From Spec to Spotlight: How ‘Cry Like a Guy’ Caught Movember’s Eye

Spec work is often seen as a gamble – a passion project that may never see the light of day beyond film festivals or a director’s reels. But every so often, a spec film strikes a chord, catching the eye of a brand that recognises its potential. That’s exactly what happened with ‘Cry Like a Guy’, a short film from director Anthony Rubinstein and writer Catherine Willoughby about the impact of men crying, which has been picked up by Movember.

What began as an intimate creative exploration – a couple’s debate over the societal value of tears – quickly evolved into a poignant and visually-arresting film dissecting the stigma around male tears. With sharp wit and an eye for high-impact storytelling, Anthony and his team crafted something that felt both deeply personal and universally relevant. Though originally conceived as an independent project, the film’s fusion of emotional depth and commercial polish lent itself to this newly-sprouted brand partnership.

Movember’s involvement wasn’t an overnight deal, though. The team actively sought out collaborations, pitching various brands along the way. It wasn’t until ‘Cry Like a Guy’ was nearly complete, that Movember emerged as the perfect fit, aligning seamlessly with the film’s mission to challenge outdated notions of masculinity. The transition from short film to brand-backed campaign wasn’t without challenges either – most notably, condensing the five-minute film into a punchy two-minute edit – but it was all worth it.

Today, LBB’s Zoe Antonov speaks to Anthony about how brands are increasingly looking for authentic storytelling, and why ‘Cry Like a Guy’ is testament to the power of independent filmmaking.

LBB> Can you tell us the story behind "Cry Like a Guy" and what inspired you to make this short film?

Anthony> Believe it or not, the topic was inspired by a clash of opinions between Catherine (the writer) and me (the director). We realised we’d been socially conditioned to have opposing views about tears being useful versus futile, and wanted to explore that in a piece of creative writing. Catherine wrote a longer spoken word poem originally about tears in general, but in order to tap into the conversation around our society’s shifting views on ‘manliness' we decided to adapt it into a film that was specifically targeted at men. For that, we stripped it down to the essential beats of the argument to make the punchiest version possible, and attempted to elevate the delivery with all the sparkle and excitement that we could squeeze in.

LBB> What was the original vision for the film, and did you ever imagine it would lead to a brand partnership with Movember?

Anthony> We definitely set about making the film just for fun, but as we both work in advertising, in the back of our minds we always had an intention to make something that could well be picked up by a brand at some point. But, at the start we definitely didn’t know who we could collaborate with or how it would work, and we also didn’t want to let that get in the way of our creative intention.

I conceived a lot of the visual effects and transitions with my commercial hat on, as I wanted each moment to be as engaging as I possibly could make it. However, this did backfire a little, as the majority of the feedback from festivals was that the full five-minute film felt more like an ad than a short film. We had to be reminded that most of the general public doesn’t enjoy watching ads as much as we do.

LBB> How did Movember first get involved with the project, and what was their initial reaction to the film?

Anthony> We invited a couple of people from the charity to our premiere event – they were very positive about the film and it made starting the conversations about a possible collaboration a lot easier. From that point on there were quite a few months of back and forth, getting the right people to watch, working out what the angle would be and how it could work on their platforms, etc. It was quite slow and frustrating at times as, although everyone agreed it matched their tone of voice, it didn’t necessarily tie directly into any existing campaigns. Also, this was all happening in October and November, which is their busiest time of year.

LBB> Was the idea of partnering with Movember something you actively sought out, or did it come about organically?

Anthony> As we went through the production process, we reached out to a number of different brands and charities along the way, it was a very active process from our side. Initially we explored a couple of brand placements within the film (Buxton, Kleenex to name a couple) but those conversations took a long time to progress. A number of agencies and brands we spoke to liked the idea, but they couldn’t really see how to make it work. So, we chugged along with getting as much done as we could all by ourselves in parallel.

Once the film was nearly done and the gruff/goofy tone was well established, Movemeber became the obvious choice for a partnership. That’s when we made contact and invited them along to our premiere event, which they kindly accepted.

LBB> What do you think about the growing trend of short films being used by brands for campaigns? Do you think this is a positive shift for filmmakers?

Anthony> I think the stamp of credibility that a brand can give by picking up a film should be a massive confidence booster for any filmmaker. If it wasn’t something the brand specifically commissioned or conceived themselves there’s going to be a huge amount of scrutiny surrounding the piece, and a lot of stakeholders to talk round to actually make it happen!

Also, as a director, if your goal is to work in commercials, and show you have what it takes to the agency decision makers – then having the proof that your work is what someone is looking for is also a very positive thing. More broadly, I’d say that as enthusiasm for the traditional 30’’ TVC wains, more meaningful and substantial storytelling with well thought out brand integration is undoubtedly a good thing for the industry, if you can see it through to fruition!

LBB> What are some challenges that come with transitioning a short film into a brand partnership? Were there any creative compromises or adjustments made during this process?

Anthony> The main concession we had to make was hacking our film down from five minutes to two. Thinking about some of the bits that got the chop still makes me weep, but we had to be brutal with it and condense it into its most functional and commercial form. I had to keep reminding myself what matters is that the message sinks in, and not the shots that ended up in the bin.

Beyond that, the biggest challenge was mainly just convincing stakeholders… Although we felt we were doing them a favour by gifting this film, which we had lovingly crafted to further their cause, I’m sure they are propositioned all the time with spec ads and similar shorts. At every stage it would have been a lot easier and less risky for them to say ‘No, thanks’. But we’re very grateful to them for believing in our project and seeing it through!

LBB> What impact do you hope the partnership with Movember will have on the conversation around masculinity and mental health?

Anthony> We made the film because we think crying is a fascinating subject that’s not talked about enough.

Ideas around the definition of 'manliness' are in constant flux and we hope the film can play a small part in reframing perceptions that are old fashioned and harmful.

Personally, I’m deeply saddened by the toxic bro culture that's infecting the internet, influencers and politics at the moment. Making this film and getting it amplified by a far-reaching global organisation reminds me why I want to be a filmmaker – to shape culture and inspire positive change. I’ve had some really heart-warming interactions with strangers who’ve seen the film, this project is something I’ll be proud of for a long time.

LBB> For other filmmakers who might want to turn their short films into brand partnerships, what advice would you offer based on your experience with this project?

Anthony> I’d say to anyone trying to do something similar, it’s certainly not an easy process – brands are fiercely protective over what they put out (righty so), and if they didn't think of the idea then there are egos to worry about too. My advice would be, if you have an idea for a short, just make the film you want to make (as best you can by yourself) and then get it out there!

It’s going to do so much more good for you if people can watch it and share it, rather than sitting in pitch stage waiting for that elusive brand collab that might take months or years to materialise. If it does work for a brand, it's definitely easier to have a finished thing to show them too and retrofit it afterwards if needed, I reckon that’s the way to approach it.