McCann Health & CARE Confront the Harsh Reality of Death by Overdose from Prescription Drugs
Following frightening new statistics that reveal the increasing death toll as a result of over-dose from prescription medication, McCann Health created a confronting piece of video content ‘Pay the Price’, in partnership with non-profit organisation, CARE, Center for Adolescent Research & Education, that exposes the cold hard reality of this unknown, but deadly killer.
Currently, drink driving accounts for 28 deaths in the U.S. per day, whilst suicide deaths equal more than 120 deaths per day. Shockingly prescription drug abuse deaths have risen to 284 deaths per day and counting.
Jeremy Perrott, McCann Health Global Chief Creative Officer presents a truly visceral yet honest concept for Pay the Price, which includes some pretty graphic, and complicated, set-pieces within it. The visual style of filming the teenage boy's first-person Point of View, delivers an immersive and immediate experience that shines a light on the danger of danger of what can happen if parents do not take steps to create a prescription drug safe home.
Perrott comments: “There comes a time when we have to be honest with ourselves and not use soft, gentle language to soften the blow of the truth. The simple fact that we are all guilty of leaving prescription drugs around our homes means that the deaths of thousands of children, in homes all round the world, are due to blind negligence. I hope this film raises awareness of the danger of overdosing on prescribed medication and motivates people to make changes and create a prescription drug safe home.”
Great Guns chose director David Hartley to helm the film. David’s take on the script, was to shoot in the style of a teenage boy's P.O.V, to give the film the impact it needed. The production team had to be as streamlined as possible to allow for the 360-degree sets required. Led by DOP Max Witting, the crew were fast and flexible which allowed the talent and stunt team to roam free.
Great Guns Executive Producer, Ollie Perrin, comments: “Almost the entire crew had been affected by friends and family who were victims of Rx prescription drug abuse, some had lost friends and some were trying to make sense of the problem and help loved ones find their way back. It was an emotional journey. Beyond the shoot, the edit of Pay the Price proved a real challenge. We had captured so much great material including some powerful moments, the fall through the glass table perhaps of which is the most shocking. It was difficult to piece it together as a fluid film. In the end, Jeremy Perrott decided to let the staggering statistics have the final word.”
Great Guns Founder and Executive Producer on the project Laura Gregory comments: “Embarking on this project, we had no idea of the shocking figures for death by over-dose from prescription medication; certainly, in comparison with other more widely known causes of death. We knew it was really important to deliver a film whose content equalled the punch of the statistics.”
