West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner
WMPCC: I’m Tired of This
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has launched a campaign calling for an end to sexual abuse and harassment of women and girls exercising in public across the West Midlands.
We were bought onboard to create a film from concept through to delivery. The film is called ‘I’m Tired of This’ and it is being shared across the region to highlight the experiences of women who exercise in public, either on their own or within groups.
“I want our region to be on the front foot, reaching new audiences in innovative ways and helping to frame these harmful behaviours in a new light. This particular campaign did exactly that. It really resonated with people, because they truly *felt* the cumulative impact of abuse and harassment, thanks to the powerful story that was told.”
Simon Foster – Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands
Our approach
When we were first asked to put a pitch in for this project we were given a very open brief which consisted of the name of the campaign and a general theme. We were instantly thrilled because starting from scratch and shaping the creative is our specialty. The ideas flooded in and we got to work on scripting and storyboarding.
As a women-led company whose staff is made up mostly of women, we felt that we were in a great position to lend personal experience and insight into this creative to make it as authentic and visceral as possible, whilst also being respectful of the subject matter.
Our main goal was to elicit strong emotions and provide information about the issue. We wanted women who have experienced harassment and abuse to feel heard, validated, and understood. Equally important, we wanted men who watched the film to grasp the gravity of the issue and reflect on their own behaviour towards women and the behaviour of those around them. Therefore it was imperative that we didn’t shy away from the ugly side of the topic and aimed to create the most realistic and unflinching representation of these kind of encounters that we could.
Casting posed the biggest challenge to ensuring the film delivered the intended emotional impact. Fortunately for us, we found Kayleigh Cottam, a phenomenal actress who delivered a brilliantly authentic and powerful performance. With casting settled, we went full steam into production with a two-day shoot in and around central Birmingham with a crew of eight.
We recently invested in a new shooting kit and were able to use this film as it’s maiden voyage. The whole film was shot on our new set of cinema prime lenses, giving the film a very clean and cinematic look. They also gave us a lot of flexibility with shooting at night, allowing us to shoot with very stripped back, and therefore realistic, lighting setups.
Once everything was captured, we immediately threw ourselves straight into post-production. In a little over two weeks, we transformed the rough cut into the final film through picture lock, colour grading, sound design, original score, and mastering.
Our journey from the initial open brief to the finished film has been a labor of love and we sincerely hope that this film leaves a lasting impression on its viewers, sparking important conversations and instigating positive change.