Startling Films Highlight How Modern Slavery Isn’t Always Obvious

The creative force behind the John Lewis adverts and co-founder of agency adam&eveDDB, Ben Priest, has been the driving force behind a new campaign - aimed at raising awareness of the issue of human trafficking.

There are estimated to be more than 100,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK. The crime is said to be hidden in plain sight, with the general public not aware of how to spot exploitation - it’s hoped the new campaign might help to change that.

In a bid to try to raise awareness and get the public talking, Ben has worked with Academy Films and the director Billy Boyd Cape to create two films, and linked creative collateral, around the theme ‘It’s not that Obvious.’

They have been produced for a group of leading anti-slavery charities in the UK, who have decided to work together to run the campaign around anti-slavery day in the UK - which falls on October 18th.

One of the films features labour exploitation, the other sexual exploitation - two common forms of slavery in the UK. Both feature a single long shot, putting the viewer at the centre of the story.

'‘As soon as we had the idea my hope was to persuade Billy to direct these films,” says Priest. “He’s added so much and the whole team at Academy were just superb.”

Director Billy Boyd Cape reflects on what attracted him to the project: “Slavery is invisible to us, until it’s pointed out. For me that became the key to making this campaign powerful, because it’s how we experience it in the real world… An unsettling feeling that somebody isn’t being treated right or has been stripped of their agency — but never witnessing the abuse in detail.”

“This campaign isn’t trying to use shock-tactics or be emotionally manipulative. Instead it’s putting you into scenarios in which modern slavery is happening on our doorsteps, and making you think for yourself.”

Jamie Fyleman, from Justice and Care one of the charities who are part of the coalition, had this to say: “We are so delighted with the final films. Seeing the campaign develop from concept to reality has been amazing - to work with some of the best names in the advertising industry has been extraordinary.”

“We know that public awareness is a critical missing ingredient in the fight against human trafficking. One of the reasons that it goes unnoticed is that the public are simply unaware. We hope that the campaign will start to help people realise they can do something about it.”