CTN received recognition from its peers for a year of innovative client work winning three IVCA Clarion Awards. Our involvement in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations came in for particular commendation.
Every year, the International Visual Communications Association (IVCA) recognises those communicators who have done the most to encourage an ethical business culture and fostered high levels of engagement with key social or environmental issues. As corporates seek to promote their credentials in the areas of CSR, diversity, community development and charity – these awards flag up the agencies that have helped companies and organisations convey their values.
Two of our awards were for films we made for the Ministry of Defence. “Think Before You Share” addressed a very real concern about the use of social media by armed forces personnel while on duty. The danger was that by tweeting or messaging on Facebook, they could give away their location or information useful to the enemy. We had to visualise this in a way that would have maximum impact on junior ranks and also address the question of how to distribute the film to personnel in a huge number of global locations. Our creative team filmed a series of hard hitting videos with the recurring theme that as a result of ill-judged communication through social media to loved ones, they ended up in the company of a terrorist.
Another MoD brief was to explain the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. CTN producer Miranda Counsell took on the challenge: “The aim of the film was to not to over load the viewer with information but entertain them and place a memory in their mind so that if they injured themselves while serving they would remember that they are entitled to compensation. We didn’t have to go into any detail of the types of injury or any circumstantial information.”
Miranda and the CTN creative team came up with an idea that took serving officers and MoD civil servants into a familiar military landscape – only in reality, it was a table in our offices populated with toy soldiers. That helped the project remain well within budget. Through the magic of stop frame animation, we took these plastic heroes on an adventure through a jungle where they encountered a number of perils including a ravenous dinosaur. The end result was fun to watch but also imparted the key message.
The two awards we picked up for those MoD projects was joined by a third for our contribution to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. CTN was tasked with promoting the river pageant online. The river Thames has hosted many royal events going back to the medieval period but the 2012 celebration would dwarf them all. Using archive footage going back over Her Majesty’s sixty year reign, we produced a site that combined video and graphics turning the Thames into a magical landscape.
CTN is no stranger to IVCA Awards but we never rest on our laurels. So long as our clients continue to challenge us – we hope to continue lining the office mantelpiece with trophies that evidence industry recognition for our creative labours.
CTN News 