New Thames Reach Christmas Film Tells Stories of Pet Partnership

For those less fortunate than us, Christmas can be a difficult time; so this season Archer’s Mark and Director newcomer Manos Ioannou have created an intimate, poignant appeal film highlighting the plight of homeless and vulnerable people as they search for permanent safe, decent accommodation for homeless charity Thames Reach. 

“We are really excited about the Thames Reach Christmas campaign. The relationship between our service users and their pets is a serious subject for us and one that we wanted to communicate in a thought provoking but compassionate way,” says Martyn Robson at Thames Reach, “Archer’s Mark has turned a seed of an ideas into a reality, which we are delighted with and one that truly reflects the values that Thames Reach stands for”

Composed simply of intimate, one-on-one interviews with people from both sides of the fence – those working for the charity, and those directly benefiting from its efforts – the film highlights the plight of vulnerable people as well as the efforts of Thames Reach itself. “These people have been sleeping on the streets for many years. They have lived tumultuous lives, to say the least, and I didn’t want to invoke unpleasant memories that would render them uncomfortable and unwilling to share,” says director Manos. “I tried to stir the conversation away from the reasons that led them to the streets and instead focus on the present and, more importantly, their future.” With the video now live on Thames Reach’s YouTube channel, it is hoped that even without a media buy this film can make an impact. 

Using only a skeleton crew, the film was shot on a shoestring budget. As Head of New Business Sarah Cutler says, “Clearly owing to what a valuable cause Thames Reach is, people genuinely wanted to get involved and help as much as possible, which we can’t thank them enough for!” Shot in just a single day, despite featuring a wealth of contributors and a number of locations, the film was a change of pace for the usually high-end commercial team. “Our producer, the ever-resourceful Paul Upton, did a fantastic job of keeping everything on track. It really was guerilla filmmaking 101 - small crew, essential equipment only, one van and – most importantly! - a positive attitude.”