Refuge has today launched an interactive YouTube campaign with animated film director Fursy Teyssier and digital agency Code Computerlove.
The campaign aims to help people to recognise the signs of domestic violence, and be able to support those who may be experiencing such problems.
Lisa King, director of communications and fundraising at Refuge, said: “The video officially launched on 14 November 2012 at 14:00, the time of day when the Refuge website receives the most visits.
“Leading up to the launch we asked visitors to www.1in4women.com to sign up to a Thunderclap, which will automatically send the tweet "#1in4women experience domestic violence. Would you know how to #supportafriend? Find out now" at the time of launch - calling on women everywhere to watch the animated video and learn more about domestic violence.
“In addition to communicating key messages in an engaging way by using emotive visuals and evocative music/sound effects we hope the uniqueness of the video itself will compel people to share it through social channels.”
Using four scenarios it asks viewers what they would do in each situation to support a friend experiencing domestic violence. The animation unfolds in different ways according to the responses given; based on the statistic that one woman in every four will experience domestic violence at some point in her lifetime.
Wini Tse, creative partner and co-founder at Code Computerlove, said: “After coming up with the creative concept for this campaign, we hand-picked Fursy to partner with us on the project after seeing the amazing animated film he had previously produced for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation - Dark Angel – that tackled a very sensitive issue in a truly moving way.
“Refuge’s campaign is a stunning animation with a hand painted feel throughout achieved through the fusion of clever techniques including 2D hand-painted drawings, 3D modelling, Photoshop and After-Effect technique; we’ve then harnessed YouTube interactivity to allow viewers to engage with the video and control its progress based on their decisions – which helps to reinforce important messages in a more personalised way.”