Based on a True Story - Capture magazine

© Sean Izzard

Made to look like dark and grungy posters for an independent film, upon closer inspection this campaign for the StreetWork charity reveals the real-life stories of children on the streets. Hearing these confronting stories of fifteen-year-old girls with heroin addictions who have resorted to selling their bodies, photographer Sean Izzard was compelled to shoot this campaign, and did so with a great deal of sensitivity. With his son and daughter as the talent, Izzard embarked on what seemed like a “family project” to capture the stories of these children. But realising these portraits was a learning process for Izzard and Matt Ennis, the art director.
© Sean Izzard
“We started off with my daughter in a doorway, but we thought that was a bit too literal to convey our message. It was only as we kept on shooting that we realised that we could use the bathtub to symbolise the washing away of something dark,” says Izzard. Using subjects that he knew was advantageous, as they were able to understand exactly what he wanted. “It was kind of like an acting gig for my children,” he says.

Photographer: Sean Izzard www.seanizzard.com
Campaign: “Based on a True Story”
Client: StreetWork
Agency: Ogilvy Sydney
Art Director: Matt Ennis
Copywriter: Blake Arthur
Senior Production Manager: Sonia Ebrington
Executive Producer: Cameron Gray (Pool)
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Sean Izzard

Made to look like dark and grungy posters for an independent film, upon closer inspection this campaign for the StreetWork charity reveals the real-life stories of children on the streets. Hearing these confronting stories of fifteen-year-old girls with heroin addictions who have resorted to selling their bodies, photographer Sean Izzard was compelled to shoot this campaign, and did so with a great deal of sensitivity. With his son and daughter as the talent, Izzard embarked on what seemed like a “family project” to capture the stories of these children. But realising these portraits was a learning process for Izzard and Matt Ennis, the art director.

Sean Izzard

“We started off with my daughter in a doorway, but we thought that was a bit too literal to convey our message. It was only as we kept on shooting that we realised that we could use the bathtub to symbolise the washing away of something dark,” says Izzard. Using subjects that he knew was advantageous, as they were able to understand exactly what he wanted. “It was kind of like an acting gig for my children,” he says.

Photographer: Sean Izzard www.seanizzard.com
Campaign: “Based on a True Story”
Client: StreetWork
Agency: Ogilvy Sydney
Art Director: Matt Ennis
Copywriter: Blake Arthur
Senior Production Manager: Sonia Ebrington
Executive Producer: Cameron Gray (Pool)