The Gate and Childline are this week launching 'Nobody is Normal', designed to let young people
know that no matter how you feel inside, there is always someone you can talk
to, and that you are not alone.
Childline (part of the NSPCC)
has revealed that every year they hear from thousands of young people who feel
like they don’t fit in or feel ‘normal’.
Over the past few months,
counsellors have heard from children who are struggling with their body image,
sexuality, gender identity, and mental health. The charity has analysed the
data to find these issues spiked during the Covid-19 lockdown.
‘Nobody is Normal’ highlights
these issues to let young people know that it’s OK to feel this way, it’s a
shared experience, and reassure them that nobody should suffer alone.
In partnership with Blink
Productions & Rowdy Films, The Gate have created a surreal film which
follows the story of a strange, shadowy creature disguising itself as a
seemingly normal teenager in order to fit in at school. But we soon find out
that things at this school aren’t quite as 'normal' as they seem, and that
everybody had been hiding something inside.
The film is a beautifully
crafted stop motion animation piece, with its soundtrack provided by Radiohead.
Their classic song 'Creep' perfectly captures the melancholy mood of the story
and introduces itself to a new generation of teens who may also feel like they
don’t fit in.
Created by John Osborne,
Rickie Marsden and Sam Whatley, under chief creative officer Lucas Peon at The
Gate. Directed by Catherine Prowse at Rowdy. The campaign will run across
targeted digital and social channels throughout November.
Grania Hyde-Smith, marketing lead, Childline
said: “At Childline, we often hear from young people who feel like they are
different. This can be for a number of reasons including bullying, abuse and
mental health issues but sometimes, young people just don’t feel comfortable in
their own skin. The Gate have done a brilliant job of bringing this story to
life in a captivating animation, which shows young people that we’re all
different and there’s no such thing as ‘being normal’."
Lucas Peon, chief creative officer, The Gate,
added: “Working alongside Childline to help young people feel better in
their own skin energised all of us at the agency, as well as our partners. It’s
a campaign that speaks to children in a way that is natural to them. To walk
through the usual walls these types of messages face, we needed an emotional
story that intrigued people enough to pay attention and moved them enough to
make them reflect and change their perspective.”