The Prince's Trust and CHI&Partners reminds us of those who learn the hard way
CHI&Partners has created a LinkedIn and YouTube campaign for the Prince’s Trust to get employers to look harder at young job applicants with troubled backgrounds.
Part of the “Learn the Hard Way” campaign is a LinkedIn profile of a fictional homeless person, who will ask companies to endorse her employable skills: resourcefulness, problem-solving, independence, resilience and fast learning.
Employers engaging with the LinkedIn profile will be offered a ‘video CV’ to view, taking them to a 60-second YouTube ad showing the hardships some young people experience - from a teenage boy caring for his siblings and alcoholic mother, to a girl forced into homelessness.
The dialogue is set out in the form of a personal statement from a CV, off-setting the harsh realities of these young people’s backgrounds against the attributes they have picked up along the way – from self-motivation and communication skills to the desire and determination to succeed. The series of vignettes was directed by Seb Edwards through Academy and remind us just how tough life can be when opportunities aren’t served up to you on a plate.
With the charity market more competitive than ever, Jonathan Burley, CHI & Partners Executive Creative Director, described the campaign as a channel to directly reach people in the work industry and get them to think differently about employing young people with troubled upbringings.
“Learn the Hard Way” breaks as new research from UK charity shows that almost a million young people describe their childhoods as “traumatic”. The Trust’s research also highlights how young people from traumatic childhoods are more likely to struggle in early adulthood with such things as their mental and physical health, finding employment, and relationships with friends and family.
The film was shot in and around London. MPC’s Global Creative Director of Colour Grading, Jean-Clément Soret, helped to highlight the heartbreaking performances through the grade. “The look here was about keeping the situations real but taking the realism up a notch,” he explains.
“We enhanced the existing atmosphere of the blue early morning, neon/sodium lights and kept things looking gritty to help the audience be drawn to the incredibly genuine performances.
“We kept in mind the balance between beautiful photography and authenticity. It is always tempting to keep the raw nature of some images but Seb Edwards often believes there is more to add with a light touch of colour grading, giving the piece a stronger impact.
17 February 2015
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