From moving, black and white campaigns to short animations, here is our pick of the latest in video communications. #CommunicateLens, follow @Communicatemag on Twitter.

HSBC Sport

To celebrate HSBC and British Cycling extending their partnership in 2021, HSBC Sport released a new episode in their ongoing series ‘Couch Commentary’ starring British cyclist Laura Kenny interviewed by sports commentator Andrew Cotter. In the three-and-a-half-minute video, the two discuss Kenny’s success on the cycling track, and how to win a Scratch Race. The use of animation in the video, such as the flames that appear next to Katie Archibald as she takes over the race in the beginning, render the video light and entertaining, appealing to a wider audience beyond that interested in the specific sport. As Kenny and Cotter comment the ins and outs and technicalities of the race, it is being showed full screen, making the video dynamic and bringing the viewers back to that moment of excitement and energy. In times of Covid-19, when sport seem something so far from normal, the Couch Commentary series allow the audience to relive their favourite moments as if they were there again.

Lewisham Council

Lewisham Council worked with Inner Eye video production company to create a short film ‘Timekeeper,’ which focuses on the child’s perspective of emotional abuse and coercive control. Commissioned by Lewisham Council and funded by the Home Office to raise awareness among its workforce and the wider community, the film is based on interviews with women who have lived experiences of domestic abuse and professionals working in the area. The research led to the creation of a fictional character, 11-year-old Ben, star of the video, who is desperate to protect his mother from the physical and psychological abuse of his father yet becomes trapped in his father’s spiderweb of coercive control, through a game in which he has to time his mum’s trips to the local corner shop. Withdrawn, fearful and guilty, Ben is saved by a school learning mentor.

The film seeks to highlight how domestic abuse is a society’s hidden shame and is much more common than people like to think, with children often being the number one victims drawn into it by the perpetrator. With the actors perfectly interpreting their part, and every little detail backed up by real events and research, video is powerful and raw and leaves the viewer unsettled yet completely aware of what can go on within a household.

Mastercard

As part of London Tech Week, Mastercard, financial services company Square and the Falkland Islands Government launched 'Connecting the Falkland’s,' a new partnership tasked with solving the Island’s problems in accepting card and digital payments. The story of ‘Connecting the Falklands’ was captured in a video by director Jane Stockdale and cinematographer Max Cuttings. The four-and-a-half-minute video combines sweeping views of the Islands’ epic nature scenery with the stories of some small businesses making a mark in the Falklands. From commercial helicopter companies to photographers that fell in love with the Island’s beauty and moved there for good. As it conveys the story of the islanders, the video also highlights the benefits brought by the introduction of card payments. As one businessman admits, technology such as card payment is helping the island develop without damaging past traditions.

“The Falkland Islands are a place like no other. We loved meeting the business owners and documenting their stories of what it’s like to run a small business somewhere so remote. In our films and photography we pay tribute to their individual journey's and share the stories of their entrepreneurial spirit,” says Stockdale.

NSPCC

UK’s leading children’s charity, the NSPCC worked with production company 3angrymen Productions to create a new video for children’s return to school, which aims at emphasising that the charity is still available to help children cope and recover from the period of lockdown, which in many cases increased instances of abuse and neglect at home. ‘No child should be left to cope alone,’ is the motto emphasised in the new film, as reports of physical abuse to the NSPCC helpline increased by 53 percent during lockdown. The video is both informative and emotional, as it interweave scenes of children in households (often acting out with parents or alone staring aimlessly outside the window) with real clips of NSPCC staff members as they speak about their helpline. One particular scene shows a council rushing to a family’s house as she says on the phone ‘I’m really worried there might be something going on at home,’ and a girl is heard saying to the helpline ‘she was bullying me.’ After being confronted by the counsellor, the mother is seen escaping with her child in the car, a clip which really demonstrates to the audience how, in a matter of  seconds, everything can change for a child.

UNICEF

VaynmerMedia London collaborated with UNICEF to launch ‘Reimagine the world like a gamer,’ as part of the organisation’s global flagship Reimagine campaign, which challenges viewers to think differently about refugee and migrant children by recasting them as ambitious lead characters in video games rather than being portrayed as victims. This in turns aims to shift perceptions of refugee and migrants and encourage donations to the charity. With the damaging effects of Covid-19 still being felt across the world, UNICEF sought to create a new strategy to engage audiences differently at a time when they may be facing personal, local and global challenges. The one-minute video, which was shot remotely during lockdown in Greece, features real stories of three children, exploring their dreams for the future (to become a doctor, author and a polit) and calls on the audience to help them reach their goals through ‘Your New Mission: Unlock Their Potential.’ The video uses visuals often seen in video games, such as head-sup display,  to positions the audiences as though they were gamers  and mimic how they think beyond conventional limits and borders. This in turn allows viewers to see the potential in the children, rather than just the confines of their current situation.

Especially in a COVID world, games and gaming are a great pathway to integration and social inclusion for children and young people. They are a social equalizer for children, allowing us to focus on what makes children similar, rather than different. Just like migration, games are transnational and appealing to children of diverse backgrounds. They create a fun and comfortable environment to start learning acceptance,” says Codi Trigger, global campaign manager at UNICEF.