David Stoddart of Dark Energy directs new powerful campaign for British Gas

Agency Ogilvy UK’s final campaign for British Gas marks the long term partnership between British Gas and Carers UK. The cleverly constructed film highlights the relationships between unpaid carers and their closest friends.

There are more than 6.5 million unpaid carers in the UK looking after a loved one who’s older, disabled or seriously ill. This includes British Gas customers and employees. The film, which is part of the ‘Share That You Care’ campaign, encourages carers to open up so that they can get the help and support they need and deserve.

In the film, directed by David Stoddart of Dark Energy we see four unpaid carers interviewed. Separately, their closest friends are asked the same questions about the carer. A split screen format highlights the difference between how the carers present themselves on the outside, and how they really feel on the inside.

Finally, the friends are confronted with the realities of the carers’ deepest feelings and we see how that changes their perception.

British Gas – Two Sides Of The Story

Credits

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Agency OgilvyOne/London
Production Company Dark Energy Films
Director David Stoddart

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Credits

powered by

Agency OgilvyOne/London
Production Company Dark Energy Films
Director David Stoddart
Creative Neal Williamson
Creative Bertie Rapkin

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Stoddart comments, ‘The most important thing for me was to ensure that everyone involved felt empowered by the process and that the environment was as calm as possible, in order to protect them from the realities of the Production process.

To learn more about British Gas's conversation around carers, please click here.

When people share their personal stories like this, there is a huge amount of trust and we wanted to make sure that everyone involved felt informed, comfortable and respected throughout the process. They only really met the casting team and myself, with everyone else hidden behind drapes. We wanted it to feel intimate and not at all intrusive.’

He concludes, ‘This was an emotional film to work on, given the importance of the subject matter, a subject matter close to my heart. We were very fortunate to be working with a great creative team, who were enormously receptive to the process. I think we knew we had something special.’

The campaign will run across social channels, cinema, British Gas communications and the website, as well as internally for employees. Over the course of the year it will explore different themes including loneliness and isolation, mental health and juggling caring with the demands of modern life.