Westside crafts new campaign for ETFO

Director Jennifer Roberts brings her documentary and photojournalism background to a new campaign for the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, produced by Westside.

Set inside a real school environment, the films follow children through an increasingly crowded classroom, allowing the audience to experience the pressures of the school day from a child's perspective.

Having a child in public elementary school herself, Roberts was drawn to the project because many of the experiences depicted in the films felt familiar. She sees her own child navigating some of the same everyday challenges, making the stories feel particularly close to home. That personal connection informed her approach, bringing the issues to life through the small, recognisable moments that make up a child's school day.

For Roberts, the challenge was to create authentic performances from the young cast without asking them to manufacture emotion. Rather than asking the audience to understand a policy issue before they feel something, the film lets the issue emerge through the everyday experience of one child.

Rather than directing children to "act" frustrated or overwhelmed, Roberts built scenes around simple tasks and real interactions. Students wait for a turn at a microscope, navigate crowded spaces and try to get their teacher's attention. The resulting behaviour becomes the performance.

The same philosophy informed the camera approach. Rather than treating the film as a traditional commercial constructed from isolated shots, Roberts wanted the audience to feel as though they were moving through the school day alongside the hero. Longer observational moments could unfold within the frame, while the edit could accelerate as the classroom's energy and pressure build.

The result is a campaign designed to feel less like a campaign and more like a real child navigating a real school day. Using documentary-inspired filmmaking, Roberts lets the audience discover the overcrowding and everyday challenges alongside the hero, allowing the story and behaviour to carry the message.