How UNICEF and Formula E Urged Us to ‘Take a Breath’
“Air is life and must be protected for our children. Children globally are growing up in a world made more dangerous and uncertain because of our changing climate.”
Words by actor and UNICEF ambassador Tom Hiddleston tug on audiences’ heartstrings, as he walks through a gallery with developing photographs, changing lights, and a multitude of projected videos of protests against climate change, as well as protest posters. Starting as an open brief from UNICEF and Formula E, and ending up as a disruptive campaign in the form of a spoken word short film, this project by Little Dot Studio’s WING addresses the impact of air pollution on children and aims to drive action to improve it.
The campaign brings life to the partnership between UNICEF and Formula E, and especially inspires action for clean air in cities, which is at the heart of Formula E as a motorsport championship for electric cars. The single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars was created in 2011 in Paris and aims to “accelerate change towards an electric future.” Under the name ‘Take a Breath’, the short film nails the messaging of the campaign and puts Tom Hiddleston directly in front of the camera - armed with a powerful monologue which hits home for all those aware of the dangers of air pollution. As Julia Palle, director of sustainability, Formula E says, “Take a Breath is fundamental in raising awareness of air pollution and ways we can all act to reduce it for the sake of current and future generations.”
Filming the campaign in a gallery space, where the power of clean air and thought are highlighted as catalysts for creativity and a good life was paramount to director Will Ingham. Starting with a deep breath and ending with a call for action, ‘Take a Breath’ is one of the small steps both UNICEF and Formula E are taking to create a better, safer world for children.
LBB’s Zoe Antonov spoke to Will about the creation of the campaign, working with Tom Hiddleston and the partnership between Formula E and UNICEF.
LBB> Tell us more about the brief for this campaign. How were the initial conversations surrounding it?
Will> Our original conversation was with Formula E back in December 2021. They were keen to bring to life their partnership with UNICEF and more specifically, the campaign for clean air in cities -which is super relevant to them as Formula E is a motorsport championship for electric cars in city centres, racing for positive change. Both UNICEF and Formula E knew they wanted to launch their partnership with a film, but apart from that we were lucky to have a fairly open brief. Sometimes that can be a real challenge as there are too many directions, but for this project it was a blessing as we could look at quite unusual and disruptive ways to get the messaging across. We decided to come back with five or six very top line thoughts on ways we could approach the creative, and in fact, ‘Take A Breath’ was an amalgamation of two of our ideas (which quite often happens). When we pitched the final worked up treatment to the Formula E and UNICEF marketing teams, the launch film developed into more of a campaign, which was a huge moment for us as it allowed us to go big with our ambition.
LBB> Speak to us more about the collaboration between Formula E and UNICEF. What was it like working with them?
Will> Formula E and UNICEF were both united on our creative approach and were excellent in allowing us to really push the concept. They are two huge brands and therefore have a lot of stakeholders, but the trust in us was almost my favourite part of the whole project. We would come back to the table with more ambitious thinking and they would back it. In my humble opinion, this really is the best way to work with an agency. 100% tell us when we are mad and veering off brief, but please do also trust us to deliver. That means all of our energy can go into creativity and delivery. The key for us was our Formula E lead client managing everyone’s needs and wishes so effectively.
There were of course a few meetings around how we would frame the message, and there were also the considerations between the two brands who had very different needs and desired outcomes from the campaign. For example, it was critical for UNICEF to have children’s voices and opinions represented within the film, and so we worked with their Youth Advisory Board and team on that aspect of the messaging and creative outcome.
LBB> What was it like working with Tom Hiddleston on the campaign?
Will> There is a very short answer to this question, and it is ‘extremely rewarding’. But it’s important to unpack that sentence properly and to show it isn’t just a ‘fawning over an A-lister’ comment. Tom Hiddleston was truly the man that you expect and hope him to be. He’s a genuine talent, a delight on set, interesting and interested, and completely immersed with the campaign. As a UNICEF ambassador he was extremely committed to the creative and its message.
My minor worry was that he was going to be too busy to learn his lines or not have the headspace for the production, as he was literally about to start shooting the next season of ‘Loki’ the following day. But we had a director’s briefing call the evening before the shoot with just him,his agent and the head of talent at UNICEF. Tom asked what we needed and then went out for a walk and learnt the script and tone. He turned up on set with so much to add to our production and, in my mind, elevated it hugely with his poise, intonation and passion.
Listening to him warm up pre-rolling by practising Shakespeare really had the crew on their A-game! The truth is that we shot 16 takes. I was happy with take eight and then he really nailed take 11, but there was a technical issue. I think Tom and I both had in the back of our minds that he could land another perfectly. At the end of the stills and socials session, the first AD was just about to wrap and Tom asked me if we could please shoot just one more. My eyes wandered to his agent as we were done for appearance time,but we shot take 17, and it is the one we used. I guess that sums him up really. Proper legend in all aspects, utterly professional and committed. Huge thanks to UNICEF for getting some of his time for this project. It was a real pleasure and he brought so much to the screen.
LBB> Tell us more about the backdrop of the film - the gallery. What was the meaning of it, and how did it come together?
Will> We conceived the art gallery backdrop for this campaign to underpin the power of clean air and thought. The idea was that we would allow the viewer to truly take a breath while watching the film, giving them time to consider the harsh reality of the lack of clean air in cities, but also the positive move towards progress. I liked the idea of it being a space linked to creativity that was tranquil and reflective of thoughts and emotions and images. To me, clean air underpins creativity and thinking, so an art gallery seemed to be a great space to use. There was a lot of chat about a studio, but I was really keen on an unusual space to curate Tom’s walk and make it interesting and unique.
LBB> Why did you decide that a spoken word film was the best format for this type of project?
Will> One of the creatives at WING wrote a really enticing script at the pitch phase that felt poetic and really fitted the space and concept.That set the tone, and then the clients really bought into that approach. ‘Take a Breath’ had to be down the lens while addressing the audience directly, so a powerful monologue seemed to be the right approach. It's a really important subject matter so we wanted to deliver the message in a compelling and theatrical way - to give it gravitas and maximum impact.
LBB> And why did you decide it should be captured in one shot?
Will> I’ll admit there was a lot of discussion amongst the team about this. It brings a lot of complications and was a gamble considering the short amount of time we had with the talent. There is so much to consider – Trinity movement and planning, camera shadow, audio interruption, lighting changes, iris pulls, focus etc. (having only just pulled off a 2’30” film with one actor my mind is even more blown by the film ‘Boiling Point’!). But I was super pushy on wanting to capture this in one shot so we could deliver a fluid and uninterrupted train of thought. Once we had Tom Hiddleston confirmed as our lead, I knew we could truly land the message in its purest form by committing to the single shot. It just felt like the most honest and powerful way to shoot this piece, and if I’m personally being really honest, it was a proper buzz pulling it off!
