Content Warning: The following article talks about mental health with brief references to suicide. Lockdown has started to bring much needed conversations about mental health into the foreground. Each year, 1 in 4 of us will experience mental health issues (MHFA England, 2021) and even before the pandemic, we were met with jarring statistics such as 75% of people with diagnosed mental health illnesses receiving no treatment, and suicide being the leading cause of death of men aged 20-49 (MHFA England, 2021).
Mental Health Motorbike is an organisation that responds to the need for mental health support within the biker community. Not only do they support, listen and offer mental health first aid training but, as would be imagined, they ride too! Connecting over bikes and social media, there are over three thousand engaging with their service. MHM was inspired by Dale Caffrey and founded by Paul Oxborough.
1 in 4 of us will experience mental health issues each year
Paul is a friend of Anattic. When our director, James Copson, was just starting out, it was Paul that put his trust in James and gave him his first professional opportunities. So in the depths of lockdown, when dairies were quieter and life a little slower, there was space for James and Paul to collaborate and create a commercial to encourage the biker community to access MHM’s services.
“it was a privilege to direct something for such a great cause.”
James expressed how “it was a privilege to direct something for such a great cause.” This was a sentiment echoed by the cast, crew, and all those others that volunteered to make it happen. This included but was not limited to the epic drone shots from Fleye Aerial, stills photography by Matt Stansfield, music by Jedd Timms, and not least, the support of Shift 4, Triumph, J and S Accessories, Brass Knuckle Riders, Bennetts Insurance, Paul Whittaker, Jane and Paul Cockroft and David Copson.
the relief of the ride
The result is a short film that follows the journey of one biker – a role carefully portrayed by Olly Bassi, experiencing mental health issues and ultimately reaching out for help. It begins with Olly gazing through the TV and scrolling passively on social media. He then encounters the Mental Health Motorbike online support group, there’s a shift in mood and he is briefly transported to riding in the English Countryside. The initial images of isolation become polarised by the relief of the ride. There are feelings of disconnection, flickers of hope, and moments that feel like taking a breath. We couldn’t be more proud to have created a film for such a meaningful cause.
The biking community are a very high risk group receiving very little or no support. You can support Mental Health Motorbike in the following ways:
- Sign up for a mental health first aid course (www.mhmotorbike.com/mhfa)
- Become a Mental Health Motorbike Ambassador (www.mhmotorbike.com/ambassador)
- Explore becoming a Mental Health Motorbike Sponsor (www.mhmotorbike.com/sponsor)
- Follow MHM on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
- Help us share this advert to raise awareness and reach those bikers in need.
WHEN LIFE GETS TOUGH, Mhm ARE HERE TO LISTEN, TO SUPPORT, TO RIDE
If you are concerned about your mental health or that of someone close, the following resources may be useful:
- In the event of an emergency, call 999 or go to your local A & E
- If you are in crisis and need to speak to someone, call NHS 111, contact your GP and ask for an emergency appointment, or see these emergency help lines on the Mind Website.
- Other sources of support, advice and information can be found listed here and here.
This production was filmed under covid restrictions, following recommended government guidelines at the time and industry standard production guidelines.
CLIENT Mental Health Motorbike
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Paul Oxborough
DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY James Copson (Anattic)WITH Olly Bassi1ST AD Matt Page
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY James Stier
1ST AC Mark Lomas
CAMERA TRAINEE Lemar Maynard
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Ellie Devereux
ART DIRECTOR Alice Halstead
GRIP/GAFFER James McAllister
STYLIST Grace Leivers
MUA Lauren Firth
AERIALS Fleye
FLEYE DRONE PILOT Will Glover
DRONE OPERATOR James Francis
STILLS PHOTOGRAPHY Matt Stansfield
MUSIC COMPOSITIONS Jed Timms
Many thanks to Triumph, Performance Comms, J&S Accessories, Bennetts Insurance, Matt Stansfield, Jane & Paul Cockroft, Shift4 ,Brass Knuckle Riders, Paul Whitaker and David Copson.