Harness the Knowledge of Tomorrow with Sheffield Hallam University Spot

The Mob has created an engaging new TV commercial for Sheffield Hallam University, directed by Meriem Adib, for new agency Pavement.

The 30-second ad is the first creative for Hallam’s new proposition, ‘Knowledge Applied’.

The film uses a poem, narrated as a single monologue, juxtaposed with engaging imagery of a diverse array of students and academics.

Filming took place in and around Sheffield and in the University itself, on the eve of the new national Covid tier system being introduced, with the challenge of casting and managing a large cast and locations.

Director Meriem Adib outlines the creative and production challenges: “this was an inspired piece of creative and bringing it to life felt important and authentic. At the moment it's hard to mute the negativity around us and what we did here is celebrate the possibilities of life, of being who you are and embracing your unique future. I wanted a whole spectrum of faces and vibes to tell this story. The casting was an intimate process for us all, everyone in this film exudes warmth and their own vibe”.

Meriem adds that the production had its own challenges against the backdrop of covid tiered lockdowns being introduced as filming continued, “shooting during Covid doesn’t have to be scary, it is just another challenge that we embraced as we would any production challenge, and the team did so brilliantly. I wanted to reflect energy in the way we shot it and executed it - there was a lot of energy on set, of warmth and total focus despite the pandemic challenges. Our camera moves and all the creative choices are there to celebrate being you and the strength of your own expression. Our aim was for it to be full of energy, but also have a meditative confidence about it. I'm confident we've done that”

Pavement agency was set up by former Jaywing managing director David Wood and John Simpson, Director for London's SEA Design, earlier this year.