International production company Not To Scale along with directors Ralph Karam, Gustavo Karam and Juan Manuel Freire and agency BBH London has launched a domestic violence campaign for British charity Refuge.
All of them helped fund the short film which is set to British signer Frances’ popular single Grow.
The film seeks to raise awareness of domestic violence and let young women know they are not alone. The film will enable Refuge to let young women know they’re not alone, without any media spend.
The film follows the daily routine of an increasingly invisible young woman, Melanie, who is experiencing domestic violence behind closed doors and who feels that no one is there to support her, or can even see her. As the film progresses an increasingly isolated Melanie encounters a character representing Refuge, who recognizes and understands what she is going through and supports her to escape the abuse, regain her identity and rebuild her life.
Directed by creative director Ralph Karam, the film relies on a unique production technique in both 2D and stop-frame animation.
The backgrounds and background characters were printed out and tracked past camera in cycles over a 10-day shoot while the main characters of Melanie, Refuge and Frances were animated in 2D at both Not To Scale and Le Cube studios.
The technique emphasizes the vicious cycle Melanie faces and highlights her increasing level of isolation and invisibility while reliving the same cycle over and over again. When she encounters the character representing Refuge, the tone changes and immediately Melanie regains her color and vibrancy as she is given the support to break this cycle and rebuild her life.
The female character is based on Melanie Clarke, a real-life Refuge client who benefited from the charity’s support following more than decade of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her ex-partner, whom she met when she was 14.
