A most insightful project

The project was an ambitious one with a challenging timeline (around 2 months from start to completion), but we were glad to have pulled it off successfully with the support, dedication and commitment from the client and supporting vendors. We visited Changi Prison Complex and saw first-hand how things were run. This was certainly one of the most inspirational and insightful projects we ever did.

Getting the inspiration

We spent a large portion of time interviewing Prison Officers, SCORE staff, CARE Network volunteers, SCORE partners and employers, and even ex-offenders themselves to glean inspirations and anecdotes from real life events. The result was the story of Joe, a 40 year old (fictional) ex-offender we created based on real life stories that we weaved into one. None of the scenes or events were made up. All were real.

 
Trivia

• The cast, crew and agency spent 3 full and extremely challenging days in Changi Prison to recreate the stories.
• The scene where Joe’s mother fell and visited him was shot at the Tanah Merah Prison, which was undergoing renovations.
• Ridwan Dollah, who played Joe, started the first day of fasting for the month of Ramadan on the first day of the shoot.
• The ECD for the campaign, Andy Tan Heok, played an inmate in Chapter 1 and 2, shaving his hair for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to feel how inmates really felt like in prison.
• The story about the mum’s fall and instinctive reaction is based on a real event recalled by Mr Tony Kee, the SCORE Bakery supervisor.
• Typically, inmates do not allow themselves to shed tears in prison. The only occasion when they really break down, as recalled by Tony, is when their mothers pass on while they are still in incarceration. And this is often a life-changing moment for most of them.
• In Chapter 2, the scene when Joe gave Clara a surprise coffee treat reflected the real life fact that both volunteer and ex-offender were not supposed to be in contact with each other 4 months after the ex-offender’s release.
• In Chapter 3, Joe suffered a bad fall while running to pick up his daughter. (Look closely at the torn jeans at the right knee area, and also how Joe was limping towards the end). While not shown in the video in the final cut, Joe did instinctively tell his daughter’s teacher not to tell his daughter about his fall, much like what his mum said to prison officer Bala.