Cut (advert)
Encyclopedia
Cut is a British
advertising campaign
launched in 2009 by the charitable organisation
Women's Aid to promote awareness of domestic violence
. The campaign was created by advertising agency
Grey London
, and centres around a 120-second commercial starring Keira Knightley
. Supporting the commercial are poster and online components. Cut was directed by Joe Wright
and produced by Dominic Delaney. Post-production work was handled by Big Buoy and Prime Focus. The campaign drew a significant amount of media attention, especially after advertising approval body Clearcast
prohibited the spot from appearing on even post-watershed
television, due to several particularly violent scenes. The title of the piece refers to the filmmaking practice of cutting
.
, leaving the set
after a day's work. The actress drives home, wiping off her make-up in the car. When she arrives at her apartment, she calls to her boyfriend before finding a shattered mirror and a trail of blood across the floor into the kitchen. When she turns around, she sees her boyfriend's knuckles are bloodied and offers him a towel. He snaps it out of her hand. He then asks about the scenes with the leading man
and whether her scenes with him "felt real". He cuts off her reply by throwing the towel back in her face and, when she tries to protest, strikes her to the ground and proceeds to yank her hair and kick her several times in the chest. The camera zooms out
to reveal that the room is an otherwise empty set. The tagline
"Isn't it time someone called Cut
" appears, followed by the statistic that two women die as a result of domestic abuse each week, and a request for a donation of £2 a month.
Since the appointment of advertising agency Grey London
to handle the marketing of Women's Aid in 2005, they had worked on a number of publicity campaigns for the feminist charitable organisation. In 2006, their Valentine's Day campaign, with a budget of just £500, reached an estimated 52% of adults within the United Kingdom and generated editorial coverage worth an estimated €
613,000. Comprising spots in print, posters
, and radio, the campaign received wide critical acclaim, including an Aerial Award,, a Euro Effie Award,, and an IPA Effectiveness Award. The following year marked the launch of the What's it going to take?
campaign. What's it going to take? centred around a series of images taken by British photographer Rankin
, of a number of female British celebrities, including Anna Friel
and Honor Blackman
. Cosmetics
were applied to the celebrities to give them the appearance of having been beaten
. Noel Bussey of Campaign magazine said of the series: "Many agencies pull out their best work when it's for charity, but rarely is it this effective, so well shot or so close to the brief." Women's Aid went to win the 2007 Campaigning Team of the Year award at the Charity Times Gala Awards in London for the work surrounding the What's it going to take? campaign.
Keira Knightley had worked with director Joe Wright
on a number of projects prior to Cut, including the feature films Pride & Prejudice
and Atonement
, and a 2008 television commercial for Chanel
perfume. The pair volunteered their time for Cut at no charge, and convinced a team of around fifty others to do so as well. The assembled team included BAFTA-nominated make-up artist Ivana Primorac
and cinematographer
Seamus McGarvey
, whose work with Wright on Atonement earned him an Academy Award nomination. Filming took place in January 2009, and the piece was intended to begin airing on April 2.
television and during trailers for 15-rated films in cinemas from April 2, 2009. However, when the commercial was sent for approval by Clearcast
, the advertising authority refused permission for Cut to appear on British television either before or after the watershed. Clearcast advised that the final scene of Cut, in which Knightley's character is being kicked repeatedly by her boyfriend, was too violent and likely to cause offense, and therefore demanded that the scene be removed from the piece before it could be televised. Women's Aid refused to make the modifications, instead electing to eschew television and concentrate on the cinema, online, and print aspects of the campaign. Cut made its debut at cinemas on April 6. Media space was donated by the cinema advertising companies Pearl & Dean
, Digital Cinema Media
, and Admedia. The ad also appeared online, both at a dedicated microsite
and on video sharing
website YouTube
. This online component was backed up with a series of print advertisements created by Grey London creative director
Nils Leonard.
The campaign was received well by the public. Within six days the film had over half a million hit
s online, swiftly rising to over a million. Of those who viewed Cut, only two wrote to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority. Clearcast's decision to block the piece from appearing on television was widely lambasted. Reactions by the media to the ad itself were mixed. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
of The Independent
supported the piece, saying: "I know seeing her heroine Keira Knightley being knocked about by her lover will shake and wake my daughter up to this crime. Nothing I can say will have the same impact." However, Kira Cochrane
of The Guardian
was more critical, saying: "[O]nce the initial horror had passed, I was left wondering about the point of the ad. [...] [T]here's something about a celebrity being used to represent a domestic violence victim that makes me feel slightly queasy." It was also featured as one of the top ten celebrity advertisements of 2009 in Campaign magazine. Irrespective of these differing opinions, Cut has proven to be a financial and critical success. During the period in which the campaign ran in cinemas and print, metrics reported a 33% increase in awareness of the charity, and Women's Aid received a 50% rise in people looking to make a donation. The campaign was also shortlisted for a Cyber Lion at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
, considered one of the most prestigious awards in the advertising industry.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
advertising campaign
Advertising campaign
An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication...
launched in 2009 by the charitable organisation
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
Women's Aid to promote awareness of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. The campaign was created by advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
Grey London
Grey London
Grey London is one of the UK's largest communications agencies with clients including Samsung, P&G, GlaxoSmithKline, Allianz, the British Heart Foundation, Ryvita, Dairy Crest and Toshiba...
