Twelve a Winning Film by Catsnake

Last month we announced London homelessness charity SHP as the winner of our competition to win a pro bono film from top film makers Catsnake and only six weeks later their film is being launched today to drive their Christmas appeal.

In just one minute the film takes us on a journey through the London streets, which brings out a bewildering mix of emotions as we share twelve months of homelessness with Jez (the hero). Set to an original score based on 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' experienced actor Jethro Skinner (currently performing in Twelfth Night with Stephen Fry at London's Apollo Theatre) makes the character 'Jez' come to life. The creativity and depth that filmmakers Stephen Follows and Ed Dark bring to their work is amazing.

If you enjoyed watching this beautiful Christmas story, do your part to prevent homelessness by sharing the film with 12 friends, donating £12 or signing up for 12 updates a year. And check out SHP's website to read the back stories that inspired this film.

Dave Titmas Communications Manager of SHP shares their experience of winning the film competition and working with Catsnake:

We entered the film competition because we were impressed by Catsnake’s ability to tell stories which engage and move people. If they could have half the office weeping over a love story between two milk bottles, we were sure they could help us tell powerful stories about homelessness and recovery.
 
Our aim was to produce a compelling film to form the centrepiece of a Christmas appeal – something that would engage viewers and encourage them to be sympathetic to our cause.

The short film re-writes a traditional Christmas song to reflect twelve moments in Jez’s journey from homelessness to recovery. Each of the ‘moments’ is drawn from a series of interviews with our clients, so every step of Jez’s journey is shared by many of the people we support. We are linking each moment back to a corresponding interview, and drawing out more of the work SHP does in each area. ‘Twelve’ is going to play a big part in the way we present the material!

Walter was one of the peer mentors helping Jez through his recovery in the film - a job he knows well since he is an active peer mentor for Camden Aftercare clients. Walter said: “I was nervous at first when they said ‘cameras are rolling,’ I didn’t expect that, but it was really good. I calmed down and the film crew did their job and we did ours (as peer mentors). I was trying to get Jethro (the actor) to identify with his role and his emotions, just like I would in any other peer meeting.”

It has been wonderful to work with Catsnake. We were expecting Ed and Stephen to be full of creativity and ideas, but it was their attention to detail that was staggering – from lining up the shots with the utmost precision, to drawing on their own personal experiences to produce a fantastic character profile. It was humbling to have a team of such talented people give up their time to promote our cause.

Ed Dark, Director at Catsnake shares his motives for making this film:

I jumped at the chance to direct a pro bono film for SHP is because I have had some very close friends who have suffered from homelessness. I had friends who I didn't even realise were homeless and it has always upset me to think they were struggling to get through every day without any help. SHP is a wonderful charity that helps these people. I really felt that we could make a difference with this video by making the public realise that a person's life can be completely turned around with the help of SHP. It's extremely important that people help support SHP and everything they do.

Because of the nature of the subject we were able to secure one of our favourite actors (Jethro Skinner) and work with nearly all of our favourite crew. This is a testament to how everyone really got behind the powerful message we were trying to tell. The results are on the screen and I think we can all be extremely proud of our work.
 
Jethro Skinner, lead actor shares his motivation for supporting this project:

I have spent a lot of time sharing the streets with the dispossessed and down on their luck and am often struck by their decency, humanity and misfortune. I despair at this country's unwillingness to support, care and love those whose circumstances have led them to desperate times.

The importance of SHP's work:

With unemployment and living costs rising more people are finding themselves in need of support to prevent homelessness.

Every year SHP helps 6,000 people rebuild their lives. Despite their efforts homelessness has risen by 35% in the last three years. You can help turn the tide by supporting the Twelve campaign.