Everyone is curious about AI. BBDO Dublin has used that curiosity in its campaign for Irish homelessness charity, Dublin Simon Community. The film, Unfair City, the story of real homeless man, Justin Cannon, was created with AI by BBDO Dublin and New York production company, Lobo, in a first for Ireland. It highlights the growing inequality of homelessness to raise much needed funds for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

“One of the difficulties of telling stories of homelessness is that it can be very exposing for Dublin Simon’s clients. Reliving traumatic moments in their lives in front of cameras, lights, and microphones can make them feel very vulnerable. The great benefit of using AI in this instance is that it allowed Justin to tell his story on his own terms in a way that was still visually engaging and evocative,” explained Robert Boyle, creative director and head of art at BBDO Dublin.

Although the images are created with AI technology, using tools such as Midjourney and Disco Diffusion, care was taken to work with artists in creating the overall effect. Unfair City was created in partnership with multi award-winning director, Diogo Kalil, of Lobo and illustrator, Vini Bustamante. They helped to fill the context around Justin’s words and shape the visual style of the film. The images are presented in a water colour style. The unpolished brush strokes and abstract use of the images helped maintain humanity, while using AI.

“At Dublin Simon Community, Innovation is one of the core values which underpins everything we do. For over 50 years, against the odds and with limited resources, we have strived to bring new and creative ideas to deliver the best possible services for the people who rely on our help. As we continue to navigate unchartered territory and unprecedented levels of homelessness and housing insecurity, innovation is needed now more than ever to protect the almost 9,000 people stuck in emergency accommodation in Dublin and the surrounding counties and the thousands more living in fear of losing their homes.

The potential for this technology is huge for the charity sector. From our perspective, it provides our clients with an opportunity to tell their stories in a way that empowers them while protecting their dignity and privacy. It gives us the opportunity to share these stories with our donors and supporters in a beautiful and impactful way. We would like to thank Justin for coming on board to pioneer this new opportunity and BBDO Dublin for their continued support, creativity and commitment to our vision,” stated Catherine Kenny, chief executive officer, Dublin Simon Community.

While Justin has become comfortable telling his story, that is not the norm. It is hoped that the use of AI could be a way for more vulnerable people to tell their own stories in the future, while charities and organizations maintain and protect their anonymity and dignity.

All work carried out by advertising agency, BBDO Dublin; director, Diogo Kalil, of Lobo; and illustrator, Vini Bustamante, was completed on a pro-bono basis for Dublin Simon Community.

Credits:

Creative Agency: BBDO Dublin
Executive Creative Director: Shane O’Brien
Creative Director & Concept: Robert Boyle
Strategy Director & Concept: Adriano Eliezer
Art Director & Concept: Vinicius Bustamante
Copywriter: Donal Gaughran
Creative Director & Copywriter: Eoin Conlon
Head of Innovation: Ed Leamy
Head of Account Management: Katie Cunningham
Senior Account Manager: Emma Blaney
Head of Production: Jess Derby
Agency Producer: Hannah Lambert
Multimedia Producer: Ali Kearney
Connections Strategy: Alex Boucher
Head of Strategy: Paul Fisher
Chief Executive: Neal Davies

PR Agency: Harte Media Communications
Specialist: Garret Harte
Associate Director: Catherine Monaghan

Client: Dublin Simon Community
Chief Executive Officer: Catherine Kenny
Communications & Marketing Manager: Caoimhe O’Connell
Head of Fundraising and Communications : Aisling Harmey
Senior Marketing Executive: Louise Murphy
Senior Communications Executive: Frances Macken
Marketing & Communications Executive: Omoyele Rahman

Production Studio : Lobo
Director : Diogo Kalil @ LOBO

Executive Producer: Loic Francois Marie Dubois, Micheal Stanish.
Account Manager: Su Constantine
Head of production: Marcelo Barbosa, Clara Morelli
Post Production: Bruna Boretto
AI Illustration: Diogo Kalil with MidJourney
Animation: Igor Lopes

Music Composition : HEYHEYMYMY
Music Director: Mairena Julius

Sound Effects & Mix by HEYHEYMYMY
Final Sound : Scimitar
Final Sound Mix : Dean Jones, Jordan Mullen, Alex Derby @ Scimitar

Click HERE to read the original article.

Key Placements: Animation Magazine & The Drum