, and centres around a 120-second commercial starring Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
. Supporting the commercial are poster and online components. Cut was directed by Joe Wright
Joe Wright
Joe Wright is an English film director best known for Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Hanna.-Early life and career:...
and produced by Dominic Delaney. Post-production work was handled by Big Buoy and Prime Focus. The campaign drew a significant amount of media attention, especially after advertising approval body Clearcast
Clearcast
Clearcast is an NGO which pre-approves most British television advertising . It came into being on January 1 2008 and took over the responsibilities of the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre...
prohibited the spot from appearing on even post-watershed
Watershed (television)
In television, the term watershed denotes the time period in a television schedule during which programs with adult content can air....
television, due to several particularly violent scenes. The title of the piece refers to the filmmaking practice of cutting
Cut (filmmaking)
In the post-production process of film editing and video editing, a cut is an abrupt, but usually trivial film transition from one sequence to another. It is synonymous with the term edit, though "edit" can imply any number of transitions or effects. The cut, dissolve and wipe serve as the three...
.
Sequence
Cut opens with a young actress, played by Keira KnightleyKeira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
, leaving the set
Set construction
Set construction is the process by which a set designer works in collaboration with the director of a production to create the set for a theatrical, film or television production...
after a day's work. The actress drives home, wiping off her make-up in the car. When she arrives at her apartment, she calls to her boyfriend before finding a shattered mirror and a trail of blood across the floor into the kitchen. When she turns around, she sees her boyfriend's knuckles are bloodied and offers him a towel. He snaps it out of her hand. He then asks about the scenes with the leading man
Leading actor
A leading actor, leading actress, star, or simply lead, plays the role of the protagonist in a film or play. The word lead may also refer to the largest role in the piece and leading actor may refer to a person who typically plays such parts or an actor with a respected body of work...
and whether her scenes with him "felt real". He cuts off her reply by throwing the towel back in her face and, when she tries to protest, strikes her to the ground and proceeds to yank her hair and kick her several times in the chest. The camera zooms out
Zoom lens
A zoom lens is a mechanical assembly of lens elements for which the focal length can be varied, as opposed to a fixed focal length lens...
to reveal that the room is an otherwise empty set. The tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
"Isn't it time someone called Cut
Cut (filmmaking)
In the post-production process of film editing and video editing, a cut is an abrupt, but usually trivial film transition from one sequence to another. It is synonymous with the term edit, though "edit" can imply any number of transitions or effects. The cut, dissolve and wipe serve as the three...
" appears, followed by the statistic that two women die as a result of domestic abuse each week, and a request for a donation of £2 a month.
Background and production
Grey London
Grey London is one of the UK's largest communications agencies with clients including Samsung, P&G, GlaxoSmithKline, Allianz, the British Heart Foundation, Ryvita, Dairy Crest and Toshiba...
to handle the marketing of Women's Aid in 2005, they had worked on a number of publicity campaigns for the feminist charitable organisation. In 2006, their Valentine's Day campaign, with a budget of just £500, reached an estimated 52% of adults within the United Kingdom and generated editorial coverage worth an estimated €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
613,000. Comprising spots in print, posters
Billboard
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, and radio, the campaign received wide critical acclaim, including an Aerial Award,, a Euro Effie Award,, and an IPA Effectiveness Award. The following year marked the launch of the What's it going to take?
What's it going to take?
What's it going to take? is a British print and poster campaign launched in 2007 by Women's Aid to boost awareness of domestic violence against women in the United Kingdom. The campaign, handled by advertising agency Grey London, comprised photographs of nine female celebrities made-up to appear as...
campaign. What's it going to take? centred around a series of images taken by British photographer Rankin
Rankin (photographer)
John Rankin Waddell, working name Rankin, born 1966, is a British portrait and fashion photographer.-Life and career:Waddell was brought up in St Albans, Hertfordshire. At the age of 21, whilst studying accounting at Brighton Polytechnic, he realized that his interests lay elsewhere and dropped...
, of a number of female British celebrities, including Anna Friel
Anna Friel
Anna Louise Friel is an English actress. She rose to fame in the UK as Beth Jordache on the Channel 4 soap Brookside.-Early life:...
and Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman is an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger .-Early life:...
. Cosmetics
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
were applied to the celebrities to give them the appearance of having been beaten
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
. Noel Bussey of Campaign magazine said of the series: "Many agencies pull out their best work when it's for charity, but rarely is it this effective, so well shot or so close to the brief." Women's Aid went to win the 2007 Campaigning Team of the Year award at the Charity Times Gala Awards in London for the work surrounding the What's it going to take? campaign.
