Channel 4 UK challenges patronising attitudes in new Paris 2024 Paralympic Games campaign
Channel 4 has unveiled its Paris 2024 Paralympic Games campaign film which challenges people to view Paralympians as elite, world-class athletes, not as competitors “overcoming” their disabilities. The campaign was directed by Australia’s Steve Rogers.
The campaign ‘Considering What?’, created by Channel 4’s in-house agency 4creative and produced by Biscuit Filmworks UK x Revolver, asks the viewing public to reconsider their preconceptions of Paralympic greatness.
The film captures the reactions of people as they watch Paralympic sport which, although well intentioned, are misguided and don’t appreciate Paralympians for what they are – world class athletes.
Its first public broadcast on Channel 4 will be at 9pm tomorrow (12th July) just before the start of Celebrity Gogglebox. It will also be simultaneously aired at 9pm across all of the broadcaster’s other channels.
The campaign comes after research, commissioned by Channel 4, showed that 59% of people said they watch the Paralympic Games to “see athletes overcoming their disabilities” whereas just 37% say they watch the Paralympics for “exciting sporting competition”.
Rather than showing the athletes “overcoming their disabilities”, the film depicts Paralympians taking on and overcoming forces such as gravity, friction and time – the impassionate elements and unchangeable forces of our world – that make no exception for any athlete, regardless of someone’s disability.
The campaign is the first since Channel 4 won the UK broadcast rights to the Paralympics which will not feature the term ‘Superhumans’.
The film is supported by a nationwide OOH campaign, where well-meaning but patronising phrases are corrected by the physicality of the Paralympic sports themselves.
Says Katie Jackson, chief marketing officer, Channel 4: “Since 2012, Channel 4 has played a key role in raising the profile of the Paralympic Games and challenging attitudes around disability. The Paralympics is one of the greatest sporting events in the world, drawing many millions of viewers. And that’s just it. This is sport, where athletic prowess takes centre stage and excellence wins above all else.
“As we show Paralympians battling against the very real forces of our world, forces that don’t distinguish between any of us, we wanted to highlight the pure power and energy of world-class athleticism. Because at the end of the day, sport doesn’t care about disability. Paris, we’re coming for you.”
Says Lynsey Atkin, executive creative director of 4creative: “Gravity, friction, time. The unchangeable forces of our world dictate what it means to be the best on the pitch, in the pool, on the court, on the track. They offer no head starts, no free passes, no patronising pat on the head and another go around. Excellence is excellent, no caveats. How strange that as audiences we watch one of the world’s most elite sporting events with our heads tilted and our amazement seemingly tempered.
“As we moved on from Superhumans, we wanted to turn the lens on the audience, done with a film stuffed full of Channel 4 irreverence and spirit. We owe a huge debt to Paralympians and our partners throughout the disabled community who have worked with us to bring this project to life. My personal thanks to them for backing a sports film that features a fat man with a pint and a lad with a mullet doing donuts in Brent Cross. Bring it on, Paris!”
The film brings the elements to life, personifying Gravity as an odious, shirtless man clutching a pint of beer, taunting and cackling at Paralympic wheelchair rugby star Aaron Phipps in his living room. Items around the living room begin to ‘fall’ to the ceiling as Gravity toys with the Paralympian before making Phipps ‘fall’ to the ceiling where his face smacks into the floor and the scene changes to show him in the middle of a wheelchair rugby match.
The film then introduces Friction, personified as an abrasive boy-racer in a bright yellow sports car whooping as he burns rubber performing donuts, tyres squealing and smoking. The scene moves to multi-gold Paralympic medallist Sarah Storey racing on her bike, but her wheels go from underneath her at a sharp corner leaving her helpless as her momentum drags her body across rough gravel, shredding her lycra and skin, while Friction watches on from his brash, gaudy car.
The scene switches to Paralympic sprinter Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker as he starts a race but he finds himself helplessly drifting towards the back of the runners despite his efforts, while Lady Time looks on from the crowd, stopwatch in hand, with second hands relentlessly spinning away.
The film then shows a montage of sports including wheelchair rugby, weightlifting, judo, and paracanoeing before the image breaks to a living room where a family is watching wheelchair tennis as Alfie Hewett pulls off an amazing shot and the woman on the sofa says to her family: “He’s incredible for someone like that.”
This is immediately followed by three men sat in a stadium and one says to his friends: “They’re so brave.”
Finally, we cut to two friends sitting at a bus stop, evidently watching the Paralympics on a mobile. One says: “She’s doing so well, considering.” And her friend, utterly perplexed, looks at her and asks: “Considering what?”
The film then shows Phipps, Storey and Oyinbo-Coker coming to terms with Gravity, Friction and Time. Phipps dusts himself down from yet another brutal fall in wheelchair rugby and spins around and re-enters the fray, Storey is head down on her bike and powers into the distance while Oyinbo-Coker storms to the front of his race, wins and then falls into the arms of his (genuine) family and friends in the crowd, celebrating his victory.
The voiceover, performed by actor, writer, producer and presenter Nabil Shaban, then states: “They would never say “He’s amazing for someone in a wheelchair.””
