Northumberland Domestic Abuse Services | Control

We partnered with small charity, NDAS, to raise awareness of the issue of control within domestic abuse in Northumberland, NE England. Since launch, the film has received over 400,000 views, reached over 1 million people and won 10+ awards.

Rather than trying to cover the vast topic of domestic abuse as a whole we focussed the campaign on making a big impact with one specific message. That message focused on changing the way people think about emotional abuse, especially in young relationships.

Specifically, we wanted to raise awareness, spark discussion and increase understanding to help young people recognise the signs sooner. To that end, we chose to deliver the message by casting young dancers / actors in a choreographed sequence – using the nuances of the movement to highlight the difficulty many people have in recognising these signs.

Within a week of the campaign’s launch, NDAS’ social media engagement saw a huge uplift and their following almost tripled. Other domestic abuse charities shared the message, and NDAS were approached by teachers so that the film could be used as part of Domestic Abuse Awareness Month in schools.