Keira Knightley had worked with director Joe Wright
Joe Wright
Joe Wright is an English film director best known for Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Hanna.-Early life and career:...
on a number of projects prior to Cut, including the feature films Pride & Prejudice
Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)
Pride & Prejudice is a 2005 British romance film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 1813 novel of the same name by Jane Austen and the second adaption produced by Working Title Films. It was released on September 16, 2005, in the UK and on November 11, 2005, in the...
and Atonement
Atonement (film)
Atonement is a 2007 British romantic suspense war film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. The film stars James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan. It was produced by Working Title Films and filmed throughout the summer of 2006...
, and a 2008 television commercial for Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
perfume. The pair volunteered their time for Cut at no charge, and convinced a team of around fifty others to do so as well. The assembled team included BAFTA-nominated make-up artist Ivana Primorac
Ivana Primorac
Ivana Primorac is a make-up artist and hairstylist. She began her career working in television and was given a job working for the BBC. Primorac later moved onto working in feature films, including Atonement, Sweeney Todd and The Reader. Primorac has earned various award nominations for her...
and cinematographer
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
Seamus McGarvey
Seamus McGarvey
Seamus McGarvey BSC, born 29 June 1967 in Armagh, Northern Ireland, began his career as a still photographer before attending film school at the University of Westminster in London....
, whose work with Wright on Atonement earned him an Academy Award nomination. Filming took place in January 2009, and the piece was intended to begin airing on April 2.
Release and reception
It was intended that Cut begin broadcasting simultaneously on post-watershedWatershed (television)
In television, the term watershed denotes the time period in a television schedule during which programs with adult content can air....
television and during trailers for 15-rated films in cinemas from April 2, 2009. However, when the commercial was sent for approval by Clearcast
Clearcast
Clearcast is an NGO which pre-approves most British television advertising . It came into being on January 1 2008 and took over the responsibilities of the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre...
, the advertising authority refused permission for Cut to appear on British television either before or after the watershed. Clearcast advised that the final scene of Cut, in which Knightley's character is being kicked repeatedly by her boyfriend, was too violent and likely to cause offense, and therefore demanded that the scene be removed from the piece before it could be televised. Women's Aid refused to make the modifications, instead electing to eschew television and concentrate on the cinema, online, and print aspects of the campaign. Cut made its debut at cinemas on April 6. Media space was donated by the cinema advertising companies Pearl & Dean
Pearl & Dean
Pearl & Dean is primarily known as a British cinema advertising company. It was founded in 1953 by brothers Ernie and Charles Pearl, and Bob Dean....
, Digital Cinema Media
Digital Cinema Media
Digital Cinema Media is an advertising company first formed in July 2008 by Cineworld Group plc and Odeon Cinemas Ltd. The firm supplies cinema advertisements to both of the company's cinema chains....
, and Admedia. The ad also appeared online, both at a dedicated microsite
Microsite
A microsite is an Internet web design term referring to an individual web page or a small cluster of pages which are meant to function as a discreet entity within an existing website or to complement an offline activity...
and on video sharing
Video sharing
Video hosting services refers to websites or software where users can distribute their video clips. Other sites such as file hosting services image hosting services and social network services might support video sharing as an enhancement to their primary mission, but in general, they are not...
website YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. This online component was backed up with a series of print advertisements created by Grey London creative director
Creative Director
A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....
Nils Leonard.
The campaign was received well by the public. Within six days the film had over half a million hit
Hit (internet)
A hit is a request to a web server for a file . When a web page is uploaded from a server the number of "hits" or "page hits" is equal to the number of files requested. Therefore, one page load does not always equal one hit because often pages are made up of other images and other files which stack...
s online, swiftly rising to over a million. Of those who viewed Cut, only two wrote to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority. Clearcast's decision to block the piece from appearing on television was widely lambasted. Reactions by the media to the ad itself were mixed. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown MBE is a Ugandan-born British journalist and author, who describes herself as a "leftie liberal, anti-racist, feminist, Muslim, part-Pakistani...a very responsible person"...
of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
supported the piece, saying: "I know seeing her heroine Keira Knightley being knocked about by her lover will shake and wake my daughter up to this crime. Nothing I can say will have the same impact." However, Kira Cochrane
Kira Cochrane
Kira Cochrane is a British journalist.She was born and raised in Essex. Her elder brother was killed aged 8 in a traffic accident in 1983; Cochrane's father had died of a heart attack and the family were brought up by their mother...
of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
was more critical, saying: "[O]nce the initial horror had passed, I was left wondering about the point of the ad. [...] [T]here's something about a celebrity being used to represent a domestic violence victim that makes me feel slightly queasy." It was also featured as one of the top ten celebrity advertisements of 2009 in Campaign magazine. Irrespective of these differing opinions, Cut has proven to be a financial and critical success. During the period in which the campaign ran in cinemas and print, metrics reported a 33% increase in awareness of the charity, and Women's Aid received a 50% rise in people looking to make a donation. The campaign was also shortlisted for a Cyber Lion at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in advertising and related fields. The seven-day festival, incorporating the awarding of the Lions awards, is held yearly at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France...
, considered one of the most prestigious awards in the advertising industry.