It’s always gratifying when we can use our talents for a cause, and that’s exactly what we were asked to do for this edition of “Ad of the Week.”
The
Suicide & Crisis Center of North Texas came to Moroch and iNSPIRE! asking for help. They routinely visit high schools throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area, speaking to teenagers about the issues that lead to suicide, like depression, anxiety, and isolation.
What they needed was a spot to set up their presentation and capture the emotional anguish teens are suffering at moments of crises, something that would help them to reconsider, something that would reach them and move them emotionally into an understanding that there is hope. There are better solutions.
In doing our research, we ran across an interesting statistic: when someone commits suicide, it dramatically affects the lives of six people closest to them.
That led to this thought: What if we reminded a teenager who might be at risk of suicide that there are a lot people who truly love and care for them—people they may not have thought about like a little brother, a grandparent, a friend, an aunt—who would be devastated by the thought of losing them? That their live does matter, and their absence would have a much greater effect on others than they may realize?
We wanted the viewer to experience the pain that loved ones would feel if they were to commit suicide. This lead to the brilliantly simple line: You won’t hurt just you.
It sounds cliché, but if we can keep one person from committing suicide, we’ve not only saved one life, but additionally, the lives around them.
With the generous help of director Matt Smukler of Community Films, we created a short video that is moving, emotional, gripping and, above all else, hopeful.
What really took this to a higher emotional level is the song by recording artist Joseph Arthur, a friend of Smukler, who was also drawn to the idea and graciously allowed the use of his song, “Don’t Give Up On People.” With its haunting melody and reflective lyrics, it was as if the song was written specifically for this film.
Below is the spot and team. Moroch has also cut a :30 version which is currently running as a PSA on local television stations.
Hotline: 214-828-1000
www.sccenter.org
