HOTSHOT: LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX

As time marches inexorably towards Christmas and the promise of career-destroying clinches with co-workers rears its ugly head, what better time to stop and think about the implications of your actions? Take heed, as this week's Hotshot from Another's Steve Reeves through Delaney Lund Knox Warren tackles the issue of sexual responsibility head on.

The spot has been launched by the Government's Department for Children, Schools and Families with the intention of encouraging sexually active teenagers to take control and use contraception. The warts-and-all story flows, in reverse, from end to beginning and follows one young girl from drink-fuelled night out to a positive pregnancy test.

"It was an interesting job because many things had to work together to make it credible to the target audience," Reeves explains. "It had to be real. It had to look edgy and above all it had to avoid being patronizing."

Key to making the spot resonate was the casting. Sessions in London and Manchester were rounded off with a street casting in Bristol, which uncovered the spot's lead actress, a complete unknown who'd never been in front of a camera before. "To act convincingly drunk, have sex with a stranger and then portray the emotional breakdown of an unwanted pregnancy are tough scenes for a seasoned actor let alone a teenager's first time on set. As you'll see from the spot she took it all in her stride and coped brilliantly."

Prior to the shoot Reeves and the team at Another worked on a test to help establish pacing and choreography. "The early test really helped establish that the acting had to be really big and over the top in order to come through when played in reverse."

Working with DP Alex Melman, Reeves decided to shoot the spot in anamorphic, feeling that the reduced depth of field would bring a more intense intimacy to the performances. The spot was filmed in and around Croydon in South London. "The atmosphere on set is a vital part of the way I work," Reeves elaborates. "If you get the styling at the mood right, the cast and extras start to forget that they're acting and things really start to happen. I wanted to get across that feeling of being really drunk and out of control, which is precisely what happened when the cameras were rolling."

And the most burning question of all - what's Reeve's personal recipe for convincing stage spew? "For anyone wondering, Heinz vegetable soup mixed with Coca-Cola makes perfect puke."

To view the spot click here.