CALM tackles unseen signals

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) has released a new national campaign to tackle the rising rates of suicide in young women under 25 which features England Lioness and CALM ambassador Fran Kirby.

Over the course of this summer's Women's World Cup it is estimated that 14 young women in the UK will take their own lives, with recent Office for National Statistics data revealing that one woman under the age of 25 dies by suicide every two days.

Unseen Signals, created by VMLY&R London and directed by Natalie Rae through Object & Animal, puts Fran Kirby at the centre of the action as she goes down in agony after being fouled. Hand raised, indicating she needs help, the game carries on around her, the whistle unblown. She calls out but the game continues. The players, the referee and the crowd are oblivious. There is no help coming, she’s invisible. 

The powerful work draws on parallels faced by young women who are suicidal, whose calls for help can all too often be misunderstood or go unrecognised. The film ends with the message ‘no signal for help should go unseen. Your support could help save a life’.

The film was crafted using a mix of existing gameplay and green screen moments of Fran calling for help and struggling. Key angles were carefully captured, matching focal length and camera zooms to the real game footage. In post, with the teams at Framestore and The Assembly Rooms, an effective flow of shots and visual effects were developed using both real and re-created game backgrounds to tell the dynamic story, ultimately, creating the feeling of a real broadcasted match.

"The statistics are hard to digest, as these tragic numbers can be prevented," said Kirby. "That's why I've teamed up with CALM to shine a light on this issue, and to tackle the stigma that prevents young women from getting the support they need when they're struggling. Like any team, we all have our part to play in making sure young women feel seen when they reach out.”

“To launch alongside this summer’s largest football tournament and to work with an amazing ambassador like Fran Kirby, we knew we had a real chance to make a difference," added Dayoung Yun, Creative Director at VMLY&R London. "Not only to create work that wouldn’t go unseen, but to make something that would motivate everyone to take action and stand united against suicide with CALM.”