Not even a single day in America passes without one reading gun-violence-related news. Tens of thousands of deaths and injuries are reported annually, either due to an accidental or negligent discharge of a firearm, suicide, or homicide. Guns are a real threat that also, unfortunately, affects kids and teenagers.

Santa Fe High School, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Rancho Tehama Reserve, Marshall County High School, Northern Illinois University, Virginia Tech… and the list goes on. All these mass shootings have made the US almost synonymous to a country with a gun problem. And the record does indeed go on and on and on… Like a vicious cycle. But will this endless loop of gun violence ever stop?

That’s unpredictable. But despite this unfortunate status quo, there still are people that won’t ever give up. Internationally-respected activists from March for Our Lives are a worthy example of people who are determined to fight this dangerous epidemy all the way through.

To end “The Most Vicious Cycle” ever, the NGO teamed up with ad agency McCann, pop icon Kesha, her younger brother Sage, and director Ben Smith at Mill+, and released a music video that highlights the issue of gun violence in a very dramatic way. Moreover, they used this opportunity to remind young people they should get out on November 6 and vote to end this loop. That is the only way to stop this disease from spreading even further.

America has found itself in a never-ending cycle of gun violence. To point out this issue, the music video repeats over and over again. Written the day after the Parkland shooting by Sage, who was a senior in high school at the time, the song is performed by Sage himself, Kesha, and up-and-coming rapper Chika.

The short film’s images are complemented with pictures from a memorial scene, honoring the actual victims of gun violence from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, the Pulse Nightclub shooting, and also everyday gun violence in different parts of Chicago.

These horrible images run in the background to the sound of Sage’s debut single ‘Safe’. The film opens with a school shooting and disturbing events that follow afterward. Each moment is metaphorically described in a Rube Goldberg machine and includes protests, social media posts, and public debates. But besides this, the viewers get a glimpse of those who are responsible for this hellish, never-ending cycle.

The US witnesses around 96 gun-related deaths each day. The only way to stop this cycle is to make youngsters get out and vote for politicians who support common sense gun legislation. Young people are the ones who can make a difference in the vote! How about you? Will you go vote?

Credits:

Client: March for Our Lives

Agency: McCann NY
Creatives: André De Castro & Nick Larson
Producer: Gaby Levy
Chief Creative Officers: Sean Bryan, Tom Murphy
Creative Advisor: Joyce King Thomas
Chief Production Officer: Nathy Aviram
Global Creative Chairman: Rob Reilly
ECDs: Susan Young, Daniela Vojta
President, McCann NY: Devika Bulchandani
Chief Communications Officer: Jeremy Miller
Senior Social Strategist: Jordan Berger

Production: Mill+
Director: Ben Smith
Executive Producers: Ian Bearce & Christina Thompson
Producer: Tia Perkins
Production Coordinators: Andrew Hollingsworth & Danika Casas
Shoot Supervisor: Kyle Cody
Editorial: The Mil
Editor: Ryan McKenna
Edit Assist: Matthew Campbell

VFX Production: The Mill
Executive Producer: Christina Thompson
Producer: Grace Tober
Line Producer: Roshni Kakas
Production Coordinator: Umesh Chand
Chief Creative Officer: Angus Kneale
Creative Director: Ben Smith
Shoot Supervisor: Kyle Cody
2D Lead Artists: Kyle Cody, Venuprasath D
3D Lead Artist: Christian Nielsen
2D Artist: Molly Intersimone, Badarinath Chinimilli, Prasanna Bhatt, Rajeshkumar K
3D Artist: Tim Kim, Ryan Federman, Todd Akita, Tighe Rzankowski, Dave Barosin, Weicheih Yu, Sudakshina Sridharan, Vittal Kuntla, Fazal Khan, Giri Prasath S, Raj Kumar M, Sunil MM, Sendil Kumar J
Animation: Scott McGinley, Alex Allain, John Wilson
Design: Clemens den Exter
Motion Graphics: Laura Nash and Wendy Eduarte
Asset Supervisor: Anish Mohan
Tracking Supervisor: Senthil Murugan Balasundaram
Colourist: Mikey Rossiter
Audio Post Production: Sound Lounge
Sound Designer: Marshall Grupp
Foley: Alchemy Post Sound
Audio Mixer: Tom Jucarone
Senior Producer, Audio: Becca Falborn
Music supervised by Rob Kaplan and Aaron Mercer from Wool & Tusk

“Safe” Track:
Produced and Engineered by Drew Pearson
Mixed by Jon Castelli
Engineer for Mix by Ingmar Carlson
Mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge, NY
Assisted by Chris Allgood
Written by Kesha, Sage, Chika, Pebe Sebert, and Drew Pearson
Chika vocals recorded by Mitch Davis at Pull Music
Executive Produced by Lagan Sebert and Hampton Howerton for Vector Management
Digital Marketing, Jon Romero for Vector Management.
Kesha appears courtesy of Kemosabe Records/RCA Records

CLIENT (MFOL):
Sarah Chadwick – March For Our Lives project strategist and coordinator
Sofie Whitney – March For Our Lives project strategist and coordinator
Ryan Deitsch- March For Our Lives Content Creator
Jackie Corin- National Outreach Director
Matt Deitsch- Chief Strategist