"EYES WIDE OPEN" NATIONAL ONLINE HARM AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

PRODUCTION AGENCY: AFFIXXIUS
DIRECTOR: DAVID WHAYMAN
DOP: LIAM GUMMER
SOUND: OLLY GALE
MUA: LORNA CROWTHER
RUNNER: CRISPIN SPINKS
PRODUCER: LIAM WADD
HEAD OF POST: PETE BLACK
VFX: ANDY KIERNAN
MOTION GRAPHICS: JONNY NORTON
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: JAMES WILLIAMS & LYDIA KEHOE

SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT
CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
CASTING
PRODUCTION
POST PRODUCTION
COLOUR GRADE
SOUND MIX
SOCIAL CUTDOWNS
ON-SET CAMPAIGN PHOTOGRAPHY

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE POLICE APPROACHED AFFIXXIUS TO CREATE A NATIONAL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TACKLING THE ONLINE HARMS CHILDREN ENCOUNTER EVERY DAY.

BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THE EARLIER 'I'M BEING EXPLOITED' CAMPAIGN, THE BRIEF WAS TO REACH PARENTS AND CHILDREN ACROSS THE COUNTRY, COVERING EVERYTHING FROM CYBERBULLYING AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION TO VIOLENT CONTENT AND ONLINE GROOMING. THE CAMPAIGN HAD TO BE UNBRANDED FROM THE OUTSET, DESIGNED TO TRAVEL FREELY ACROSS SCHOOLS, SAFEGUARDING ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITY GROUPS, AND DIGITAL CHANNELS WITHOUT ANY ENFORCEMENT TONE GETTING IN THE WAY.

THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM WAS STARK. OVER TWO YEARS, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE POLICE RECORDED 3,091 ONLINE CRIMES WHERE THE VICTIM WAS UNDER 18, INCLUDING 1,148 OFFENCES RELATING TO INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN. TEENAGERS AGED 13 TO 15 ACCOUNTED FOR ALMOST 40 PER CENT OF ALL ONLINE CHILD OFFENCES. ACCORDING TO OFCOM RESEARCH, ALGORITHMS MEAN THAT 35 PER CENT OF CHILDREN ENCOUNTER POTENTIALLY HARMFUL CONTENT SIMPLY BY SCROLLING THROUGH THEIR FEEDS, AND NEARLY THREE QUARTERS OF OLDER CHILDREN AGED 11 TO 17 REPORT SEEING HARMFUL CONTENT ONLINE.

THE CREATIVE CONCEPT

THE CAMPAIGN CENTRED ON A SINGLE, UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH: ONLINE AND OFFLINE LIFE AREN'T SEPARATE FOR CHILDREN. IT'S JUST LIFE.

THAT INSIGHT BECAME THE FILM'S OPENING. A BOY ARRIVES HOME FROM SCHOOL, KICKS OFF HIS SHOES, LANDS ON THE SOFA WITH HIS PHONE. A GIRL SITS ON HER BED WITH A TABLET. TWO KIDS, TWO ORDINARY MOMENTS OF DOMESTIC NORMALITY. TWO PARENTS SOMEWHERE NEARBY, NOT QUITE PAYING ATTENTION.

THEN THE LIGHT CHANGES.

AS EACH CHILD SCROLLS, THE WARMTH DRAINS FROM THE ROOM. SHADOWS STRETCH. SCREENS FLICKER COLD. WHAT BEGINS AS HARMLESS SCROLLING STARTS PULLING THE CHILDREN SOMEWHERE THEY WEREN'T MEANT TO GO, THE FILM'S CAMERA MOVING WITH IT, GETTING CLOSER, TIPPING OFF-AXIS, THE WORLD TILTING AS THE CONTENT GETS DARKER. VIOLENCE. EXPLOITATION. PORNOGRAPHY. THE CHILDREN DIDN'T SEARCH FOR IT. IT FOUND THEM.

