Directed by Billy Boyd Cape, this campaign for Alzheimer’s Society aimed to encourage people to ‘act on dementia’ following a drop in diagnoses during the Covid-19 pandemic, and research which showed that the biggest barrier to getting a dementia diagnosis is the assumption that memory loss is a normal part of ageing.

Research carried out early in pre-production by Cape and his team defined the ad’s narrative, which features a man in his 70s who realises his wife is experiencing possible early signs of Alzhiemer’s. To create the story, the team drew on the experiences of nurses, carers and other people who have had to support relatives with dementia.

The casting and the rehearsal process was also rigorous. “It was pivotal to not approach this project as a commercial but as a long-form narrative film,” say the team. “We discussed character back story, how the camera was emotionally motivated by the story, and allowed the cast to lead us to our final result.” The impact of the campaign was immediate, with Alzheimer’s Society recording a huge uplift in calls to its support line.

Credits:
Alzheimer’s Society: It’s not called getting old
Category: Direction
Entrant: New Commercial Arts
Agency: New Commercial Arts
Founder, Creative: Ian Heartfield
Founder, CEO: James Murphy
Founder, Strategy: David Golding
Art Directors: Nici Hofer, Kenny Meek
Copywriter: Mary Johansen
Business Director: Lauren Nuttall
Account Director: Janki Shah
Senior Planner: John Blight
Head of Production: Matt Craigie-Atherton
Film Producer: Lucie Georgeson
Project Director: Sylvie Edwards
Retouching: King Henry Soho
Production Company: Academy Films
Director: Billy Boyd Cape
Producer: Gemma Priggen
DoP: Molly Manning Walker
Editing Company: Tenthree Editing
Editor: Ellie Johnson
Post-Production: Selected Works
Post Producer: Katie Sharpe
Executive Producer: Sean Costelloe
Grade: Simone Grattarola @ Time Based Arts
Flame/VFX/Online: Robin McGloin
Music: Joel Hartman
Sound Design & Mix: Henning Knoepfel
Music & Sound Company: Soundtree Music
Published by: Soundtree Music Publishing Limited
Master Controlled by: Soundtree Music Limited