Land mines on the soccer field
A game of girls soccer (football) kicks off. Parents watch from the sidelines, cheering when their daughter scores a goal. In the middle of the euphoria, a bomb goes off in the middle of the field.
The explosion appears to kill and injure some girls, sparking panic and chaos among parents and other children. Shrieks of horror are heard through much of the spot, and a father is shown cradling his daughter’s lifeless body, moments after celebrating a goal she had scored. A mother screams from the sidelines, her friends holding her back with fear of further land mine explosions.
We’re reminded that we wouldn’t stand for it if there were landmines planted in public areas. We’re called to action, joining in the United Nations’ work of removing antipersonnel, antitank and anti vehicle mines. “If there were landmines here, would you stand for them anywhere? Help the U.N. eradicate landmines everywhere.”
The TV advert finishes with the web site address: www.stoplandmines.org
The Landmine Soccer ad is available in WMV format (11.5 MB high bandwith and 10 MB low bandwith) on the www.stoplandmines.org web site.
It’s an emotive ad, so emotive that some networks in the United States have chosen not to show it.
Credits
The ad was developed for the U.N.’s Mine Action Service by New York-based Brooklyn Brothers and is available on their site (quicktime 8.33 MB). The creative team included Callum MacGregor, Guy Barnet and Oscar Thomas.
Director was Kevin Thomas of Thomas Thomas Films where “Kick Off” is shown as a 3.88 mb quicktime film.
Also worth checking out are two other related sites:
This land was mine
This features “Foreign Fields”, a Brooklyn Brothers quicktime video clip (7 MB mpeg) of a Cambodian farmer unable to use his own land because of land mines.
“A landmine destroys livelihoods as well as lives”
Mine Action
An educational web site, with links to the public service announcements, action groups around the world, and connections to the United Nations Mine Action Service.
Landmines and Human Security at Amazon.com
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(4.92 out of 5)
I saw this on an episode of ‘Tarrant On T.V.’, a series which airs on television here in the UK, often in a late-night slot. I remember the serious look on the face of the host, Chris Tarrant, as he introduced it.
I agree that it is an emotive ad – I was almost upset by the advert – but should the US have really turned their backs on it? The US is the home of the PSA and has a reputation for telling it as it is. To me, it seems almost hypocritical that some US networks have chosen not to show it, when you think of the more upsetting adverts which have aired there. It’s an ad which bears a serious message which should not be ignored. It’s an ad that does not apologise for upsetting people, just like an anti-mines which aired here (UK) nine years ago and that’s how it should be. Ads like this should be shocking. Mines cause countless damage to life and property and this ad conveys this perfectly. We are a people who watch the news and believe that’s not going to happen to me. We need a wake-up call, and the United Nations have done just that, so the US networks should get their heads out of their backsides and show people that mines are very real and very dangerous.