TWO PARENTS' VOICES CUT THROUGH IT. THE ROOMS RETURN TO ORDINARY. BUT BOTH PARENTS ARE NOW STANDING IN DOORWAYS WITH THE SAME LOOK ON THEIR FACES.

THE 'EYES WIDE OPEN' VISUAL LANGUAGE, BUILT AROUND WIDE EYES, FLICKERING LIGHT AND THE SHIFT FROM WARMTH TO COLD, GAVE THE CAMPAIGN A FLEXIBLE AND STRIKING IDENTITY THAT COULD CARRY ACROSS THE HERO FILM AND EVERY SOCIAL CUTDOWN WITHOUT EVER BECOMING GRATUITOUS.

PRODUCTION

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER JAMES WILLIAMS AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR DAVID WHAYMAN SPEARHEADED THE PROJECT FROM BRIEF TO DELIVERY, WORKING IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH DETECTIVE SUPERINTENDENT JEN CASTLE AND THE PROTECTING VULNERABLE PEOPLE TEAM AT NORTHAMPTONSHIRE POLICE. THE AMBITION FROM BOTH SIDES WAS HIGH FROM THE OUTSET: A CAMPAIGN THAT COULD HOLD ITS OWN ALONGSIDE COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING, BUILT ON A PRODUCTION BUDGET THAT DEMANDED EVERY CREATIVE DECISION EARN ITS PLACE.

THE ENTIRE FILM WAS SHOT IN A SINGLE DAY ACROSS TWO DOMESTIC LOCATIONS PRESENTED SEAMLESSLY AS ONE FAMILY HOME. CASTING WAS BUILT AROUND SUBTLE, GRADUAL EMOTIONAL PERFORMANCE: CHILDREN WHO COULD CARRY THE SHIFT FROM EASE TO SOMETHING HARDER WITHOUT THE FILM TIPPING INTO MELODRAMA. DIVERSITY AND AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION WERE CORE REQUIREMENTS FROM THE BRIEF.

EVERY STAGE OF PRODUCTION WAS HANDLED IN-HOUSE BY THE AFFIXXIUS TEAM, FROM SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TO FINAL GRADE AND DELIVERY. THE COLOUR WORK WAS DESIGNED TO FEEL DOCUMENTARY-WARM IN THE OPENING SCENES BEFORE SHIFTING TO SOMETHING COLDER AND MORE UNSETTLED AS THE NARRATIVE BUILDS, WITHOUT EVER CROSSING INTO HORROR TERRITORY.

THE FILM ENDS WITH PARENTS HAVING OPEN CONVERSATIONS, SETTING PARENTAL CONTROLS, AND FINDING GUIDANCE THROUGH THE NSPCC. AWARENESS STARTS WITH TALKING. WITH LOOKING. WITH KEEPING EYES WIDE OPEN.

THE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED ON 1 JULY 2026 AND IS BEING ROLLED OUT ACROSS ITVX, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND OUTDOOR ADVERTISING NATIONWIDE. THE FULL FILM IS AVAILABLE TO WATCH ON THE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE POLICE CAMPAIGN PAGE AT NORTHANTS.POLICE.UK/EYESWIDEOPEN AND ACROSS THEIR SOCIAL CHANNELS: FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE AT /NORTHANTSPOLICE, INSTAGRAM AT /NORTHAMPTONSHIREPOLICE, AND TIKTOK AT @NORTHAMPTONSHIRE_POLICE.

HERO FILM — 60" - 16:9 AND 9:16

30" CUTDOWN — 16:9 AND 9:16

10" CUTDOWN — 16:9 AND 9:16 (SUITABLE FOR PRE-ROLL)

10–15 ON-SET CAMPAIGN STILLS — CAPTURED TO EMULATE KEY NARRATIVE MOMENTS

DELIVERED FOR YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, SNAPCHAT, X AND CINEMA SCREENING