The national charity Family Action has released a short film and campaign entitled ‘Family Monsters Project’ which marks the 150th anniversary of the charity’s foundation.
Created by newly rebranded, And Rising,'Family Monsters Project' is dedicated to helping people face their family ‘monsters’ - including troubles with mental health and wellbeing, money pressures and parenting challenges.
To coincide with the campaign launch, Family Action has published new research carried out by ICM Unlimited. The research reveals that an estimated 38 million people in Britain face pressures on their close family. Furthermore, 61% of this group say barriers are making tackling these pressures more difficult.
The thought-provoking film manoeuvres through various situations where families may face difficulties, including a new mother suffering from post-natal depression, a young girl succumbing to alcoholism and a father filled with guilt when he can't provide for his child.
The simple message - "every family has its monsters" - is visualised by animated characters that loom around the families. As the families crack on, unable to face their inner torment, the monsters illustrate the unspoken presence of family troubles.
The ad isn't all doom and gloom, however. In the final clip, a young mum looks directly into the eyes of her family monster and it visibly shrinks.
It thus shows how our pressures can get smaller and more manageable when people face them together, head-on.
The film was directed by Duncan Christie and the initiative was created by And Rising’s Julie Herskin, Scarlett Montanaro and executive creative director Will Thacker.
Production was by Great Guns and animation by BlindPig at Absolute Post. The film will be shown in Picturehouse Cinemas across the UK.
Family Action chief executive, David Holmes said: “Every family has its monsters and our aim is to help families get them out into the open and so that they don’t become overwhelming. To mark our 150th Anniversary we want to start a national conversation and the thought-provoking film created by the team at And Rising is the perfect springboard.”
And Rising’s Thacker, said: “Whenever anyone gets asked ‘how's the family?’ the answer is normally ‘fine’. In reality, every family is under pressure. It’s time we put some focus on the family, re-evaluating what it actually means to us all and being open about the problems faced by all families today. Family Action is an amazing charity and the incredible, diverse work it does needs some light shining on it. We hope that the Family Monsters Project can help do this.”
