People's Vote: Will of the people

Director Dan Emmerson and writer George Hackworth-Jones have created a 60-second short for the People’s Vote campaign, which is calling for a second referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets tomorrow (19 October) to demand a say about Brexit, which is currently set for 31 October.

Conceived and written by Hackforth-Jones (a senior writer at AMV) and brought into being by a range of agency individuals including Emmerson, production company Somesuch and the People’s Vote creative advisor Daniel Fisher, the #IAmWill spot plays on the idea of the “will of the people”, casting individuals with a range of views as the central character, Will.

Fisher tells It’s Nice That, “The concept of the film was about claiming back the language of ‘will of the people’, which is a phrase that had been bandied around and misused by Leavers since the referendum, despite the needle of public opinion clearly having moved significantly since then.”

Shot at locations all over the country, the spot depicts leavers and remainers from across the UK, of different ages and political allegiances. Fisher adds, “The film isn’t about pushing a Remain point of view on people but is about getting the government to acknowledge that a second referendum is the only was forward now that we have more clarity on what the reality of Brexit really is.”

To accompany the film, the People’s Vote has launched a social media campaign encouraging those in favour of a second referendum to share the video using the hashtag #IAmWill, in reflection of the film.

About the director

Dan Emmerson began his career as a freelance producer and photographer. His work focuses on youth subcultures and often combines mixed formats, drawing on the relationship between young people and technology, notably the internet. His work includes 'For The Coming Age' for Collusion, 'Close the Paradise' for Loewe, 'Phantoms of London' for Nike, 'Re-issued' for Burberry and the music video 'Vote For Me' for iconic British act The Specials. Dan’s 2019 England World Cup Squad Announcement for The Football Association won Bronze at the British Arrows.