A video highlighting how water is being used as a weapon of war, created by Port Elizabeth video production company Rooftop, has won a prestigious Shorty Award.
The video – Water under Fire – which Rooftop made for the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (Unicef), won the medium-length video category of the 11th Annual Shorty Awards.
The main ceremony for the awards, which recognises the best content on social media, took place in New York on Sunday.
The video, made in August 2018, highlights how children’s lives are being put at risk through the deliberate withholding of water or the destruction of water sources in conflict zones across the world.
“In times of crisis, when hospitals are overcrowded and medical supplies are low, a lack of safe water can be just as deadly as a bullet or bomb,” Unicef’s creative lead, Priyanka Pruthi, said.
Pruthi entered the video, which has 2.9-million views on Unicef’s Facebook page.
Rooftop creative director Tom Collins, part of the 10-person team who made Water under Fire said his excitement over the win was offset by the tragedy of the situation.
The one-minute video begins with Cape Town child actress Ella St Claire Hickey, 10, asking viewers: “Would you believe me if I told you you’ve used a weapon of war today? “It doesn’t discriminate. “It can kill children, devastate families and even bring a city to its knees.”
After several moments of suspense, she turns on a tap revealing the elusive weapon – and goes on to describe how water is being cut off, pipelines attacked and children forced to drink dirty water, resulting in water-related illnesses, which often cause more deaths than bullets and bombs.
“We deliberately created a sense of contrast between the girl in an average home environment talking about this intriguing ‘weapon of war’, to illustrate the shocking fact that something you take for granted, can be used to intentionally hurt people,” Collins said.
“We wanted viewers to imagine what it would be like if this was happening in their own context, not just in the Yemens and Syrias of this world.
“We used a lot of quickly filmed, close-up shots, sourced locally, to create a suspensefilled fast-paced edit, along with stock footage [of children in war zones].
“The Shorty is a really nice accolade for Rooftop.
“But what’s so much more impactful is, the water situation is getting recognition – that is what Rooftop is all about.”
With a mission statement of “telling stories that matter”, many of Rooftop’s clients are international nonprofit organisations.
● Water under Fire can be viewed at: https://shortyawards.com/11th/water-under-fire
Big win for PE production firm
Video on water as a weapon of war recognised
Image: Supplied
A video highlighting how water is being used as a weapon of war, created by Port Elizabeth video production company Rooftop, has won a prestigious Shorty Award.
The video – Water under Fire – which Rooftop made for the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (Unicef), won the medium-length video category of the 11th Annual Shorty Awards.
The main ceremony for the awards, which recognises the best content on social media, took place in New York on Sunday.
The video, made in August 2018, highlights how children’s lives are being put at risk through the deliberate withholding of water or the destruction of water sources in conflict zones across the world.
“In times of crisis, when hospitals are overcrowded and medical supplies are low, a lack of safe water can be just as deadly as a bullet or bomb,” Unicef’s creative lead, Priyanka Pruthi, said.
Pruthi entered the video, which has 2.9-million views on Unicef’s Facebook page.
Rooftop creative director Tom Collins, part of the 10-person team who made Water under Fire said his excitement over the win was offset by the tragedy of the situation.
The one-minute video begins with Cape Town child actress Ella St Claire Hickey, 10, asking viewers: “Would you believe me if I told you you’ve used a weapon of war today? “It doesn’t discriminate. “It can kill children, devastate families and even bring a city to its knees.”
After several moments of suspense, she turns on a tap revealing the elusive weapon – and goes on to describe how water is being cut off, pipelines attacked and children forced to drink dirty water, resulting in water-related illnesses, which often cause more deaths than bullets and bombs.
“We deliberately created a sense of contrast between the girl in an average home environment talking about this intriguing ‘weapon of war’, to illustrate the shocking fact that something you take for granted, can be used to intentionally hurt people,” Collins said.
“We wanted viewers to imagine what it would be like if this was happening in their own context, not just in the Yemens and Syrias of this world.
“We used a lot of quickly filmed, close-up shots, sourced locally, to create a suspensefilled fast-paced edit, along with stock footage [of children in war zones].
“The Shorty is a really nice accolade for Rooftop.
“But what’s so much more impactful is, the water situation is getting recognition – that is what Rooftop is all about.”
With a mission statement of “telling stories that matter”, many of Rooftop’s clients are international nonprofit organisations.
● Water under Fire can be viewed at: https://shortyawards.com/11th/water-under-fire
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