child affected by war. The video creates a subtle tension by keeping Lily’s performance in the foreground while allowing the action to unfold in the background.

All 60 scenes of The Most Shocking Second a Day Video were filmed in just two days, with each scene lasting for just one second. It was a production process that required an extreme amount of planning and precision.

“I can’t help but admire its ingenuity (the cleverness of the concept) and craft (which is at the level of an expert short film).”

Slate

The Most Shocking Second a Day Video has been awarded ADWEEK Ad of the Week and Creative Review Ad of the Week. It has risen to the top of Ad Age Viral Chart, landing Creativity Pick of the Day. In March of 2014, The Most Shocking Second a Day Video became the first non-profit advertisement to be named the most popular advertisement of the month on YouTube. It was awarded a Gold Cyber Lion for best Social Video in June of 2014.

 

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