Just before the film shows the athletes conquering their respective elements, a series of messages flash up on screen in quick succession:
– Sport Doesn’t Care About Disability
– Gravity Doesn’t Care About Disability
– Friction Doesn’t Care About Disability
– Time Doesn’t Care About Disability
– Wind Doesn’t Care About Disability
– Heat Doesn’t Care About Disability
– Force Doesn’t Care About Disability
– Sport Doesn’t Care About Disability
The full film is 2 minute 20 seconds but there will cut down version of 60, 40 and 20 seconds, as well as some six second version for social media.
The film includes ParalympicsGB athletes Aaron Phipps, Dame Sarah Storey, Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker, Joseph Lane, Emma Wiggs, Olivia Broome and Alfie Hewett.
It’s supported by an OOH campaign, a series of striking posters (see attached) featuring Paralympic athletes Justine Moore, Gemma Collis (fencing); Mark Swan (powerlifting); Harri Jenkins, Fay West and Nick Cummins (wheelchair rugby); and Kare Adenegan (wheelchair racing). The OOH campaign goes live on 12th August across the UK.
In addition to the OOH campaign Channel 4 has also commissioned a striking mural created by artist Florence Burns, who is herself disabled. Situated at Village Underground in Shoreditch, London, the mural cleverly echoes the sentiment of the poster campaign and shows a Paralympic athlete striking through the patronising section of a statement. The mural, created with experiential agency Fever, will be remain in place until 5th August.
Brand: Channel 4
CMO: Katie Jackson, Zaid Al-Qassab
Marketing Director: Amber Kirby
Marketing Lead: Anna Kerr
Marketing Executive: Alexandra Baker
Senior Planner, Strategy & Consumer Insight: James Hamilton
Brand Planner: Thomas Schofield
Sports Partnership Lead: Kate Clayton
Creative Diversity & Disability Lead: Ally Castle @ Ideally Consulting ltd
Disability-led inclusive marketing agency: Dom Hyams (Client Director) and Dani Roberts (Campaigns Director) @ Purple Goat
Agency: 4creative
Executive Creative Director: Lynsey Atkin
Creative Directors: Andy Vasey and Dan Warner
Creatives (FILM): Andy Vasey and Dan Warner
Creatives (OOH): Stuart Gittings and Reuben Dangoor
Director of Production: Miketta Lane
Executive Producer: Fiona Wright
Senior Producer TV: Lauren Holden
Production Manager: Hannah Jones
Production Assistant: Amelia Croom
Trainee Production Coordinator: Tehya Connery
Senior Producer OOH & Ident: Rory Maclean
Producer Social: Faye Adams
Head of Design: Rob Boon
Senior Designer: Aimi Awang
Designer: Dan Davies
Senior Project Manager: John Trevor
Head of Creative Operations: Olivia Jones
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks UK X Revolver
Director: Steve Rogers
Exec Producer/Managing Director: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
Head of Production: Emily Atterton
Producer: Simon Eakhurst
Production Manager: Luke Thornton
Director’s Assistant: James Murray
Director of Photography: Daniel Landin
Production Designer: John Henson
1st AD: Ben Gill
Wardrobe Stylist: Hannah Edwards
Hair and Makeup Artist: Natasha MacGowan-Spencer
Casting Director: Hannah Birkett
Editing Company: Work Editorial
Editor: Rich Orrick
Edit Assistant: Miles Watson
Edit Producer: Frankie Elster
Post Production: Time Based Arts
VFX Executive Producer: Sian Jenkins
Post producer: Mia Saunders
VFX Creative Director: Sheldon Gardner
VFX Lead: Matt Shires
Colourist: Simone Grattarola
Colour Assistant: Tom Matthews
2D Lead: Stephen Grasso
2D Artists: Judy Roberts, Mike Outlaw, David Thomas, Ross Ferguson, Valentina Bartiromo, Viola Bascombe, Jamie Crofts, Olivia O’Neil, Simon Melin, Lucy Lawrence, Liam Doyle, Sarah Breakwell
3D Artists: Teodora Retegan, Ihor Obukhovskyi
Audio Post Production: Factory
Sound Designer & Composer – Jon Clarke
Executive Audio Producer – Deborah Whitfield
Audio Post Production – Factory Studios
Guitar: Joshua Gibbard
Producer / Music Supervisor: Joshua Gibbard, Siân Rogers
Music Production Company: SIREN @ Factory Ltd
Publisher: SIREN Publishing Ltd
Voiceover: Nabil Shaban
OOH Agency: Curious
OOH Producer: Tom Gibson
OOH Photography: Dan Humphreys
OOH Retouching: Curious
OOH Retoucher: Rob Lanario
OOH CG Artist; Sam Swanborough
Media Agency: OMD
Mural credits
Creatives: Reuben Dangoor and Stuart Gittings
Marketing Lead: Anna Kerr
Snr Marketing Executive: Annie Flood
Producer: Faye Adams
Designer: Dan Davis
Artist: Florence Burns
Mural Production: Fever
Mural Painting: Global Street Art
Location: Village Underground, London.