South Africa, 11 June 2018: On 8 June 2018, Sanlam turned 100. To celebrate 100 years of securing financial futures for generations to come – and to remind us of our responsibility to build a better world for each new life to inherit – the King James Group shot Born Today. Filmed, finished and flighted today, in the space of just 12 hours.
The film features the first moments of some of the precious new lives born today. To capture this, the King James Group was at hospitals around the country to record the first baby to be born this morning – Baby Hlophe at Addington Hospital – at 12:25am and some of the little ones that followed.
Cameron Watson, Creative Director at the King James Group said Born Today is a reminder of what we owe to the next generation, “Besides the technicalities that stood as large production hurdles to this project, the purity of this film’s focus is what makes it compelling.
The children born on 8 June 2018 will be the sports heroes, scientists, teachers, politicians, artists, literary geniuses, humanitarians, and eventually, mothers and fathers of the generations to come. Each new child is a new responsibility for those of us that are here already. To be able to show that in such a visible, tangible and immediate way creates a connection that is far more real than any fully polished and perfected piece of communication.”
On average, 2 500 babies are born in South Africa daily. Mariska Oosthuizen, Sanlam Group Head of Brand, says it’s exciting to think what this means, “Think of the potential every child holds for South Africa. Each of those children has the power to change our country – and the world. By investing in them today, we can give them the best possible chance at a prosperous tomorrow. All the decisions we make – good and bad – have ramifications for generations to come. That’s what Born Today highlights: the precious potential of every child and our role to nurture this.”
Watson says that shooting, producing and airing a film in the space of a day was a labour of love. The scope of the project was immense. There was zero margin for error and no luxury of second takes. It was real life happening in real-time.
Tanaka, the young girl used in Sanlam’s previous Built to Last campaign, also features in this one. Watson says the team wanted the continuity of having her in both. “She has a powerful presence and represents the voice of the next generation. There’s something very strong about having a child welcome new babies to the world. There’s a lot of hope and optimism in that moment.”
