The One Show
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Category
Creative Use of Budget
Annual ID
OS23_MI124M
About the Work
Featuring former refugees, The Reluctant Shanty is the first shanty based on the experiences of those who’ve embarked on dangerous sea crossings to escape persecution and conflict.
The intention was to raise awareness about the plight of refugees using TikTok, at a time when the focus has been on the pandemic alone.
Crafted with an elevated visual style and raw intimacy that cuts right through to your heart, The Reluctant Sea Shanty witnesses three refugees stranded in the ocean.
In the film, real-life casting and naturalistic performances meet a poetic visual style - where the refugees’ experiences are stripped back to their essential symbols - such as the eerie calm of a vast foreboding ocean and the melancholy of empty life vests.
Through its authentic casting, nuanced direction and piercing musical choice, The Reluctant Sea Shanty shines light on the hope and fortitude of the refugees who risk everything to arrive in not only Australia, but countless other countries around the world.
Featuring former refugees, the director envisioned a film that captures their experience in its totality – not just its darkness and its difficulty, but its humanity as well.
Casting real-life refugees was crucial, but also demanded ethical caution. The director worked through each performer’s sensitivities carefully, helping them emotionally engage their history through their singing.
On set, this meant placing personally significant objects near the camera; reminders for the performers of great hardship, but also hope and promise.
The director focused on nuance and detail; in the carefully composed mise-en-scene and evocative cinematography, but most importantly the performances. Singing to camera always feels heightened, so great emphasis was placed on emotionally engaging each performer’s strength and resilience.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
BMF / Sydney
Production Company
Finch / Sydney
Music / Sound Production Company
Rumble Studios / Sydney
Post Production Company
Atticus / Sydney
Art Director
Jack Robertson
Copywriter
Robert Boddington
Chief Creative Officer
Alex Derwin
Creative Director
Douglas Hamilton
Director
Kyra Bartley
Director of Photography
James Brown
Editor
Delaney Murphy
Executive Producer
Loren Bradley
Photographer
David Collins
Producer
Nick Simkins
Bryce Lintern
Agency Producer
Jessica Vella
Chief Executive Officer
Stephen McArdle
account director
Rebekah O'Grady
Chief strategy Officer
Christina Aventi
Head of Art & Design
Lincoln Grice
Head of TV
Jenny Lee-Archer
Managing director
Corey Esse
Post producer
Kani Saib
Production Designer/Art Director
Janai Anselmi
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