The two-minute film will be used in secondary schools as part of Network Rail and BTP’s community outreach programme, with 60-second and 30-second cutdowns running as pre-rolls and on video-on-demand for six weeks from 10 October 2022.
The suite of films is supported by OOH, paid social and station announcements voiced by the young actor.
Donna Mitchell, senior campaigns manager for Network Rail, said: “Raising awareness of the unexpected dangers around the rail network is hugely important. Trespass is a serious problem and we need people to understand what can happen if they cross into parts of the network they shouldn’t.
“We’re grateful to Harrison’s parents for allowing us to tell Harrison’s story to help other young people like him identify and avoid the risks. This film is powerful and comes at conventional ‘reconstruction’ storytelling in a completely unexpected way – just like the dangers around the railway can.”
Dee Atkin and Andy Hayward, Creative Directors at Storycatchers, said: “It was a privilege to work with Network Rail and Harrison’s parents to tell Harrison’s story. Identifying the right messenger and opening hook to capture the attention of disinterested teenage boys – the audience most at risk from trespass – was key to unlocking the creative strategy.
“They don’t listen to authority figures, so once we’d decided on peer-to-peer storytelling from Harrison himself, the intriguing opening line wrote itself, based on how our own teenage sons would tell the story of their death – with cheerful dark humour.”
One person every hour puts their life at risk trespassing around the railway – either because they’re unaware of the risks that speeding trains, overhead lines and the electrified third rail present, or because they’re overconfident about avoiding them.
Since 2018, the You vs Train campaign has been raising awareness of the unexpected risks teenagers and young adults take if they choose to step on the tracks.
