Video Commission

We’re looking to work with a creative organisation on an inspiring video that can raise awareness about the Lush Prize and the problems associated with animal testing.

It will be used to build awareness of the Lush Prize from September onwards, in the run up to the Conference and Awards in November 2015.

The video, no longer than 2 minutes, will:

  • communicate the issue of animal testing
  • be used globally and encourage engagement/share-ability
  • increase the public’s level of understanding on how futile, unsafe and pointless animal tests are and that a safer future lies in scientific alternatives
  • include the key message that the Lush Prize = supporting animal-free science

 

Deadlines and key dates:

Application to tender deadline: Wednesday July 15th 2015

Successful bidder notified in the w/c 22nd July 2015

Initial meeting with Lush prize management team: w/c July 27th  2015

Deadline for delivery: Monday 7th September 2015

Conference and Awards ceremony on November 20th 2015

 

Objectives:

  • A video with no words (spoken or written)
  • Visuals only to communicate why animal tests are futile and cruel / there are more effective alternatives available that should be being used
  • Suitable for use across the globe
  • Under 2 minutes long
  • Not too heavily scientific – needs to be easily understood by the general public.

 

Ideas for incorporation:

  • Creative / innovative
  • Music – a well-known song, remixed, different tempo … with a link to the subject
  • Emotive
  • Link with popular culture somehow / Include recognisable characters
  • Create a personal connection between the viewer and the issue of animal testing
  • Simple
  • Encourage engagement
  • Shareable content

 

Audience

  • General Public
  • Online influencers
  • Lush staff

 

Notes

There are three core arguments against chemical safety testing on animals:

  • It is painful and frightening for the animals (generally well understood and possibly therefore not the one for us here).
  • Animal physiology is different to humans so you get false positives (safe in animals not in humans e.g vioxx linked to an estimated 140,000 heart attacks since its launch in 1999 – now withdrawn).  Understood to some extent.
  • Animal physiology is different to humans so you get false negatives (unsafe for animals but discarded before it is tested to be safe for humans).  This might be good for a short video to focus on.   Many useful chemicals or miracle cures may be being thrown away because of animal tests. We simply do not know.  Lots of popular songs focus on loss –“ don’t know what you’ve got till its gone” sort of thing.

 

Budget

£10k (for video production, the Lush Prize PR team will be promoting the video.)

 

About the Lush Prize:

In 2012 LUSH launched The Lush Prize, which is a partnership with Ethical Consumer to support animal-free toxicology and is designed to reward groups or individuals working in the field of cruelty-free scientific research, awareness raising and lobbying to help bring an end to animal testing.

The £250,000 annual prize fund – the biggest prize in the non-animal testing sector – seeks to focus pressure on safety testing for consumer products in a way which complements projects already addressing the animal testing of medicines.

 

Submitting a Proposal

If you are interested in working with us on this project we would like to see:

1) An introduction to you organisation and three examples of previous videos you have produced

2) A document outlining an initial idea (or ideas) that fulfil the brief. Max 800 words.

The tender deadline is Wednesday July 15th 2015 and we will notify the successful bid in the w/c 22nd July 2015

Send your proposal to tim@ethicalconsumer.org

 

Key contact

Tim Hunt

tim@ethicalconsumer.org  /  07971688096