More than 20 American veterans commit suicide every day in what’s being referred to as a “suicide epidemic” in the U.S. That’s why director Scott McCullough of Edge of Reason, LLC, an independent production company, created “The Other Note” featuring Martin Sheen. McCullough enlisted freelance producer Windy Buhler to produce the dramatic :60 PSA on behalf of the National Veterans Foundation (NVF), the first 501(c) (3) non-profit organization to form a vet-to-vet hotline, the Lifeline for Vets, providing highly successful transition and suicide prevention services for all veterans and their families.
During development of “The Other Note,” McCullough researched military suicides and decided to take a different approach to the typical public service spot. Rather than just shooting “talking heads” to ask for help, McCullough incorporated visual story elements interwoven with performers reading a poignant letter that appears to be a suicide note, but is actually a thank you note. Among the candid performances, notable activist and actor Sheen, who is an honorary NVF Board Member committed to helping veterans; he challenges us with a stirring closing statement.
Regarding the PSA’s concept, McCullough shared, “I wanted to present an optimistic viewpoint and a story that celebrates what happens when someone reaches out to talk, to ask, or to call a veteran that may be struggling, and to let our veterans know they have a place to call, a place that can help. This one simple action could make all the difference in a veteran’s life. Conceptually, we focused on the ‘thank you for the help’ as a message of hope, and to express what it means to a vet to have someone to talk to in their darkest hour.”
McCullough utilized cutting edge plasma lighting technology from Hive Lighting, Phantom High Speed Cameras and on-camera dialogue with Canon C300–all with 4K resolution.
According to Buhler, “When Scott approached me to produce “The Other Note” I knew we had a powerful concept and hope this vital message will have a tangible social impact. It’s a labor of love and a call to service to help our vets and the NVF. We’re grateful to our funding partners, Kip Azzoni of Global Compassion in Action and Tim Wolf of The Wolf Foundation, our talented production teams: casting, wardrobe, props and set design, our production services company–namely Rekon Studios, our wonderful crew, composer, editor and post production partners, everyone worked hard and gave so much to help make this a reality.”
Since 1985, the NVF has helped over 400,000 veterans and their families with crisis and information services through the nation’s first toll-free, vet-to-vet hotline for all U.S. veterans and their families. NVF’s veteran counselors provide veterans and their families with information, counseling and service referrals for issues around suicide, VA benefits, mental health counseling, housing, medical services, education benefits, financial issues and more.
