The three part series Man Up TV documentary series shown on ABC concluded last night (repeated on ABC 2 tonight).

In the series Triple M’s Gus Worland explores what are the contributing factors to the alarming rates of men’s suicide in Australia. To see his adventures head to manup.org.au

At the conclusion of the documentary Gus decided that he wants to communicate with everyday Australian men via an advertising campaign and encourages them to talk and express themselves, especially when feeling down.

The ad ‘Man Up. Speak Up.’ was created with the assistance of Adam Ferrier and Adam Hunt.

Adam Hunt said “There is nothing more powerful than men seeing other men cry – because it happens so rarely in media, advertising, and real life. Most blokes think they have to go behind closed doors before they can let out a tear. We wanted to ‘out crying’, and make it ok for guys to express themselves. The extreme close up, on a faded background aims to bring out the emotion of all the men involved – so you connect and feel what they feel.”

Adam Ferrier said “All little boys and girls cry, it’s necessary for survival. However, at some stage in their development many young guys learn it’s not ok to cry or express themselves. We wanted to reflect back the absurdity of this situation.”

The documentary, ad, and overall project was supported by Movember and the University of Melbourne.

CREDITS

Adam Hunt, Advertising Person

Adam Ferrier, CSO, Cummins&Partners

Production: Heiress Films

The Movember Foundation

University of Melbourne

Director: Ben Lawrence