This ad approached the challenging issue of raising awareness about fostering by personifying a literal mop. You could argue that this solution was a challenge in itself, because getting an audience to feel an emotional connection for something like a mop takes a lot of planning, careful direction, and a wardrobe full of mop-sized outfits.

A lot of care and consideration went into this film in order to do the concept and the message justice. If the pacing was off, for example, the audience would lose sense of this mop growing up. If the score made the film feel too comedic, you’d undermine the weight of what it means to foster a child. If the camera didn’t treat the mop like a real person, the whole film would feel like you were following crazy mop-obsessives. I mean, you kind of are, but you wouldn’t empathise with them as much…

In short, this was quite a balancing act in many ways, but Theo and I are well accustomed to balancing. I once saw Theo stand on one leg for 14 hours straight.